How 3-D TV works

Stephen Jackson, Dallas, Texas — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 01:32:40 GMT

I believe that 3-D television had to await the advent of Hi-Definition to be truly practical. The old television standard simply did not put enough information in the signal to create a convincing 3-D experience. It can certainly happen now. The rub, of course, will be yet another sequal to the age old serial 'Format Wars'. Give it 5 years to work that out, since so very much patent money will be on the table. By then. technology will prototyping truly holographic systems, but that will take a lot longer, due to the current technology investment.

How 3-D TV works

Ray — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 03:04:53 GMT

I believe that any 3-D television standard must take into account ADA compliance. In other words, viewable by those of us who either lack depth perception, or can only see out of one eye.

How 3-D TV works

Kris Jackson — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 03:15:08 GMT

The 3-D movies I've seen in theaters were pretty impressive -- and I'm sure I'll continue to think so after the novelty wears off. As with the introduction of movies themselves, then sound, then color, once the public gets a taste, everyone will have to fall in line. Ten years from now we'll probably see "3D" in the TV listings, and it will be ubiquitous.

How 3-D TV works

Peter Highdef — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 03:22:56 GMT

If its cool and accessible with cheap glasses it'll sell right now with plenty of room for expansion into holographics.
HD entertainment in high resolution 3D.. cool !!

How 3-D TV works

James — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 03:27:51 GMT

I actually don't know why anybody cares about this at all this is the same lame tech that we have had for a long time. When you no longer have to wear those ridiculous glasses and still get the 3D effect then it will be future tech and be very cool. Until then I'll just go to a drive in and watch some god awful horror movie, like the old days

How 3-D TV works

Frank Trode, Baldwin, WI — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 03:55:51 GMT

What about those with color blindness or deffciency? Do both still work for those people? How many more will find out they have it and didn't know it?

How 3-D TV works

Tim Rommes, Washington, UT — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 07:44:45 GMT

What "information?" It's a second image shifted for depth and tinted. You can do the same thing with crayons. HD does give a sharper 3D picture. HD does give a sharper 2D picture. By "sharper" I mean more defined. Like a "higher definition" in the picture. The tech to produce 3D has been around as long as crayons and colored plastic. No doubt it's easier to produce with better equipment and programs.

How 3-D TV works

Emma Morrow, Urbana, IL — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 10:21:46 GMT

The image caption shouldn't say "polarized glasses", it should say "Active glasses" or "Shuttering LCD glasses".

How 3-D TV works

R. Millin, Stafford, VA — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 12:35:42 GMT

I wathced the Chuck episode last night in 3D and 1080i HD and was generally unimpressed. Seemed it was the same experience I remember as a kid. A bit corny and those old red and blue glasses give me a headache after wearing them for so long. 3D is not going to make me want Blu-Ray any more, I like it just fine now. Now where's that Smell-O-Vision they been talking about since forever? (Just kidding)

How 3-D TV works

Geoff, Quincy, IL — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 13:00:20 GMT

It is a gimmick. My wife and I sat and watched the 3-D episode of "Chuck" last night, and while there were a few "visially stunning" moments, the resulting headaches from the glasses weren't worth the few added perks of watching TV in 3-D. Might be something for the next generation of viewers, but I'd rather stick with my 2-D TV for now.

How 3-D TV works

Bill Brown Xiamen China — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 13:01:45 GMT

3D is obviously only a matter of time. If someone can think it up, and there is a need or desire for it, someone will work out a way to produce and market it. We've seen that over the past two decades (I still remember people laughing at my Toshiba notebook in 1988, which had no hard drive, and an unlighted screen, and experts said notebooks would never be anything but toys).
What I'm looking forward to is holographic TV, with texture and smell. Science fiction? Today, yes, but so were flat TVs a couple decades ago.
But it would all come together a lot faster if, somehow, different firms, and governments, could find ways to cooperate in R&D in a way that, in the long run, maximizes rather than sacrifices their profits (now that may be impossible?).

