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
CBS and Sony Electronics have opened “The Sony 3D Experience” in Las Vegas, a screening facility and research center for consumers and broadcasters alike. What do consumers think about 3D? How will broadcasters and studios deliver 3D? Those are questions the facility will be geared to answer. 
The $200 Blu-ray player is the Sony BDP-S470 and it will handle 3D content after a firmware upgrade headed your way this summer. No it’s not quite a 3D player yet, but the firmware upgrade will make it one, along with the higher-end BDP-S570 ($250) player and the BDV-E770W and BDV-E570 home theater systems. 
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? 
Editors at CNET named the Panasonic VIERA 3D plasma HDTV the “Best of Show” and “Best in Television” at the Consumer Electronics Show this past weekend. The 3D VIERA HDTVs will be available in 50″, 54″, 58″, and 65″ sizes, all four models falling under the TC-VT25 label expected to ship this Spring. 
Disney announced A Christmas Carol will be its first digital 3D release on Blu-ray Disc, expected to hit shelves sometime in the fourth quarter. The film, directed Robert Zemeckis and starring Jim Carrey, will debut what Disney calls a “new premium lineup” of digital 3D films for home viewing. 
DirecTV along with Panasonic displayed a satellite feed of 3D content at CES 2010. Reps for the satellite provider confirmed plans to launch a 3D channel this coming June (which is when 
Samsung says they will demonstrate three new OLED displays at the CES press event on Jan. 6 (before the public exhibits start on Thursday). The most interesting is a prototype “Crosstalk Free” OLED display from Samsung Mobile Display that features image switching quick enough to display 3D images by eliminating optical “crosstalk.” 
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. 
And, Sony partners with RealD for theater quality 3D home viewing.
It appears that Santa may be very good to the Blu-ray manufacturers – both player and content. Reports via a number of sources show that sales of Blu-ray players are up by as much as threefold over last year’s sales and that the format may finally be catching on with the average home entertainment enthusiast. The New York Times featured an article on the dominant driver for this sales increase: Quite simply it’s a reduction in price and an assortment of available features added to the players such as streaming media on broadband capable players. The vanguard in all of this is, of course, Wal*Mart with their $78 Blu-ray special (limited features) that consumers apparently went nuts over during the Black Friday weekend. Other retailers quickly followed suit to come up with bottom-line pricing on a number of less-than-major brands, and consumers have stayed relatively enthusiastic about these players throughout the holiday season. For those trading up or considering major brands, the wi-fi features standout among choosy holiday shoppers. 
Sony and FIFA announced today they would be producing the FIFA World Cup for the first time in 3D. Using Sony 3D cameras, FIFA will cover up to 25 matches of the FIFA World Cup hosted by South Africa in 2010. Sony intends to release the official 3D film on Blu-ray Disc, although 3D specification of BD is still underway. 
, the dark magic of Gaiman’s creation is given a less realistic look with a whimsical spin… but Gaiman’s own, unique vision is still evident throughout. The Blu-ray and DVD releases are astounding, but only the Blu-ray edition (in both 2-D/3-D) truly captures the visual marvel of Selick’s colorful set design and his unique stop-motion puppets. 
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. 
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