Monday 20 June 2011

3D or not 3D, that is the question…

I love films – but I don’t love going to the cinema. There’s something missing from the heady days of my youth when queuing around the block for an hour to get in was all part of the experience. So, to try and enhance the soulless multiplex cinema experience we now have 3D to bring the WOW factor back to the big screen.

Now, I had managed to avoid this up until recently, finally buckling with the prospect of a new Tron film popping out the screen. So after paying twice the normal price for the privilege, and donning a pair of large shades that even Bono couldn’t work with, I sat down for an hour and a half of sensory overload.


Was it worth it? Maybe. Technology has definitely moved on from the cardboard blue and red stereoscopic glasses that made Jaws 3D seem so ‘lifelike’, but it still seems a bit like a pop-up book gimmick to me.

So, are we just seeing a resurgence of a 70’s fad with bigger, better bells on or the logical evolution of technology? It seems the entertainment industry certainly doesn’t think so – when it all started with Avatar in 2009 11% of US box office (around $1.1 billion) came from 3D showings. This rose in 2010 to $10.6 billion. With Sony spearheading the push of 3D televisions, and retailers selling around 70,000 3D TV’s every month, it's looking like 3D is getting its feet firmly under the table and could be here to stay. And it’s not just films, with Nintendo releasing the 3DS and Playstation and Microsoft predicting that 2011 is the year of the 3D gaming experience.

So, how will this effect Idealogy? Will we all be donning goggles and filming in 3D in the future? It’s certainly an interesting time with this new technology opening up all manner of avenues whether it’s 3D film, games, augmented reality or apps.

Posted by Steve Barnes


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