We Interrupt This 2D Oscar Show With Exciting 3D Promises!
on March 8, 2010
So, did you see those Samsung 3D-HD-LED TV ads for hours on end while some show called the “Oscars” got in the way with their worthless shilling for art over commerce? Really? How could you miss ‘em, they were everywhere… showing a beautiful coral reef’s worth of colorful fish (did you spot Dory and Nemo… great cameos) and a manta ray flying swimming over the heads of a family who can’t help but reach out to touch the nothingness that’s right before their eyes. They’re wearing expensive looking 3D glasses (small than those theater ones) and seem to be truly enjoying themselves, save for the fact that though story and character might remain completely unaffected by the 3D gimmick, it’s just oh so cool to touch a manta ray that’s not there. Funcity. Full Story
If you’ve ditched your cable recently amid the promise of free broadcast HD and Internet streaming, you were probably surprised yesterday if you are also a hockey fan who went looking for the much hyped USA/Canada Olympic hockey battle. NBC, in their infinite programming wisdom (cf. the recent Tonight Show fiasco), pushed out a hockey game that turned out to be a stunner and an upset victory for Team USA. However, if you went searching for it on your local NBC affiliate you got to view a series of uplifting sob-stories and then some ice dancing instead. Let me repeat: Ice Dancing. Prancing in frilly, rhinestone-studded costumes on skates. The Winter Olympics equivalent of synchronized swimming. A rather bloodless affair that carried no tension, no excitement, nothing really to cheer for unless you’re a huge Bob Fosse On Ice fan. Instead of flying hockey pucks you got frostbitten jazz hands, suckers. 
There’s some hype going around about George Lucas planning to release 3D versions of the six Star Wars films in 3D. UK’s Telegraph reports that Lucas has already put a $10 million price tag on the conversion, and the article further cites a company in San Diego who says they can convert an older film into 3D in about 16 weeks. 
CES 2010 went back to the future, much like the movie business these days. A gimmick from the 1950s has become the great hope for saving Hollywood from fiscal crisis (as for the ongoing creative crisis in Hollywood, no solution’s yet been found), and now the consumer electronics industry has given 3D presentations their bonafides by showcasing virtually nothing but HDTVs, Blu-ray players, a few computer displays and other gizmos geared toward providing consumers with the ultimate immersive experience from their living room sofas. In the quest for bigger, better, bolder— as well as smaller, superior and sleeker— the hottest hi-def products at CES will soon influence the home theater experience. But, with 3D enabled devices already trickling into the marketplace, is the time right to invest in this newest technology? 
As expected, the Blu-ray Disc Association (BDA) has finalized and announced the standards for the next generation BD players and, ahem, discs. That’s right– just when you thought it was safe to buy a format that might be around for a few years, Lo! the great gods of media formats have gone and created another video disc for you to buy– and it won’t play on your current Blu-ray player as intended– so there, nyah. Pffft. 
I’m not a fan of 3D in principle… I think it’s a gimmick that adds nothing to story or character and diminishes the cinematic art rather than truly expanding its possibilities. Regardless of my opinion, I’ve noticed many theatrical releases originally presented in 3D are now being released in 2D and 3D versions on Blu-ray. 
If someone asked me to describe NFL RedZone in one sentence I would say it’s like watching SportsCenter highlights, except live. Host Scott Hanson does a great job switching gears, and the coverage looks great in HD, but the show cannot help being anything but chaotic. 
The New York Times reported on Monday that what is currently free to be had by you and me (thank you Hulu!), might only be available by subscription tomorrow. Time-Warner Cable is leading the pack to make currently free VOD via web a thing of the past as soon as possible. 
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