The 3D Effect: Exploring the Past, Present, and Future of TV, Movies, and Video Games
April 19, 2010 - By Alex Miranda
I love TV, movies, and video games. I have loved them for a long time and more than likely I will continue to love them for the rest of my days. Most geeks like myself are media junkies, and we always want to consume all the awesome geekiness around us (like Clovie from Cloverfield).With 3D growing in popularity, it seems we may be in the beginning stages of a transition to the next step of technology for both TV and theaters, High Definition 3D.
I remember when I was young I had my Nintendo hooked up to a 13-inch, black and white TV. Now playing Battletoads, Skate or Die, and Super Mario Bros. 3 on it was not a chore. I rather enjoyed it, but, little did I know, it was nothing compared to what was in store for me in the future. For Christmas, my parents bought me a new 19-inch color TV and Super Metroid for my SNES. That is my first memory of being blown away visually by what a game could look like. It was color and it was 16-bit instead of 8-bit. In truth, it was beautiful. Could I really expect it to get any better than that?
Mitsubishi 3D DLP HDTV: The future of Viewing and Gaming?
Obviously with every new generation of games that has followed, I continue to be blown away. I think gaming is where 3D TV will ultimately excel. More and more game studios are striving to make video games a more immersive experience. To this end, I believe gamers as a whole will truly appreciate an additional layer of visual depth to their games, so they can really “be” in the game world while playing. And truth be told, what real gamer wouldn’t love to do some serious gaming on an 83-inch, Mitsubishi 3D DLP HDTV?
Now 3D is not all Guns and Roses rock-and-roll, there are downfalls to this recently reborn obsession. Most movie studios want to make money and really don’t care how they do it. Avatar was a tremendous success, and now movie studios want to make all of their movies in 3D. If they weren’t originally made in 3D, then some have been doing post-conversion 3D or in studio remakes (cough…Clash of the Titans 2010). The post-converted movies have really been disappointing for some fans.
Whether they’ve actually seen it or not, just about everyone has an opinion on Avatar, but whatever your opinion is of the movie, itself, is, you have to admit the depth of the 3D was phenomenal. This should be a lesson to both film makers and movie studios. If you want to generate sufficient buzz, the movie should be made in 3D from the beginning, not after the fact. Some cable companies like Verizon are already showing some shows in 3D. When filmed for 3D and broadcast in HD, it is bound to have a better shot at being a winner.
As great as having a wonderful TV is, though, nothing really beats going to the movies for me. Seeing Dark Knight in IMAX or Avatar in 3D have really ranked at the top of my great visual experiences at the movies. The newest thing in theaters is a digital 4K projector. Most theaters show movies in 2048 x 1080 resolution, which is 2K. 4K bumps it up to an astounding 4096 x 2160 resolution. According to Slashfilm, this could have a pretty widespread impact. The major theaters like AMC and Regal have ordered 12,000, to date, so, more than likely, they should be coming to a theater near you very soon.
This transition promises to make a huge, visually stimulating difference. My hope is that film makers and the studios that fund their projects are able to capitalize upon these improvements and create special effects that take advantage of the increased clarity and depth provided by the new cameras and projectors. After all, who in their right mind, doesn’t want the villain in their lap sharing our popcorn?
We’ll just have to wait and see how popular 3D TV and movie viewing becomes. If it really takes off, it could continue to spur the rapid evolution of how we view and play. Who knows? In the future, we might evolve to the point where we have images beamed directly into our heads, like Demolition Man. Hopefully, though, we won’t have to worry about the 3 shells.
I think 3D, for movies, will live be a fad for a while, and then fade away until it is hauled out only for extreme visual effect movies (like Avatar) where the director intends a 3D film from the get go. But, given the limitations on 3D for home entertainment, as well as the many people for whom the image creates nausea, I think it will really only catch on with a niche consumer.
3D gaming, on the other hand, I think will eventually take off. While its yet in its infancy, I think a few generations down the line we may see specific gaming setups designed to add depth to the picture. The goal would be depth – not merely zany fly-out-of-the-screen effects (though I’m sure we’d see that in Raving Rabbids).
I really do look forward to both in 3d. I agree with you that only movies that are intended to be 3D from the beginning should be given the 3D treatment. I am not quite ready to watch a post converted Madea Goes to Alpha Centauri in 3D. I think Up and Avatar were great in 3D, but it was not for the bubbles being blown towards you or asteroids flying at you, it was for the extra depth the 3D gave the already beautiful picture.
I am 63, I had a Dragon32 console in 1972(anyone remember cassetts to load the very basic game?)The programs ran Basic, and some bookslet yoy type in programs, I kept forgetting to “save” and lost many games that way.
My daughter bought me a Playstation for my 50th birtday, out went the basic 2d blocks, and in came Laura Croft in mind blowing 3d, it was like going from a roller skate to a Silver Phantom Rolls royce. The gap was so,ooooo wide. Keep up the good work, I still think the pc video games are amazing.