Glasses and Price Turning People Off 3D TVs, NPD

[admin]

The NPD Group has released their 3D 360º Monitor report, which includes results of a study of 2000 people to find out just why they're not interested in 3D.

The study, conducted over a 6 month period between September 2010 and February 2011, found that the need to wear glasses, and the price premium associated with 3D equipment, were the main factors stopping 3D adoption from picking up steam.

But with 3D equipment pricing dropping, it appears that the need for glasses will become an ever more dominant reason for the lack of 3D adoption. LCD 3DTVs fell a whopping 36.5% from a year ago (February 2010), and 3D plasma prices fell even more, down 59%.

Almost 32%/36% of respondents were well aware of 3D plasma/LCD-LED TVs, up dramatically, while 26% of people were aware of 3D Blu-ray, up from 15% previously.

And interestingly, 68% of those that want 3D saying 3D Blu-ray content is most important to them (the rest being 3D sports, and other TV broadcasts).

More:

http://www.homemediamagazine.com/3d/npd-price-glasses-continue-thwart-3dtv-adoption-23611

[drfsupercenter]

What really ticks me off is the fact that they make you buy a new TV to watch 3D content. I found this program called Stereoscopic Viewer, it can open 3D videos (including .ssif files from Blu-Rays), and render them in a way that you can use ordinary 3D glasses (whether red/blue or whatever, I need to see if I can get it to work with some polarized lenses I got from a movie theater) without the need for any special 3D equipment.

Now why couldn't they just do that on TVs? My computer monitor is only a 75Hz refresh rate. Stupid money-making gimmicks...

[admin]

You can do it on the PC though, with PowerDVD Ultra 3D, which supports the red/blue glasses. And luckily, some new Blu-ray releases come with the red/blue anaglyph 3D version, such as the new Piranha movie.

But I think you're right, it was just a marketing decision not to support the old style of 3D, for fear of people not buying the expensive 3D glasses.

[drfsupercenter]

Hmm, does it? All I have is WinDVD 2010 Pro, and that promptly gave me an error about not having proper 3D equipment when I tried to play Tron Legacy 3D with it.

What I don't get, though, is why is it not possible to use movie-theater style polarized lenses? Those are really cheap, especially if you, erm, go to see a 3D movie in the cinema and forget to return your glasses

[admin]

Yep, just tested it again to confirm (playing Piranha 3D Blu-ray, PowerDVD detected my non 3D monitor and switched to anaglyph 3D for use with red/blue glasses, and the 3D effects where visible). It also supports upconverting 2D video/DVD to 3D, also with red/blue glasses.

The polarized glasses, so called passive ones require something special in the TV, and it makes the TVs more expensive (but the glasses are much cheaper). It's easier for TV manufacturers to make TVs that use the active glasses, because really, there's hardly any changes that need to be made to the TV itself.

LG are releasing a few TVs that use passive glasses, which may be better for those too sensitive to the lens switching that goes on in active glasses):

http://www.digital-digest.com/news-62849-LG-Promotes-3D-TVs-with-Passive-Glasses---Are-They-Better-Than-The-Active-Kind.html

But the only real drawback is that you won't get full 1080p 3D, since each eye is only really seeing half of the resolution of the TV with these passive glasses (half of the picture is "blocked" out, to ensure each eye sees something different). With active glasses, and alternating frames, each frame is full 1080p, which is what each eye is seeing at any time.

[drfsupercenter]

Hm. I guess that makes sense.

So what you're saying is that it's impossible to display a polarized image on a standard monitor that runs at 75Hz? I've often wondered what would happen if you went to a RealD 3D movie in the theater and recorded some of it with a video camera, then tried to play it back on a standard TV using those same glasses - of course I can't try that as it's illegal.

Also what do you mean converting 2D DVD? It can convert it to 3D? Or am I misunderstanding you?

One of the main reasons I don't like 3D glasses much is because I wear glasses of my own, and I need them to see, my vision is bad enough that I can't take my glasses off in the theater. What I've been meaning to do is take some of those clip-on sunglass lenses (the kind that have a little snap to attach them to your current glasses), take a pair of passive 3D glasses and cut the lenses out, and make some sort of hybrid so I can go see 3D movies in theaters and just clip the 3D lenses on and not need separate ones. So if I could figure out some way to make 3D movies here at home work with that, it would be awesome.

[admin]

It would not be possible with a standard monitor, as it would require a special type of screen. I think with the cinema and projector screens, they use what's called "silver screens", which are aluminium coated screens that preserve the polarization when light is reflected off the screens. With LG's passive 3D LCDs, I think they devote half of the horizontal pixels for one polarization, and the others for the other.

For the 2D to 3D conversion, PowerDVD takes any video file or DVD, and then it applies an algorithm that tries to add depth to the flat images to allow viewing in 3D. It actually works better than you would expect, although it gets some things wrong (like objects that are supposed to be in front, sometimes are in the back). It's not the "pop out" 3D you get with proper 3D sources, but it does add depth.

The glasses I got with my Samsung 3D TV just slides on over my glasses, and they don't interfere at all. It's not what you would call comfortable, but it's also not intrusive. The problem I, and many others, suffer is that I'm prone to motion sickness, and so 3D isn't really great for me (maybe half an hour at a time, at best). I think this is because objects, when viewed in 3D, appearing closer than they really are and your brain and eyes fail to adjust (one part says the picture is at a constant distance, flat on your TV, while another part of your brain says that the object is closer to you ... this causes motion sickness).

[MilesAhead]

I'm just glad they never made good on the threat to develop Smell-O-Vision. It's tough enough watching all the Asian TV shows I do, where all they do is eat, without smelling the food too!! I'll never lose any weight at this rate!

[drfsupercenter]

For the 2D to 3D conversion, PowerDVD takes any video file or DVD, and then it applies an algorithm that tries to add depth to the flat images to allow viewing in 3D. It actually works better than you would expect, although it gets some things wrong (like objects that are supposed to be in front, sometimes are in the back). It's not the "pop out" 3D you get with proper 3D sources, but it does add depth.

I believe that's what Stereoscopic Viewer does as well. I should try out PowerDVD, so I don't need to open .sseq files directly. I also found this program called Stereo Photo Maker, that lets you open either two 2D images or a 3D one taken with a 3D camera (like those I took on my 3DS) - and you can convert them to red/blue format as well, but there are some other options, like a Sharp 3D mode that makes the picture look interlaced. Not quite sure what that does, but it keeps all the color unlike dual-colored glasses, so I'd be curious what exactly it's doing and if it could be used on a movie.

[admin]

I'm just glad they never made good on the threat to develop Smell-O-Vision. It's tough enough watching all the Asian TV shows I do, where all they do is eat, without smelling the food too!! I'll never lose any weight at this rate!

http://www.digital-digest.com/news-62859-Smell-O-Vision-Coming-To-Gaming-Home-Video.html

[MilesAhead]

Oh no! Save me please!! I got a feeling more than popcorn odor is going to be on some of this stuff!!