3D coming to Blu-ray?
Are you willing to wear 3D glasses in your living room?
The Blu-ray Disc Association has started looking to officially integrate 3D technology with the Blu-ray standard, according to a report by Video Business. While Blu-ray already trumps standard DVD in image quality, many consumers don't feel the improvement is large enough to justify the extra cost; 3D would presumably be another reason to ditch DVDs for Blu-ray Discs.
3D isn't completely new to Blu-ray, with recent titles like "My Bloody Valentine 3D" packing in the old-style red and blue glasses in the box. However, the 3D effects obtained with the older red/blue (anaglyph) glasses pale in comparison with the effects commonly seem in theaters today with polarized glasses. It's likely that the Blu-ray association will try to incorporate the newer 3D technology into the standard, but from the demos we've seen (like Panasonic's 3D Blu-ray demo at CES 2009), it will require new, 3D-capable HDTVs to work, which means it's a long shot to gain widespread adoption.
Would you be willing to buy a new HDTV to experience high-quality 3D movies in your living room? Or are HD movies "good enough" without 3D gimmicks?
(Source: Video Business via Engadget HD)
That is, if the price points are right. If 3D tech adds another $1,000-2,000 to the price of a set, then I can't really see it being worthwhile.
If price points get to current HD standards, maybe..
As an alternative, a development of technology that?s end result will be a 3D rendering that can be played by a Blue Ray player would be the ultimate consumer friendly upgrade. Oh, and Yes, I would wear the polarized glasses to view 3D on my 67" and expect to pay extra for a tile with that capability.
That said, it will be painful for current consumers who have purchased new equipment over the past few years. Those who purchased PS3s may be safe as Sony has said a firmware upgrade might make it compatible. However, there is already a new HDMI standard (with a new, smaller connector) that is paving the way for 3D.
Given a new HDMI standard (which unfortunately seems to have escaped any news attention), the longevity of all current equipment seems in jeopardy anyway.
3D is coming to newer tv sets where you don't even need any glasses or special bluray to see 3 d, it is a new set design that adds depth to the dimensions of the screen, small depth but none the less looks 3d, that technology will take off far more faster in my opinion, than anyone running out to buy a bluray player and a totally new $3500 tv set to see 4 titles in bluray 3D! Get real.
Also, I shudder to think of the eye-strain put upon children watching those Disney movies in 3D over, and over, and over, and over...
And movie theaters definitely need an edge to people staying home where popcorn isn't $12 a bag,
So 3D might just be the savior of movie houses, but will they need new million dollar 120Hz screens? Or use old style projector type red and green glasses, i hate those!
:)
So the people you really need to blame for all of this are the private citizens who are paying to see these movies. If they didn't pay for them, it would just die away.
I don't think there is any reason why DVD's couldn't support 3D effects though, unless I'm missing something.
P.s the last movie i saw in 3D used the red and blue glasses, it looked pretty good. What exactly makes polarized glasses better than anayglyph?
Film movies show 24 unique frames/sec, double displayed to 48 frames/sec. I'm curious if you showed 30 frames/sec alternating left/right (which would be the 60 Hz used on current HDTV's), combined with LCD shutter glasses, might be not unlike film movie flicker. Perhaps not optimal (120 Hz), but also perhaps passable on current 1080p HDTV's.
the only question is technology based and whether that tech is in screen or the glasses.
when that's resolved I'll pick up a new screen - afterall this purchase is rather more expensive than a hd-dvd player.... (currently serving as an external drive for the umpc......... ah early adoption :-(
If the BDA join in then the only extra tech would be a tweak to the blu-ray player, which for BD-Live players should just involve a firmware update.
Why didn't they add 3d as a feature of next generation movie disc from the beginning? Oh wait, they were busy fighting a format war, yeah, that's it.
What makes anyone think as soon as bluray choses a 3d format, some other tv brand won't introduce a totally new incompatible 3d version. I already read they are working on screens with depth grooves which will show mild 3 d image on all pictures, no glasses needed at all, so basically the right eye will see just a little different image then the left eye sees because of pixel positioning, nothing to do with 120hz 3D.
also, adding 3d effect is not gonna appeal to most consumers and falls into the " lets add a gimmick to goose the price up " category for me.
cmon , there are 3d movies out now and no one goes to see them but a few cheap thrill seeking teenagers. and do you really want to put on a pair of dorky glasses just to watch a movie in your own home .
1. No there are not large areas that people can see only a 3d movie because the 2d is not showing in thier area theater. Right now 3d is limited to larger cities that have several theaters so the 2d is avaible and many multiplexes are showing the 2d and 3d version of these movies. The number of theaters that can show 3d are rather small right now.
2. Yes there are large numbers of people going to see the 3d presentation who choose to by pass the 2d version. Even though there are fewer 3d screens the number of people seeing a 3d film vs the 2d film is around 2 or 4 to 1. With My Bloody Valentine For every 1 person that saw it in 2d 6 saw it in 3d, and remeber that is with 3d having quit a few less showings.
People keep saying how it is beening force on us, no it is not, 95% of the population can easily get to the 2d showing if they want, most are choosing not to, and more would go if they didn't have to drive an hour or two to get to a 3d showing.
So don't lie just to make a point.
SD streaming movie rentals are $1.99 an episode for most on Amazon OnDemand and HD streaming is $2.99.
That's it, there will always!! be a premium for a better quality picture from now till the end of time, the studios and broadcasters realize this now. DVD's cost $20, BluRay's cost $30, 3D BluRay? $45 with cool glasses, maybe?
It is the price the rich pay for quality they can affor over the lower class, that took a while, since we always had one tv standard, but since going digital, now we have a 2 class standard, lower price SD quality, streaming and disc, and higher priced HD quality streaming and BluRay, they are looking to add even more expensive 3D Bluray, good for them, if people will pay, why not?
We have the have's and the have nots, so why only have one quality tv image? That is no longer an American privaledge, you pay for quality now, or watch lower quality SD image if you can't affor HD. Simple.
And now that studios got a taste of that, don't EVER expect it to change and all even out ever again!
Mark my words on this, the BluRay vs DVD war isn't a war, it is two standards that will exist side by side for eterninty folks, the studios will see to that, even if public wanted to change, which they don't.
Besides, current display is already fully capable of displaying 3D effects if need to (just like a magazine does not have to be a 3D magazine to print stereoscopic images that's viewable as 3D with a pair of special glasses). Time magazine had a 3D print version a while ago, I don't remember they using any special paper or a speical printer for that matter. 3D is an optical illusion created using the different images for each eye filtered by the glass, there's no real reason the display need to be updated to provide that spacial separation for each eye of viewed image. Companies push for upgrade into TV's just for the sake of selling new TV's, it's that simple.
I much rather the movie maker concentrate on plot, character development instead of goofy 3D effect to get my nickle on a movie anyway.
No, I am not going to buy an iMax anytime soon for my living room either.
- by LinuxRules May 24, 2009 8:13 PM PDT
- Polarized glass will only be for theaters, you need two projectors and left and right filters, or circular polarized filter on special HDTV sets. Most-likely for home 3D, you will need shuttering glasses, which means batteries for the glasses, and your bluray player sending a IR signal to the glasses.
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