With the current media frenzy and marketing onslaught about
3D television, I couldn't help but throw my two cents in.
You might recall frankd20's post in January from CES
2010 about all the 3D devices he saw. Now, only a few months later, many of
these new products are being released with the electronics manufacturers and
retailers urging people that they need to upgrade.
Early Adopters Need
Apply Only
I almost feel sorry for anyone who jumps on the 3D bandwagon at this stage
in the game unless they have plenty of money to burn. A complete new home
theater is required to take advantage of 3D content at the highest quality, and
early adopters will always pay a hefty premium for being the first one on the
block to get the new technology. As with most new technologies that come out,
3D needs time to mature.
Glasses Required?
The real issue here is that there are so many competing 3D technologies, the
ones currently available feel like a stop-gap until the technology can be
perfected -- and when I say perfected, I mean 3D without glasses.
Electronics and media companies have tried hard to get the
public to accept a world were putting on glasses is perfectly OK to watch TV,
but I'm sorry to say it's a battle they're going to lose. 3D glasses are
nothing new. Although current iterations are much better than 3D glasses from
the 80s, there is a reason it never caught on back then, except as more of a
novelty.
HDMI 1.3 vs HDMI 1.4
To view 3D content at full 1080p resolution, HDMI 1.4 cables are required. This
means that in addition to a new television, you would also need a new Blu-ray
player, AV Receiver, DVR/Cable Box, and a new set of HDMI 1.4 cables to connect
them.
HDMI 1.3 cables are capable of displaying 3D content, but at
a reduced quality. If the source is a Blu-ray player then the video would
display at 1080i instead of 1080p (check I put P in Your Video for the
difference). If the source is a cable box, which can't even display regular
1080p video, the 3D video would be downgraded all the way to 540i -- making the
final video not in high definition.
Content = Nonexistent
OK, so you didn't listen to me and spent thousands of dollars to get a
brand new 3D theater, which is rip-roaring to go. Here comes the next problem:
what do you plan on watching with it? You sure aren't going to get any 3D
content from your cable or satellite providers for a while, as most don't even offer 1080p video.
That's fine you say, that's why you got the new 3D Blu-ray
player to go along with your setup. Well think again because the biggest 3D
movie release ever, Avatar, which generated much of the 3D buzz, was released
on Blu-ray last week with the 3D version nowhere to be found. Avatar 3D was
hinted to be released sometime in 2011, but no firm date has been given. It has
also been announced that Alice in Wonderland, which is due to be released on
Blu-ray in June, will also have the 3D version come "at a later date."
 Nintendo 3DS
Nintendo might have just put a nail in the coffin of the idea of 3D with
glasses when they announced a brand new handheld device called the Nintendo 3DS,
which will offer 3D gaming without any special glasses required.
Details are still scarce on the device that is slated to be
officially unveiled at E3 in June, but if Nintendo's promises hold true, I
don't see the public switching back to wearing glasses for their 3D video.
Best Buy's 3D Glasses
Calibration Service
Best Buy has even sunk low enough to offer an in-home "3D Glasses
Calibration service" for $150. Calibrating these 3D glasses takes two steps: (1)
put the glasses on, (2) look at the TV. Before jumping to conclusions that they
are ripping people off… they also go into your television settings to make sure
the 3D option is turned on.
Final Thoughts
Overall I think the 3D technology is really cool, but at this point in the
game it is just a race to get products on store shelves to grab consumers
money. Give it a few years for things to settle down and better 3D technologies
become more mainstream. Stick to going to the theater once in a while for your
3D fix until then.
Do you mind putting on glasses to watch the latest movie? Does
anyone plan on upgrading their TV in the near future to take advantage of 3D?
More Info:
Toshiba Creates 21 Inch Glasses-Free 3-D Display
Avatar Producer Says 3D Glasses Don't Suck
Why Panasonic Will Look Silly With 3D TV Glasses
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Re: 3D Hysteria - Don’t Buy Into it…Yet
