Panasonic sets out to bring "3D Full HD" to Blu-ray by 2010
By Donald Melanson 
posted Feb 9th 2009 5:13PM
posted Feb 9th 2009 5:13PM
Panasonic was already well on board the 3D bandwagon when we caught up with them at CES, and it looks like the company is now set to really blow things out, with it today announcing the opening of a new 3D authoring laboratory at its Panasonic Hollywood Laboratory in California. That, it says, will help it bring so-called "3D Full HD" to Blu-ray by 2010, and it'll apparently be working directly with various studios to ensure that 3D FHD (as the company seems to be calling it) becomes an actual standard of some sort for high-def 3D. In terms of actual products, it looks we could be seeing some of the systems that were on display at CES, including a Plasma 3D Full HD home theater system, as well as a 3D-ready digital projector with a 380-inch screen, although that is apparently intended solely 3D FHD picture evaluation at the lab. Let's all just hope they offer tours.
[Via About Projectors]
[Via About Projectors]
If they want 3D movies and tv sets to be popular they need to get rid of the glasses. No one wants to put on a pair of doffy glasses to watch a movie. Build it into the tv set if you want people to use it and stop pushing stupid technologies onto people.
I agree. Plus I'm not sure if anyone else has this problem, but i can't even use the glasses. I've gone to 3D movies before and the glasses just don't work with my vision and it ends up giving me an awful headache.
the glasses wouldn't bother me so much if they actually worked.
Up to this point (and including the latest "Chuck" episode in "3D"), the only place to get even halfway-decent 3D is at an Imax theater.
Yes, a 3D HD standard that didn't require glasses would be the best. The problem is, it doesn't seem to exist, let alone be affordable.
Not to mention that about half the adult population wears corrective lenses, which can conflict with 3D glasses. Then again, maybe it's a goldmine for optometrists....
@Chris
I had the same problem. I went to Universal Studios and they had this 3D Spiderman "ride" and the 3D kept going in and out on me. But it did work a little. Maybe your disorder is further developed than mine. :-)
Problem is, 3D technology without the glasses aren't very good.
I recently, saw Coraline in 3D, it looked very impressive. Polarized glasses are perfectly comfortable and cheap, the Nvidia 3D LCD 3D glasses I've tried give me a severe headache (likely from the glasses flickering rapidly). As shown at the last CES, next-gen LCDs are suppose to be able to project polarized light that would make it look like the 3D movies or attractions at amusement parks.
All 3D technologie I've seen depended on showing different images to the left and right eye. I really don't see how they can accomplish the same thing without glasses.
Agree, start making the holographic TVs already >.
@Chris Are
hahaha Actually mines about the same. The 3D does work a little bit some of the time, but the rest of the time I have to strain to try to see it. I rode that same ride and some of the 3D I could see pretty well :D
Agreed. However I don't know how you accomplish it for more than one person watching the same source without glasses.
Superbowl halftime commercials and Chuck in 3D both sucked. Washed out colors, cardboard cutout effect, it was more distracting than entertaining. Polarized 3D effect seems to be just as effective without the Red/Blue headache. The LCD shutter method produces the best results (if it doesn't give you a headache).
I completely agree with Maverick Saturn. 3D is only a primitive form of holographic projection.
GIMMICK
Does ANYBODY care about shitty 3-d?? I mean give me a break... where and who are these consumers??
3-D is 1970's tech that was cool for about 5 minutes. Even the Imax shit is lame.
Unless their 3D FHD looks like a hologram and can give me a blowjob in the process, I'm not interested...
i say we start a get-smak-laid fund...
seriously chill out. you dont like 3D, we get it. you think its gimmicky (which i will agree it can be). but at least this is a step in the right direction. i dont think i would put down the coinage for something like this, as its likely to be too expensive, but i wouldnt call my friend a moron for getting it.
even imax is lame? you need a smack smak.
that $200 nvidia 3D stuff at microcenter doesn't work for me, everything looks blurred through the paper 3D glasses at their demo station, sadly
They aren't supposed to be using paper glasses. They are supposed to be active 3D glasses which are plastic and have an IR receiver in them that run off battery power.
ok glasses, sure, I can wear those. but why do they have to be novelty colours and with shiny parts in the middle . . . it makes us look like bad comic book characters called diamondbirdwing or something.
shiny black plastic frames please?
They need to improve on the glasses, most of them are bad design and can clearly hurt your eye just after few minutes. And many are inaccurate color.
I always knew this would one day be a reality. Can't wait to have one!
