3D In Your Living Room

I really haven’t gotten worked up over 3D just yet. I’ve seen a few 3D flicks with the majority of them getting just an “OK” review from me.  Much of the time when watching a 3D show, I find myself waiting for another 3D gag, wondering what’s going to jump in front of my face next. Maybe that’s why when I have a choice between a 3D or 2D movie, I’ve chosen 2D because I value the quality of the story over the technology (and because I dislike wearing those extra large clown glasses.) By the way, you’ve heard of H1N1, right? That’s a whole other reason to hate the glasses! (My apologies to the movie theaters. I’m sure you do a wonderful job of disinfecting those glasses between shows.) I’ve recently seen the 2D version of James Cameron’s “Avatar” and thoroughly enjoyed it. It had a great story and the special effects were not distracting. I want to see the movie again in 3D, as the majority people I know who have seen Avatar in 3D absolutely loved it. Let’s hope the hype is true and the 3D technology indeed fades into the background.

There are a handful of technologies that are used to display 3D images, from the classic color difference trick (using those red-green glasses from the 50s) to volumetric 3D displays. There is a great article from Television.com that reviews each of the technologies in depth. The article makes a great point about one common drawback of current 3D technologies. With the exception of volumetric displays, none of the technologies produce an actual 3D image. Instead, they produce an approximation of a 3D image onto a 2D screen, then rely on special glasses to trick the viewer’s brain into interpreting the image as three-dimensional.

At this year’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, a number of vendors were touting their upcoming 3D-capable displays. (I don’t know about you, but I’m not ready to trade in my new HD display for one that’s 3D capable.) To make those 3D displays shine, several television networks have announced plans to deliver 3D content in 2010. ESPN recently announced it will begin operation of a 3D network. ESPN 3D will broadcast at least 85 live sporting events in its first year, starting with the first match of the FIFA World Cup on June 11. ESPN is not alone in this experiment, as Discovery, the NBA, NFL and HDNet have all released statements of their intent to deliver some 3D content in 2010. You can read more about ESPN’s 3D announcement from The Hollywood Reporter and ESPN.

One of my favorite comments on ESPN was, “Awesome. So this means I’ll have Lou Holtz’s saliva flying at me in 3D while I watch College Gameday.” Personally, I’d like to see a Brett Favre spiral coming at me out of the TV screen, just like on all those HDTV commercials! (That is, of course, if Brett will be back for another year. Please, Brett ... Please?)

It will certainly be interesting to follow the development of 3D TV. Hopefully, Food Network is working on technology to let you smell what Rachael Ray is cooking!