Living In 3D

3D Success Still Coming Into Focus

As we move further past the one-year anniversary of the first 3D TV sets launched in the U.S., it’s clear 3D hasn’t leapt to the forefront of consumer technology market. But it hasn’t fallen completely into the background, either.

The recent announcement by Nintendo that it would dramatically cut the price of the Nintendo 3DS could be seen as another tough break for 3D products. In fact, Nintendo’s newest handheld gaming system overcame two of the most commonly cited objections for 3D–high prices for hardware and the need to wear glasses. Read more…

3D TV penetration to grow 50% in 2013

Spurred by rapid consumer acceptance, the 3D TV’s market penetration is projected to exceed 10 percent in 2011 and 50 percent in 2013, overtaking connected or Internet TVs. Consumer demand has also prompted local technology companies in Taiwan to develop and release new lines of 3D and Internet-enabled televisions in the second half of this year.

Leading these companies are Chimei Innolux (CMI), which announced plans to adopt active 3D TV panels for its large-size LED TVs, and BenQ, which will adopt passive 3D panel technology for its 3D TV product lines. Read more…

Is 3D in trouble… again?

With the disappointing box office results for the latest Pirates of the Caribbean and Kung Fu Panda installments, reports that 3D is in trouble have flooded a number of industry publications.

“Pirates of the Caribbean’s’ Low 3D Numbers in U.S. Could Be Wake-Up Call to Hollywood” read one Hollywood Reporter headline, with the story adding, “This summer will put 3D to the test…”

Variety also reported Pirates had the lowest 3D opening since Avatar brought the technology back strong in late 2009.

Jeffrey Katzenberg, who pushed 3D as the alleged salvation of the industry in the first place, told Hollywood Reporter that it’s “right smack in the terrible twos,” and that it’s “really heartbreaking to see what has been the single greatest opportunity that has happened to the film business in over a decade being harmed.”

Katzenberg said a year and a half ago “there was genuine excitement, enthusiasm and reward for the first group of 3D films that actually delivered a quality experience.”

Of course, converting a terrible movie to 3D isn’t going to make it any better, something audiences are wary of with movies like Clash of the Titans and The Last Airbender being converted to 3D, and both Pirates and Panda already felt played out, 3D or not. (Variety reported that according to the BO experts, Pirates probably wouldn’t have done better if it was completely released in 2D.)

Katzenberg also tap danced around the fact that 3D movie prices are very expensive in today’s economy.

“Quite frankly, there’s no industry in the world that doesn’t attempt to move the customer to a premium experience,” he told the Reporter. “I don’t care whether you make shoes or wine or iced tea or cars, everybody tries to create multiple price points. So why shouldn’t we be in the same business of offering our customer a premium experience at a premium price – as long as we deliver them a premium value?”

And even though DreamWorks is part of the problem with Kung Fu Panda 2, Katzenberg also insists, “We are not the problem,” claiming the technology is getting better every film, and the costs of the movies are much cheaper than three years ago as well.

Of course, nobody’s mentioning that 3D didn’t last long the first two times it was around in the fifties as well as in the brief two years or so it came back in the eighties, not to mention many haven’t bought the hype surrounding it this time around.

Both Hollywood Reporter stories also state that overseas 3D is still doing very well, the “appetite” for the technology being “virtually insatiable in such territories as Russia, China and Brazil.”

Variety reports that with 3D box office grosses fluctuating wildly, “it seems audiences haven’t been embracing the format to the extent they did when Avatar set the 3D gold standard,” but of course that’s a very tough benchmark to reach.

See the original report here>>

Sprint Will Offer 3D Phone, Tablet from Booming HTC

Sprint Nextel is poised to release a new glasses-free 3D smartphone and a web tablet running Android manufactured by Taiwan-based HTC, the wireless carrier said Monday. Sprint’s announcement is merely the latest sign that HTC has become one of the world’s top performers in the smartphone market, analysts said.

HTC shipped 9.3 million mobile communications devices in the first quarter — up 175.7 percent from one year earlier, noted Roberta Cozza, a principal analyst at Gartner.