How 3-D TV works

Anonymous, Los Angeles, CA — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 13:18:14 GMT

"Those who cannot remember the past, are condemned to repeat it."

How 3-D TV works

David Clark, Madison, Wisconsin — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 15:13:41 GMT

It'll be a success as long as they take the leap to either passive or active glasses. Colorcode 3D just doesn't cut it, at least not from what I saw last night with Chuck and the super bowl commercials the night before. Ghosting is still an issue, as well as eyestrain, though not nearly as bad as the old red/blue anaglyph system. It's still anaglyph though and it just wasn't very effective overall. If anything, it was actually kind of annoying. So yeah, Colorcode needs to go away now before 3D can be taken seriously.

Practically speaking, the passive polarized system has a better chance of catching on, at least this early in the game, as you already have a wide variety of HDTVs in people's homes. I don't think people are gonna be ditching their brand new (or even their 1 or 2 year old) tvs for another tv whose only new attribute is being 3D ready.

How 3-D TV works

Andy Miller, Philadelphia, PA — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 15:49:19 GMT

Savior of Blu ray? Isn't Blu ray doing better than DVD has in the same amount of time? I just saw a fact that Neilsen says that blu ray has a 17% market share as far as home video is concerned, Dvd was around 8-10% in the same amount of time.... besides some blu rays already have 3d (journey to the center of the earth)

How 3-D TV works

Lance, New Hampshire — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 16:24:20 GMT

It will take a couple of years to begin going mainstream even for special events... people are still accepting HDTV and the digital transition. It might provide a good incentive to complete the HDTV transition, but people have spent alot already and with the current economy, people will be looking for ways to cut back. Throw too much at them at once and it won't happen. Give it a couple of years, tease them a bit, then yank them in with a 3D televised superbowl... Then you will see buy in !

How 3-D TV works

cameran, manitowoc WI — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 16:43:36 GMT

how much is the coust?

How 3-D TV works

tazkattoo Houston,TX — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 16:45:46 GMT

I would hope gimmick for purely selfish reasons. There is an entire population of people that cannot see 3D television of which I am member. Anybody with astigmatism (even with correction) has trouble focusing on the 3D screen and end up with headaches. Additionally the picture remains fuzzy with auras around the characters and the 3D effects are not viewable.

How 3-D TV works

Jason Goldstein Baltimore, MD — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 17:02:52 GMT

Sorry NBC. At my Superbowl party we all put on the 3-D glasses and saw nothing. No I will not put them on to watch a sitcom. I don't own an HD TV and won't get one unless the current one I have breaks and the HD TVs are the only thing available. My guess is a lot of people feel the same way.

How 3-D TV works

H Howard, Tucson, AZ — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 17:09:16 GMT

Considering the fact that 3D is available on any TV and program simply by putting a slightly darker lens over one eye, and no one has used it, I doubt that 3D will ever be a big selling point. This technique has been available since the advent of moving pictures.

When anything is moving across the screen, it will be seen in 3D. The darker the lens, the greater the depth effect though this can be overdone.

3D will always require additional equipment of some type or other until holographic projection becomes possible. Even then, it is probable that some type of dispersed material in the air in front of the viewer will be necessary to act as a projection screen.

As long as something must be worn or there are stringent viewing requirements exist, I seriously doubt that 3D will pass the point of being more than passing interest.

How 3-D TV works

Luke Micalls Newyork,NY — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 17:18:06 GMT

Pretty soon we are going to communicate through these HDTV. Imagine a flat screen with a camera attached to it,someone calls and the TV answers.....you get the pic (no pun intended). So I'm looking forward to this new change as well as others.

How 3-D TV works

Nancy, Lafayette IN — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 17:38:27 GMT

I've worked in 3D visualization centers for a few years, and one thing that wasn't mentioned was the motion sickness and headaches that many people get from watching 3D for any amount of time. I think this type of technology is just a stepping stone until we get to true holographic technology, which wouldn't have those side effects, can be viewed from any angle, etc.

