Privileged Perspective™
3D: On the technical horizon, again!
By Steven B. Zaboji
Founder and President, Balaton Marketing, Inc. Sterling, Virginia
Numerous versions of three-dimension or 3D technology have been around for awhile, including a good part of the 20th century. For those of us who were on the scene in the 50s, the added visual realism of the third dimension, depth, really got our attention, particularly at the action western and horror movies so popular at the time. However, the 3D craze quickly faded due to its added expense, limited availability and cumbersome eye glasses.
Significant progress in digital technology rekindled technical curiosity in 3D in the early 2000s as Gaming, IMAX and Disney interests sought to embolden realism through visual enhancement. This newfound interest in 3D was soon trumped by the industry’s pursuit of projection TV, flat panel TV and the huge transition to high definition TV – all of which kept the entire industry abuzz for nearly a decade.
CES, the signature trade show of the consumer electronics industry, is held annually in January in Las Vegas. Considering the dire national economic times of 2009, it was somewhat surprising to see how well this year’s show was attended, and without question, the “new technology” that was most talked about was 3D TV.
Today, 3D TV is a reality, and as promised, deliveries have begun.
In order to enjoy 3D, you need three pieces of equipment: a 3D Blue-Ray disc player, a 3D-capable plasma or LCD flat panel TV, and a pair of glasses that have an active shutter mechanism. Expect to pay a premium of 20% to 30% on the components while the glasses range in cost from $150 to $300 per pair. ESPN and Direct TV as well as others are poised to deliver 3D content in the very near future.
3D is about filming from two perspectives, i.e., left and right eye, then recreating these two perspectives on a video display where the right and left perspectives are alternated so quickly that the brain sees only one picture but one that has a realistic depth of field for stunning realism.
The glasses' shutter mechanism is linked to an emitting device on the TV by an infrared beam. Several pairs of glasses can be linked to the same emitter.
I recently attended an open house at a local dealership where a very high-end projection system was employed to demonstrate 3D on a rather large screen. I must say it was impressive and no doubt that the depth of field was there, however, sometimes intermittently. I found the glasses comfortable enough but thought that the nearly 50% reduction of brightness seemed a bit much; after all, I have just learned to appreciate the crystal clear, big, bright pictures on the latest 2D HD television sets. I don’t think 3D will be a huge factor in our industry but to some personal tastes, especially gamers, fans of travel logs and animated movies, the addition of the third dimension will be huge.
I have always respected Crutchfield Corporation’s commitment to delivering valuable information to their customers, so I asked their senior audio video editor, Steve Kindig, to give WatchBoom's readers a web address on their site that is rich in 3D information. Please check out http://www.crutchfield.com/3dtv
3D TV is yet another significant milestone on the electronic entertainment super highway.
About the writer: Steven Zaboji is a veteran of the audio-video industry, having started as a sales rep for major retailers. He founded Balaton Marketing in 1972 and currently represents some 14 product lines relating to home entertainment systems. Zaboji is also the founder and CEO of an e-publishing company called Virtual Representative. He is writing a book about his experiences in the industry and on his love of flying to be called “Business on a Wing.”
Contact Zaboji at www.balatonmarketing.com or at his e-publishing company www.virtual-representative.com.