I love how so many people are so concerned about how they'll look with the glasses on even though everyone will have the same glasses on and everyone will be looking at the screen - not each other.
And 3D is only gimmicky because up to this point that how they've been made. Are any of you dimwits also going to call ... oh, say ... "Space Station" (IMAX 3D) a gimmick just because it was in 3D? Or perhaps "Into the Deep" (3D IMAX)? Or **ANY** 3D IMAX movie? Are they all gimmicky as well? Yeah, try to equate "Space Station" with "Jaws III".
Sheesh.
I think 3d will happen eventually, but only when you don't need glasses or other specialized equipment, which would remove the advantage of any improved immersion.
Other things they could do for now is to film on digital whenever anybody considers filming on 16mm for cost reasons, and stop pretending that 24 frames per second somehow looks better than higher frame rates. And they could stop bumping up the contrast so much when they've lit their scenes boringly.
How about first bringing actual 3D to the masses? Not that I like it (last time I saw a 3D movie, I got the worst headache ever).
Awesome! Now I have an excuse to buy a copy of Beowulf.
Why can't somebody come up with a polarized colorwheel for dlp sets that would allow simple cross polarized glasses instead of bulky lcd shutter glasses.
The glasses are never comfortable :S Lol, before walking out with your 3D Blu-ray box, ud have to get percription for the glasses :)
Well, lets think of it this way...imagine the day they can actually fully immerse you into a 3D environment? I'm not joking around, either. Imagine watching some of these movies with all the characters or whatever are actually surrounding you. I think in some movies, yes, it is a bit unfeasable, but in a lot of cases, watching this would give you the ULTIMATE experience. Into the Deep (IMAX 3D) would be AMAZING using this kind of full-immersion 3D technology, but I can't really think of watching Shrek...
so the glasses cause issues with contacts? guess thats why my head hurt when i saw my bloody vallentine
and would i need to buy a 3rd blu ray player? hopefully they could at least do it over firmware otherwise nopee
3D without glasses is doable with current tech: http://www.markstechnologynews.com/2008/05/phillips-presents-3d-tv-without-glasses.html
I am very surprised by all the negative comments! I absolutely love 3D. I bought an Nvidia TNT2 video card over ten years ago that came with a wired set of LCD shutter glasses that you could use for any Directx or OpenGL game and I absolutely loved it. I'm actually very sorry I don't have it anymore. But I have a bone to pick with a few of you guys (not trying to start a flame war, just noticed some old thinking).
First off, glasses free 3D tech is very much available in many flavours, they're mostly just very expensive. Take a look at these guys: http://www.holografika.com/
They probably have the best solution currently available, but the truth is that I have never seen an autostereoscopic display in person before. As for the guys that can't see the 3D effects properly, I'm not too sure what kind of visual impairment you may have, but if you have depth perception you should be able to see the 3D without any difficulty. As for wearing regular glasses, bull... they don't affect anything in anyway (except making your sight better). I wear glasses and have seen many 3D movies, they're all fine.
Second, the whole thing with the SuperBowl and Chuck 3D episode is a newer tech called ColorCode 3D. It's more or less the same as the old red and blue anaglyph 3D but instead used yellow and blue and a patented algorithm for making the images. It provides better results than the old style while being able to use any display (print, any TV, monitors, etc.).
Third, If you want to truly well done movie in 3D you need to see Journey to the Center of the Earth. Very cheesy plot, very well done 3D. There are a few things that many 3D filmers still need to learn; convergence and separation. If either is not done correctly then you most likely will get a headache regardless the tech used. Convergence is more or less at what depth the image is going to be the same distance as the screen/display actually is. That's a very dumbed down way of saying it, but I can't think of a better way. Separation is the distance between the lenses (the cameras used for filming, not your glasses). Basically the wider apart they are, the smaller things will appear to you. These two reasons are most likely you've gotten a headache from those 3D movie ride things. Plus the whole 'your body is moving this way while you see something else happening' aspect can make anyone hurl.
Finally, the best application that I see for 3D is gaming. Playing a game in true 3D is next to none. It takes the whole experience to a new level (no pun intended). For your own sake, don't dismiss 3D as just a gimmick.
You numb nuts ... before you trash 3D .. do yourself a favor and watch a RealD (Trademark) 3D technology movie in a RealD-equipped theater. I saw Coraline last night in RealD. Amazing !! I wish I had that setup at home !
I don't know about the rest of you guys, but I simply cannot wait until I'm able to see Paul Blart: Mall Cop and He's Just Not That Into You in glorious 3-D.
Bring on the 3D I'm in...