Ready for 3D TV?

“3D television? You gotta be kidding me” that might be your first reaction. But boy, I sure am not joking.

A LG Electronics 3D TV at a promotional event : Wikipedia

Maybe not yet available in Malaysia, but the Japanese and Korean TV makers have already made available various 3D-ready models for the mainstream market in Japan and USA. Samsung 46-inch 3D TV is available now on Amazon at US$2,339, Panasonic has launched its 3D models this week whilst Sony will launch its first 3D models in June this year (est US$3,215 for 40 inch models).

To complete the scene, it has been announced at the recent Consumer Electronic Show (CES) in Las Vegas, 3D Blu-ray players are arriving soon, as are channels of 3D programming from Imax, ESPN, Discovery, DirecTV, and other content providers.

Is this for real?

I am never a half-empty-glass kind of person but I sense disturbance in the force… Just take a look back at the novelty of 3D in the 60s and 70s that fizzled out. Well, not before I was introduced to the amazing 3D world through the binary-vision of ViewMaster (see pic below) in my early childhood.

Back in 2002, I met with Dr. Sadeg Faris – the scientist behind the ill-fated InventQjaya project of the MSC. He was trying to convince the Malaysian government and other investors to invest in his varied patented technologies, one of which is 3D Stereoscopic Imagingtechnology. I’m not sure what’s the status now after the debacle that followed. Nevertheless, despite the skeptics of the time (including yours truly), MSC could have been one of the front-runners in this trendy new thing.

3D TV. Imagine watching a football match in 3D. World cup final between Brazil and Spain. As Torres let loose a cannon shot to the back of the net – you can see the ball flying off the screen towards you. How awesome is that!

See the guys in Bang Bang Theory enjoying 3D TV (somewhere in min 2

)

Fast Tube by Casper

Success following success?

The global electronics industry is trying to recover from the 2009 slump and some industry players believe that 3D TV will be their savior.

The runaway success of Avatar at the top of all-time highest grossing movie has given the industry a boost. (Avatar was said to be filmed using 3D technology that is way superior than earlier methods). It was also pointed that over half of the top-10 grossing films in 2009 have made available 3D version which did quite well at the box-office.

Unbelievable as it may seem, the public seem to be biting. Despite the dorky 3D glasses, more and more cinemagoers are willing to pay higher ticket price to look dorky. But will they be willing to do so in the bright daylight of their living room rather than the safe dark cinema theaters?

Is is safe?

Let’s say that 3D tv will make it big and we will be spending more times with Astro’s byond – with the 3D paraphernalia on top of our nose. What will happen to our sight?

A number of consumer groups are already getting worried at the possible health hazard. Author and virtual reality expert Mark Pesce recently claimed 3D TV could lead to damage linked to a condition called “binocular dysphoria”. The condition is caused when viewing 3D screenings that require your brain to trust certain depth perception cues and ignore others – creating the effect of immersion.

“This condition… is the price you pay for cheating your brain into believing the illusion of 3D,” Pesce wrote on ABC website The Drum. He said the condition was usually harmless but could become hazardous after regular exposure, such as watching 3D TV every day.

Naturally, Sony came back and said that they have done their test and dismissed the notion. This view is also shared by a University of Sydney associate professor Colin Clifford, who said that the effect is no different than that of watching regular TV.

Lack of content

As it is, justifying the RM20 extra I’ve to pay for Astro byond is already tough due to the lack of HD content. How easy is it to get 3D content than?

My experience in production can confirm that to create HD content for TV require not much extra effort than in producing regular content. Heck… even a RM2,000 off-the-shelf camcorder today can shoot in 1080i HD.

But to shoot content in 3D? My discussion with Dr Sadeq’s team seven years ago left an impression of the monstrosity of the task. Imagine having to synchronise 2 cameras to get that perfect depth of field… But with the willingness of Discovery, Imax and ESPN suggest that the technology has sufficiently improved to make it possible.

The best bet for 3D content is obviously in games. The immersive and interactive nature of gaming will suit 3D technology perfectly.

Standardisation

This does not seem to big a big problem as there appears to be no competing standards (err…is there any in the first place

). So there is no HDD vs Bluray or Beta vs VHS kind of war looming.

The only problem might be in the 3D glasses standard. Will the 3D glasses supplied by Sony compatible with those by Samsung or Panasonic?

If that can be resolved – imagine the new spin-off industry. Designer 3D glasses that is a new must-have accessory for the young and trendy. Get the latest Gucci 3D for RM2,000 or if you cannot afford that get the Gussi knock-off at Petaling Street for only RM20.

Upgrade Fatigue

Imagine you just upgrade to spanking new 46 inch HD LCD tv to keep up with the Joneses. Now you have to upgrade to 3D version some more? Not to mention internet streaming TV that seems to be pushed to the back of the store for now.

Whatever it is… the future always look interesting and never say never. I” revisitthis post in 3 years time and see whether I’m being over-pessimistic or over-optimistic.

What say you?

Related articles :

• 3DSwitch Will Tell Your TV When You’re Wearing 3D Glasses, and Which Type of Glasses Too [3dTv] (gizmodo.com)
• 3D TV Makes a Big Splash at CES (prontotech.com)
• Panasonic Slashes 3D TV Prices By 50% For U.S. Market (inquisitr.com)
• Discovery, IMAX and Sony team up for a 3D TV channel (dvice.com)
• Are You Planning to Buy a 3-D TV? (abcnews.go.com)

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