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Are You "Going 3D"?
Jul 1st, 2010 at 1:49pm
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It's been awhile since we've really discussed any new technologies in depth, so I thought I would throw 3D technology into the ring.  Specifically, I'm talking about the current 3D craze with movies that seems to be quickly moving from the theater into the living room.

Personally, I'm not a huge fan of any 3D technology that requires glasses.  They look goofy, they give me a headache, and they aren't exactly stylish.  I think these problems would be alleviated by purchasing decent 3D glasses, but I don't really foresee a lot of people toting their own $100 glasses to the theater any time in the future.

I also don't foresee 3D technology taking over the living room in the near future.  Thin, lightweight LCDs and 1080p both provided great incentives to replace the trust old CRT, but I don't think 3D is enough of a "killer app" to justify yet another TV replacement.  Like previous incremental TV technology transitions, I think this push will happen much more slowly and naturally.  Eventually, every TV will support 120hz refresh rates and all of that other 3D hoohaw, and they'll slowly make their way into living rooms due to attrition.  Again, I don't see this being a compelling enough technology to cause the average joe (i.e. your major market) to upgrade.

Another aspect of this is 3D gaming.  Most of the high-end "gaming" monitors today support 120hz (or even 240hz) to provide 60hz per eye, which supposedly makes active 3D-lens glasses much more palatable.  Supposedly, this method is superior to the old-school red/blue glasses, but I can't say I've ever compared them closely.  I have a feeling that all of the next-generation gaming consoles will likely support 3D gaming, and will probably use it as a major selling point.

So, what are your thoughts on 3D cinema and gaming?  Do you have any plans to purchase 3D hardware for the home?  Do you think cinema has really improved from the adoption of 3D?


-b0b
(...is skeptical.)
  

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Re: Are You "Going 3D"?
Reply #1 - Jul 1st, 2010 at 4:48pm
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I was thinking about getting the new Nintendo 3DS when it comes out. That device has been very fun for many people to not only game but put little apps onto and just entertain in other ways. It doesn't require glasses either.

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(knows Spanky can't wait for 3D pr0n.)
  
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Re: Are You "Going 3D"?
Reply #2 - Jul 1st, 2010 at 8:44pm
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The 3DS is a perfect example of "doing it right."  They're going to take a system that is already practically guaranteed to sell like crazy and implementing 3D graphics in a user friendly (no glasses!) way.  From the early previews gleaned from E3, it sounds like Nintendo's method of implementing 3D on the 3DS looks great.  I'll withhold judgment until we get reviews from longer play periods, though.

Remember, the Virtual Boy was a ton of fun... for about 30 minutes.  If you played much longer than that, you'd wind up with a splitting headache.


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(...has a Virtual Boy in his living room.)
  

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Re: Are You "Going 3D"?
Reply #3 - Jul 1st, 2010 at 9:17pm
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Heh, we've discussed this extensively at work and we are all pretty much in the same camp. 3d is not practical enough or friendly enough for myself or anyone else I've talked to. One of the fun things about having a Tv in your living room is that you can have many people over to watch/laugh/comment on whatever is going on. If we all had these goofy glasses on that distorts/polarizes/colorizes anything we look at other than the tv, the conversational element that a lot of tv and movie watching spawns would be diminished, uncomfortable, and awkward.

3d in its current form has cemented its place in the movie theater. You go to the theater to sit and watch a movie and nothing else. When I am at home gaming or watching a movie, my focus is rarely solely focused on the tv.

Also, since they are not doing 3d with polarizing lenses like at the movie theater and instead choosing to sell 100 dollar glasses in the hopes that I will buy 4 of them, they are sadly mistaken. What happens if a friend/relative walks in the door... Heyyy come on over and watch this show im watching... oh wait I don't have an extra pair of $100 glasses. Sorry. Maybe go to best buy and you can join in. I would certainly like to see how this plays out with a sports bar filled with people wearing retarded glasses.

Also. It's still far too gimmicky for me. Your brain adapts to the effect within 20 or so minutes anyway, and then the illusion is diminished. It's just not worth it. It's not the "next step" for me, its really just a nifty trick that i could do occasionally. Maybe it would be worth it for gaming, but really not for everyday tv/movie use. It gives me a headache when I return to the "real world" anyway.

And then again, we wouldn't want all those avatar lovers to finish watching their movie in 3d and then go kill themselves because pandora isn't real and our world is so "grey and lifeless"

.... or maybe we would. Bring on the 3d!!
  