“They are becoming an important vendor for the carriers,” Cozza said in a telephone interview Monday. “HTC has managed more than anyone else to create offerings that really stand out (because of extra software) they put on top of Android.” Read more…

Home 3D Adoption Survey

FIRST-EVER 3DTV OWNERS STUDY DISPELS MYTHS ABOUT HOME 3D ENTERTAINMENT

Survey Offers a Promising Outlook for Home 3D Adoption
3DTV Owners Overwhelmingly Happy With Purchase, With Many Watching More TV As a Result

The Digital Entertainment Group today unveiled the findings of a groundbreaking study that provides an exclusive look at the first-hand experiences of nearly 3,100 3D-compatible television (3DTV) owners. Overwhelmingly, consumers reported a positive entertainment experience, minimal price premiums, and enthusiasm about the future of 3D content.

The report, titled “3DTV Owners: A Closer Look at The New World of Immersive Home Entertainment,” was based on a study conducted this spring by market research firm SmithGeiger. While previous research centered on consumers’ preconceptions about 3DTV, this study is the first to focus on the experience of actual 3DTV owners.

Read more…

3D Active Shutter Technology On Toshiba’s Latest Satellite P Series

Computer Systems, a division of Toshiba Europe GmbH, today announced new models of its Satellite P series that come with integrated 3D active shutter technology. The Satellite P750 3D / P755 3D and the Satellite P770 3D / P775 3D offer everything movie and gaming enthusiasts are looking for. The 3D laptops bundled with 3D active shutter glasses will be available during the second quarter of 2011 in Europe, Middle East and Africa.

3D gaming and movie experience on the laptop’s display

The Satellite P series 3D laptop models let users enjoy 3D movies and games in first-class quality on the stereoscopic 39.6cm (15.6”) TruBrite® HD 3D (Satellite P750 3D / P755 3D) or 43.9cm (17.3”) TruBrite® Full HD 3D (Satellite P770 3D / P775 3D) displays. They all offer a rich 3D gaming and 3D movie experience in crystal-clear quality with a frame rate of 120Hz, dedicated 3D graphics and the support of NVIDIA® 3D VisionTM featuring a pair of 3D wireless active shutter glasses. Read more…

Toshiba Has A Tablet-Ready Glasses-Free 3D Display

Toshiba has shown off a new glasses-free 3D display for tablet devices, but hasn’t yet announced an actual device that will use it.

The company is displaying the flagship display module, which measures in at eight inches, at an event this week.

Engadget found the display and reportedly heard from Toshiba that it “made sense” for the company to invest in glasses-free 3D tech for the tablet market.

Toshiba is not the first company to show off glasses-free 3D tablet technology. Sprint will be launching such a tablet later this year. Read more…

Samsung, RealD To License New 3D Technology

Samsung and 3D company RealD are teaming up to license a new, full-resolution 3D technology to consumer electronics makers, the companies announced today.

Discussed at the Consumer Electronics Show earlier this year, the new technology promises better and brighter image quality. The technology brings active shutter functionality to the display, which alternates content viewing between the left and right eyes, making full use of all the display’s pixels. Content delivered through the companies’ technology can be viewed with RealD’s circularly polarized 3D eyewear. Read more…

3D glasses: Big Sales Opportunity Or Big Hassle?

3D glasses are a double-edged sword for TV manufacturers. According to NPD’s 3D 360° Monitor, an aversion to wearing glasses is the second most popular reason consumers give for not wanting to purchase a 3D TV. But for those who do buy 3D TVs, glasses represent one of the best accessory sale opportunities TV manufacturers have had since the flat-panel mount. Ring up a family pack of four glasses and you can easily reach the price of what some manufacturers charge for a flat-panel 2D television by itself.

Indeed, rather than treat glasses as a throwaway, Samsung recently revamped its 3D glasses, cramming an impressive amount of technology into a wearable product 25 percent lighter than its predecessor. Read more…

Sony To Give First Year Post Mortem on PS3 3D Gaming

Per IGN:

Sony Computer Entertainment’s Vice President Mick Hocking will reveal whether it’s a happy first birthday for 3D gaming on PlayStation 3 during a keynote presentation at the Develop Conference in Brighton. Hocking’s address – The Stereoscopic 3D Experience: The First Year of 3D on PlayStation 3 – will take place at the Odeon Brighton cinema in full HD stereoscopic 3D and open the third day of the conference on Thursday 21 July.

Develop delegates will hear about the transition from promoting 3D gaming to actually delivering the experience into people’s homes, as well as tales about what can go wrong with 3D content and a glimpse into the future to see how new technologies may shape the 3D gaming experience in coming years. Read more…