Audio 7's Rough Guide to 3DTV @ home.
3DTV @ Home
With the emergence of a proliferation of films being released in 3D, recession hit Hollywood is certainly making the most of the current excitement surrounding the technology - and many would say with good reason. Promises of 3DTV @ home within the year are driving an interest in the technology that certainly was not there the last time we were asked to don the specs.
So, what will you need to get 3DTV @ Home? Is it really going to happen? Will you have to wear silly looking glasses? Audio 7 endeavour to give you the rough guide to 3DTV @ Home...
First things first. There are currently 3 recognised methods of delivering 3D. Most of us are aware of the anaglyph technology used in the eighties where you have to wear some cardboard glasses with a red lens and a blue lens. An outdated delivery that leaves most of us feeling somewhat... well... flat.
Anyone who has been to see the movie Avatar in 3D at the local cinema will have experienced the polarisation method which uses polarised lenses to display a different image to each eye, letting your brain do the rest of the work. A far more convincing delivery with the glasses being easily and cheaply produced and delivering a convincing 3D effect.
Finally, the active shutter method uses glasses that contain shutters which alternate which eye you can see out of so fast that you are not aware of it happening. Again this technology is dictating which eye sees which image and your brain makes the assumption that 1 + 1 = 3D
The Hardware...
The introduction of 3D home entertainment hardware throughout 2010 will probably bring with it an amount of confusion. Most people will understand that a new3D compatible (3D Ready) screen is going to be required, many will not have realised that a new BluRay player is also going to be required in most cases. That is unless you own a PS3, then you will be able to receive a 3D enabling firmware update. Or, unless you own a BluRay player that support HDMI v1.4.
But it doesn’t end there. Very few people will have realised or even know that their BluRay player is processed through their AV surround sound amp, of which the amount of models on the market currently that are able to pass through HDMI v1.4 is a big fat zero. Now the very astute among you will be telling me that you will simply unplug your 3D enabled PS3 from your AV amp and plug the HDMI lead direct into your screen. Well, this will certainly give you a 3D image but you are missing out on the lossless audio track as that is delivered via the same HDMI link. Unfortunately it’s one or the other. Unless you purchase Panasonic’s DMP-BDT350 which has twin HDMI ports, one v1.4 for teh image, the other v1.3 for the audio soundtrack. Confused yet?
So to recap, for 3DTV @ home you will need a new screen, new AV amp, probably a new BluRay player. Oh, and a pair of Roy Orbison-esq glasses. Of course if you have a projection based system then you will need two projectors, not one.
The Experience...
Visually so far removed from the first attempts at 3D – The Creature From The Black Lagoon in 3D was possibly one of the better early 3D movie offerings. The stereoscopic imaging used today really does immerse you in the film and creates an excitement and connection that you wouldn’t get from 2D and is more realistic than the results of the early 3D movies.
In order to really engage the viewer and deliver a convincing 3D experience a home cinema needs to work as well on the peripheral edges of vision as it does in the centre, and so seating positions will typically need to be closer to the screen than is currently recognised as optimum and, for the achievement of best results, will necessitate a projector-based curved screen setup.
Next steps...
One issue yet to be resolved is the soundtrack for these movies. Why would this be a problem? Well, if you imagine watching a film where a character is lifted in front of the screen, seemingly floating in mid-air before your eyes just a couple of feet from your face. Then, he speaks, and the sound comes from your centre speaker placed ten feet behind the character’s mouth. So, is some kind of centre forward channel going to be required in addition to the traditional front centre, left and right? Discussion have been taking place with Dolby and THX who both currently have “no answers”.
There are clearly some hurdles to be jumped before 3DTV @ Home really hits mainstream, not least of all is the substantial cost involved in replacing the hardware. But more content is being promised in the form of BluRay 3d disks as well as a dedicated Sky 3D channel, the World Cup being filmed in 3D and the prospect of the 2012 Olympics also being in 3D. The demand is there and the barriers will be breached, no doubt by a huge explosion causing you to duck and cover as bricks and mortar come hurtling towards you.