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Re: Are You "Going 3D"?
Reply #4 - Jul 2nd, 2010 at 5:37am
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3d is a fad and shouldn't be adopted to the living room.  Bob's right with the visuals of HD TVs being the transition period, like VHS to DVD...but unless they remove a screen and give me the ability to play Obi-Won in the Holy Trilogy...then it shall not be purchased.

I've noticed that after watching a 3d movie I'm considerably more tired.  It might just be me...but I noticed that when I watched Toy Story 3 in 3d.

Then you have to ask if it's necessary.  My example:



You fail Hollywood...so hard.

3D might be ok for the people architype who love buying every Apple product that comes out...but no one wants to wear bulky glasses after a long day of work in front of a computer screen at work.  They want to vege on their 2d American Idol and let the brain drain commence.

Then you're going to have to worry about the gimmicky shows shot.  The ax or stick coming at the viewer with the character holding it at a weird angle soley for the 3D effect.  I thought Avatar was ok...but the cinemtography (how the shots were set up) was bland and boring (save for maybe 2 scenes).  Cameron might be a good story teller (where killer aliens are involved that aren't Man) but he can't shoot a cinematically compelling story.

Ok, got off on a tangent there...in conclusion...3D was a fad in the 1950s, the 1970s, and it is as well again today.  We just have better visuals this time to keep us entertained for a little longer than the last times.  It'll be a bubble just like housing and the banks.

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Re: Are You "Going 3D"?
Reply #5 - Jul 3rd, 2010 at 11:26pm
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I personally can't stand the "3d craze".  My biggest peeve with it though comes from the way the movies, tv shows and games are made.

I DO NOT need shit in the movie being awkwardly thrust towards the screen constantly.  Not only does this generally look stupid and take away from the viewing experience, but it also looks incredibly stupid if you happen to be watching the movie NOT in 3d.

The Fat Man will not be purchasing a damn thing in 3d
  
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Re: Are You "Going 3D"?
Reply #6 - Jul 4th, 2010 at 1:04am
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here here!

I have another pet peeve. I saw the last airbender today. ( I love the original show and this movie was horrifying)  The 3d was all done in post. It was not filmed in 3d. This is the worst. The perspective is not correct because someone has to rotoscope the outlines of anything in the foreground using stand-in 3d or 3d geometry to make the foreground pop forward. Then the z-depth of the scene is used to distort the film to give it the parallax distortion that is needed for each eye.

It's cool that this can be done, but its a far inferior process than actually filming with 2 cameras to get the differing perspectives. And the 3d effect is already kind of lame in that regard anyway. I think that 3d can be alright in the movie theater with 3d animated movies, because the medium is already perfect, and easy to output and adjust than real life.

Anyway. I agree with Wes. No 3d in my household, thats for sure. Leave it in the theater.... but also give me the option of seeing a movie in non-3d so i dont have to watch fake axes flying at me for no reason.
  

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Re: Are You "Going 3D"?
Reply #7 - Jul 4th, 2010 at 9:36am
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That was the same thing that led to the downfall of 3d movies in the late 50s and early 60s (every once in a while you have another released but the crazy took off during this time period) with the red/blue crappy 3d.  That 3d was fine for comic books (I have The Rocketeer comic in 3d that looks pretty good) but without it being shot with two camera it makes no sense to do it.  With Airbender it's probably used just for the fireballs and windballs coming at the screen.

I saw Up and, more recently, Toy Story 3, in 3D...to be honest...after the credits, I didn't really notice it other than if I really, REALLY looked at the background and noticed that it appeared to have depth from the foreground.  Heck, I'll even go so far as to say Avatar didn't even use it correctly.  I mean Cameron can't really film interesting shots anyways in that movie (even if you give him 20 years to do it) but my point is...after about 10, 15 minutes...you forget the extra dimension is there.

The only movie that I've seen do the 3d right is A Bug's Life ride/movie/show at Disneyworld (technically it's 4D) or the Bord 4D ride in Las Vegas (again...also doesn't take advantage of the 3D all that well).

It's a fad, that Hollywood is trying to use more and more because they can change Briney theater prices rather than decent movie prices.  $5 at mine as opposed to the $13 for a movie in 3d.  For what?  Glasses that I give back to recycle that they don't even clean before repackaging?

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Re: Are You "Going 3D"?
Reply #8 - Jul 12th, 2010 at 12:18pm
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SEeee!
  

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