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All Things Z - The Future is 3D

Since Sony’s 3D TV exploits started to become realistic a couple of years ago, the industry has slowly begun to trial 3DTV services. Of course the film industry has been presenting movies in 3D for years, and James Cameron’s Avatar has spearheaded a greater move towards the technology in recent months. It’s noted that several hundred cinemas installed 3D projection equipment just to show that particular movie, but it was not a one-off investment by any means with a dozen or more 3D movies coming this year.

TV has been a lot slower for obvious reasons; small screens, expensive technology. But 3DTV does seem to be the future, just as HD as earned greater penetration in the last year (at least in the UK!)

I attended the Broadcast Video Expo last week and had my suspicions about 3D TV confirmed – almost everyone was talking about it. From manufacturers of cameras, 3rd party tools vendors and software houses to companies that target low-budget productions – absolutely everyone was going nuts about that extra dimension.

In the past, 3D was a disappointing experience. You probably remember the red and blue cardboard specs you found in cereal boxes, or even more recently the Channel 4 3D week – crummy and unconvincing illusions of the elusive z-space. Well that vision is out and in its place are shiny new 3D ‘stereo’ capable TV’s that are almost at the ‘good enough’ stage. I got to see several offerings from JVC and Sony, as well as Sky’s approach to broadcasting.

For those not from the UK, Sky is a satellite TV company who a few weeks ago held a trial showing the Barclay’s Premier League Football (Soccer) game between Liverpool and Arsenal, and they had this on show along with several other snippets of live sports. I was immersed by the depth and the eerie sense of action taking place far too close to my brain – something we’ll all end up having to get used to.

Similarly, almost every vendor was showcasing some sort of 3D camera, or post-production tool. Or even a pair of glasses. NVIDEA’s take on 3D is ‘active’ as opposed to ‘passive’ – rather than a cheap pair of glasses and trickery in projection, the glasses are electronic displays in their own right, refreshing quicker than the eye can see. The result is an even more impressive ‘pop out’ of the subject, albeit a more expensive one ($200 approx).