How 3-D TV works

Paul, Northeast Ohio — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 18:01:34 GMT

Watched the commercials and "Chuck" on HDTV and it was ok, nothing spectacular. As indicated by others, the challenge will be the usual format war between manufacturers, prolonging adoption until the impact of the technology has passed and no one is really that interested anymore.

How 3-D TV works

EE, Dallas, TX — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 19:04:29 GMT

I'm sure there is an easy explanation (cost, technical difficulties, etc...) for why it never was productionized but...

In the late 1980's, I worked as an engineer for a large defense systems and semiconductor manufacturer (nebulous enough?) who demonstrated in-house a full 3D system that worked without glasses of any kind. The projected image was rendered in free space and you could walk around it, look down on it - every which way - and see the image from every angle. It was the closest thing I had/have ever seen (then and now) to the projected holographic image from the original Star Wars movie. Unfortunately, the company, known more for its engineering expertise than its business acumen, couldn't figure out what to do with the technology and, after selling some prototypes to both the FAA (for a next-gen air traffic control demonstrator) and the National War College (for battlefield simulations), the technology was sold to an outside interest and, curiously, never heard from again. The concept was actually quite simple...

Take a polished mirrored disc (picture a CD) attached at a 45 degree angle to a turntable spindle. Spun at a high enough speed, the disc effectively becomes a mirrored 3D "cone". Now place this spinning disc underneath a large clear dome of glass (the one I saw was ~3 feet in diameter) and project synchronized laser light from multiple sources onto the cone. The result is that the light is reflected onto the underside of the glass dome creating a 3D image that appears to float in mid-air (you cannot clearly see the dome itself when illuminated from inside). Really cool...

One of the original prototypes, built for the FAA, depicted the physical ground and airspace surrounding a major airport. Air traffic controllers, freed from the 2D confines of their radar display, could walk around the virtual airport and see virtual jets taking off and landing with their locations projected based on real-time location data. Wearing wireless headsets, the controllers would carry laser wands that would be used to paint/target aircraft they wanted to initiate a conversation with. The whole idea here was that controllers would have all the same data at their disposal as they currently had but now they would also have an intuitive feel from aircraft proximity in 3D space.

Back when I first saw this (~1987), I really thought this would become the de facto entertainment medium for the home, supplanting television as we currently know it. Colleagues of mine who were more intimately familiar with the technology told me that various illustrations were put together depicting the "home of the future" where media rooms were laid out "in the round" so that people could see the projected image in the center of a room from all angles. Oh well, maybe someday...

How 3-D TV works

J Shafer, Vernon, Indiana — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 19:07:56 GMT

Here's to hoping that they give up on this pretty quick - if you didn't have the glasses, it was almost unbearable to watch. I saw the 3-D commercials, and watched Chuck. Both made me dizzy to watch them. I looked for the glasses, but couldn't find a display locally.

How 3-D TV works

Nighthawk, Rindge, NH — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 19:39:31 GMT

It's up to the Blu-ray Disc Association to pick the system that will be adopted for Blu-ray disc, thus eliminating any 3D format war. After, the BDA adopts a 3D standard, then the studios will start rolling out the films. The killer app for 3D will be porn, naked women in 3D HD will sell easily.

How 3-D TV works

haley sprout, bridgewater, new hampshire — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 22:46:28 GMT

i belive that all shows should be in 3D because in would make thing a lot more enjoyable.

How 3-D TV works

Dennis, Richmond VA — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 14:42:18 GMT

I wish they would just put more effort into telling better stories. It seems as if all the shows I like best are cancelled because they cost too much!

How 3-D TV works

JJ, Dallas, TX — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 04:44:50 GMT

This is not the first time 3D has been touted as "the future of entertainment." Whatever. It won't be until it doesn't give you a headache while wearing the the silly glasses, and even then, how many of us want to wear those things all the time? Nope, it's not going to happen any time soon.