HI All,
I want to create an update to amirs rather old original 3D post since 3D seems to be a hotbed of activity and progressing fast. So, amirs, thanks for getting the subject started.
I'm no 3D expert. I'm old enough to remember the burst of 3D activity in the mid-1950's. It only lasted a couple of years then disappeared. I thought it was pretty neat. But it had no legs. The movies were pretty terrible but the 3D technique definitely worked. And now we come to NOW.
A few months ago I saw 3D Prometheus in a theater. I was very impressed. Not only was it a good movie (Ridley Scott, one of my favorites), the 3D effects were tasteful and good. Since I was in the market for a new TV, I checked out 3D models. Thirty seconds of Avatar sold me. Maybe I was premature. I bought a 55 inch Panasonic TC-P55VT50 3D capable TV. What a lovely television.
Doing some research into the current status of the 3D market has shown a very mixed bag. On one hand, retailers are pushing 3D with gusto which is not surprising. On the other there seems to be many folks who want nothing to do with 3D TV. I see a lot of resistance. The current selection of 3D media is fairly sparse but getting better everyday. Expense is an issue since most 3D releases are being marketed in deluxe editions. Forget about 3D in bargain bins which is my favorite stomping ground. And, which makes 3D TV a very iffy proposition, is the lack of truly high quality artistic productions. Clearly, 3D TV is at the cutting edge of home entertainment and still focused on the gee-whiz aspects of the technology. Hopefully this will change. I must admit that the 3D capability does turn me on but I would far prefer a good movie with 3D not the focus of the film.
I want to talk about the capabilities of my new TV because I think it is important. My Panasonic has a 3D simulation mode which can be used with any 2D program source, even off the air. For those of you who don't know, this means that the TV creates a simulated 3D presentation. The crucial question is whether the simulation is any good or is it just marketing hype? Since I have around 1000 2D DVD's a good 3D simulation could bridge the gap between the lack of good full 3D movies and what I already own, which are generally high quality productions. I have good news. The simulation is amazingly good. I didn't expect much at first. But, I have found that my collection is full of movies that benefit from high quality 3D simulation. I find myself using the simulation a lot and enjoying it very much.
And how does the simulation compare to a real 3D disk? Well, it's not as good. It lacks the subtlety of a full bore, well done, 3D production. Sometimes the 3D image gets confused (bright pinpoints of light tend to project into the foreground). Most of the time the presentation hangs together very well. But the comparison is not as easy as one would think. Most of the 3D media being sold has been artificially converted from 2D sources. In these cases, the temptation to resist 3D exaggeration cannot be resisted by film producers. There are exceptions. For 3D Titanic, for example, the conversion is extremely well done and adds a great deal to the movie. In this case the conversion is better than the simulation. Truly spectacular. But the 3D simulations produced by the TV of disks that are actually 2D were shot as 2D and have tendency to look quite natural without any of the unnatural artifacts of production exaggeration. All in all, I really like the 3D simulation mode. BTW, simulation still uses the Panasonic active glasses. I'm getting used to them and they work well.
With this thread I just wanted to update the discussion to illustrate that 3D simulation offers a high quality option that we can all use with all of our current 2D DVD's or Blu rays. For me, this is is something of a revelation and most definitely useful.
Sparky
I want to create an update to amirs rather old original 3D post since 3D seems to be a hotbed of activity and progressing fast. So, amirs, thanks for getting the subject started.
I'm no 3D expert. I'm old enough to remember the burst of 3D activity in the mid-1950's. It only lasted a couple of years then disappeared. I thought it was pretty neat. But it had no legs. The movies were pretty terrible but the 3D technique definitely worked. And now we come to NOW.
A few months ago I saw 3D Prometheus in a theater. I was very impressed. Not only was it a good movie (Ridley Scott, one of my favorites), the 3D effects were tasteful and good. Since I was in the market for a new TV, I checked out 3D models. Thirty seconds of Avatar sold me. Maybe I was premature. I bought a 55 inch Panasonic TC-P55VT50 3D capable TV. What a lovely television.
Doing some research into the current status of the 3D market has shown a very mixed bag. On one hand, retailers are pushing 3D with gusto which is not surprising. On the other there seems to be many folks who want nothing to do with 3D TV. I see a lot of resistance. The current selection of 3D media is fairly sparse but getting better everyday. Expense is an issue since most 3D releases are being marketed in deluxe editions. Forget about 3D in bargain bins which is my favorite stomping ground. And, which makes 3D TV a very iffy proposition, is the lack of truly high quality artistic productions. Clearly, 3D TV is at the cutting edge of home entertainment and still focused on the gee-whiz aspects of the technology. Hopefully this will change. I must admit that the 3D capability does turn me on but I would far prefer a good movie with 3D not the focus of the film.
I want to talk about the capabilities of my new TV because I think it is important. My Panasonic has a 3D simulation mode which can be used with any 2D program source, even off the air. For those of you who don't know, this means that the TV creates a simulated 3D presentation. The crucial question is whether the simulation is any good or is it just marketing hype? Since I have around 1000 2D DVD's a good 3D simulation could bridge the gap between the lack of good full 3D movies and what I already own, which are generally high quality productions. I have good news. The simulation is amazingly good. I didn't expect much at first. But, I have found that my collection is full of movies that benefit from high quality 3D simulation. I find myself using the simulation a lot and enjoying it very much.
And how does the simulation compare to a real 3D disk? Well, it's not as good. It lacks the subtlety of a full bore, well done, 3D production. Sometimes the 3D image gets confused (bright pinpoints of light tend to project into the foreground). Most of the time the presentation hangs together very well. But the comparison is not as easy as one would think. Most of the 3D media being sold has been artificially converted from 2D sources. In these cases, the temptation to resist 3D exaggeration cannot be resisted by film producers. There are exceptions. For 3D Titanic, for example, the conversion is extremely well done and adds a great deal to the movie. In this case the conversion is better than the simulation. Truly spectacular. But the 3D simulations produced by the TV of disks that are actually 2D were shot as 2D and have tendency to look quite natural without any of the unnatural artifacts of production exaggeration. All in all, I really like the 3D simulation mode. BTW, simulation still uses the Panasonic active glasses. I'm getting used to them and they work well.
With this thread I just wanted to update the discussion to illustrate that 3D simulation offers a high quality option that we can all use with all of our current 2D DVD's or Blu rays. For me, this is is something of a revelation and most definitely useful.
Sparky
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