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The Joke Known As 3D TV

Posted by Soulskill on from the so-funny-it-gives-you-a-migraine dept.

harrymcc writes "I'm at IFA in Berlin — Europe's equivalent of the Consumer Electronics Show — and the massive halls are dominated by 3D TVs made by everyone from Sony, Samsung, and Panasonic to companies you've never heard of. The manufacturers seem pretty excited, but 3D has so many downsides — most of all the lousy image quality and unimpressive dimensionality effect — that I can't imagine consumers are going to go for this. 'As a medium, 3D remains remarkably self-trivializing. Virtually nobody who works with it can resist thrusting stuff at the camera, just to make clear to viewers that they’re experiencing the miracle of the third dimension. When Lang Lang banged away at his piano during Sony’s event, a cameraman zoomed in and out on the musical instrument for no apparent reason, and one of the company’s representatives kept robotically shoving his hands forward. Hey, it’s 3D — watch this!'"

7 of 594 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Too Scared To Not Try by anguirus.x · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Even if they can tell, obviously, that these 1st-gen 3DTVs are a bust, they can't afford to risk missing out on carving out market share right now. Now is the time to make their brand synonymous with 3D TV. The trick will be avoiding being the brand associated with the failings of the first generation.

  2. Early days of stereo audio.... by QuietLagoon · · Score: 5, Insightful
    The early days of stereo audio are known as the ping pong days because of the vocals and instruments bouncing back and forth between the two channels. If you listen to, for example, some of the early Beatles recordings, you'll hear the ping-pong effect.

    .
    When you add another dimension to a playback medium, the first temptation is to exploit that new dimension to the point of exaggeration. That is where 3-D TV is now.

    Give the creative types a few years and 3D TV will look very differently. Heck, it may even work without those awful glasses........

    1. Re:Early days of stereo audio.... by Abstrackt · · Score: 5, Insightful

      No-one is forcing you to buy it anyways

      It's true, if you get headaches from 3d, you will never be forced to get a 3d TV, since consumers are never forced into upgrading their equipment ever.

      Now if you excuse me, I have to go buy "Inception" on VHS...

      VHS died because DVD was obviously better. The quality wasn't as good as DVD, there weren't as many features as DVDs and you had to rewind your movies (hey, it was annoying).

      I don't see 2D television going away any time soon as 3D isn't exactly an obvious improvement. It will probably become a niche, like vinyl in the audio world.

      --
      They say a little knowledge is a dangerous thing, but it's not one half so bad as a lot of ignorance. - Terry Pratchett
  3. Remember the 1960's? by linzeal · · Score: 5, Insightful

    When color TVs became affordable for the consumer market and television programs started broadcasting in color the amount of garish costumes and set designs and other "look ma, its in color" gaucherie was lampooned mercilessly. The technology was refined and eventually turned out alright, even though it went through a stage at the advent of color when it verged on the psychedelic.

    Discounting 3D at this stage of the technology is a patently absurd prognostication given the history of the TV.

    --
    An Education is the Font of All Liberty
  4. Re:More anti-3D trolling by mike260 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    If Sony can pour millions into telling everyone that 3D is the bee's knees then I can take 2 minutes to voice my opinion that no, it ain't.

  5. Re:More anti-3D trolling by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Because if current 3D technology didn't get bashed about like the piece of excrement that it is, it would become standard technology. Companies will sell the masses polished turds all day, telling them it's the latest and greatest, and unless people challenge their bullshit, they'll phase out the old tech and you will have to buy the new tech because there's nothing else to buy. Even if you just use the 2D portion, that's that much more you have to spend on a TV and that much more you have to spend on 3D only movies that will look asstastic in 2D. 3D will be great when it's ready, but lots of people seem to agree it's not and I for one don't think that it will be for another decade.

    Also, it takes a lot of people screaming DO NOT WANT to get manufacturer's attentions.

  6. Re:Except it isn't 3D... by udippel · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I'd throw all my mod points at you, if I had or could. Already the next commenter knows close to nothing about stereoscopy, but argues as if he did. You are right from a number of viewpoints (pun!, héhé):

    1. At real 3D, when you move your head laterally, you can 'circle' around an object.
    2. At real 3D, when you move your head laterally, objects hidden behind other objects become visible.
    3. [You didn't mention this one:] Depth perception of the human eyes is done by a combination of biological effects:
      - convergence of the eyeballs (like when you watch your finger and bring it closer to your own face, the eyes turn 'inward'
      - adaptation of the lenses for a specific distance

    The so-called '3D' that can be achieved by two cameras only fulfills one of these features: convergence of the eyeballs (by introducing a lateral offset of the two images on the projection screen).
    This is why this so-called '3D' gives you some '3D-feeling', but mostly headaches; as the "3D-detection algorithm" in your brain cannot accommodate the incoming information properly; it defeats and contradicts what it has learned throughout your lifespan.