The 3D film industry involves the production of documentaries, entertainment programmes, drama series’ and feature length productions for TV and cinema.
The current technology used for the production of 3D video is based around stereoscopic cameras and projectors. The cameras capture two images simultaneously which simulate the perspectives of the left and right eyes. “Active Shutter” 3D glasses are currently the most popular choice for companies to have viewers watch 3D films and TV. Each eye piece incorporates liquid crystals and a polarization filter which, when an electrical current is passed through, the lens turns dark and prevents light from coming through, but only for a split second each time. According to Best3DTVs.com “The 3D TV displays a frame for the left and right eye alternatively and the sync with the active shutter glass ensures that each eye only ever views the image it is meant to see.” (Best3DTV, 2010).
Digital Change
“Much of the discussion around digital change for film gives the impression we are caught in a hurricane, whipped up by the impossible pace of innovation.” (Rosenthal, 2010). Every year technology gets twice as small and the software gets twice as fast. This means that very quickly we are able to fit much more into televisions which couldn’t possibly have fitted before. 3D software/hardware of high quality (not the 3D of the 1950′s) is now readily available for consumer purchase.
There is currently equipment used in theme parks and a few, participating cinemas which uses so called ’4D’ films. Ben Smith, of Red Star 3D, is a specialist in 4D technology. He creates films that, at strategic moments, cause movements in the viewers’ seats and water splashes when rain or oceans are depicted on screen.
Click
According to BBC Click (29th Jan 2011) the sale of 3D TV’s have been disappointing due to the glasses. As Spencer Kelly put it, they are “…bulky, expensive and not cool.” (Kelly, 2011). The future for 3D without glasses could be really useful for many applications, from navigation in cars to everyday smartphones. Toshiba have invented a laptop which can play regular media files but in 3D. The drawback of this though is that only one person at a time can watch. Their 3D TV, however, can have multiple viewers but the image is fuzzy at the edges and is unwatchable for long periods of time. Other applications come in the form of the Nintendo 3DS, which is set to be released March 25th 2011, and Sony’s range of still and video cameras which have two lens’ for 3D recording. This year we can expect 3D digital photo frames. ViewSonic Corporation have designed a photo frame that plays 3D video, 3D photos and converts 2D stills to 3D. Kodak have invented a printer which, although very primitive, prints out 3D photos. You still, however, need to wear retro 3D glasses to see them properly. They are thinking about covering the prints with the sort of plastic covering that is on 3D cards from cereal boxes.
Sony
To get high quality 3D into the home, Sony have developed technologies that reproduce high definition 3D images on its “BRAVIA” LCD TVs. Sony have created “Motionflow”which is capable of displaying moving images at a frame rate that is four times faster than conventional “LCD” TVs. The main drawback is that the TV uses active shutter glasses. They have also made an update for the PlayStation 3 so that it can now play 3D stereoscopic Blu-ray discs. Again, the only drawback is the fact that you have to wear glasses, of which the novelty is beginning to wear off.
Conclusion
It would seem that the only disappointing thing about 3D film technology is the fact that you have to wear glasses to get the 3D effect. Most sources state that if the glasses were gone then the 3D industry would get a higher profit, more people would buy 3D TV’s and it wouldn’t be so much a novelty, more the norm for all TV programmes, live or not, and films would not need to have “3D” in the title.
benmayfield.wordpress.com
No comments:
Post a Comment