If the cameraman is on the field and the football is passed toward the camera
it will appear like you can catch it or be tackled to death.

The cheerleaders will.............

you get the point.

what the heck is "3D TV"?
There are various 3D systems available.

The 3D ready TVs are probably DLP. The user would have to wear shutter glasses... one eye is shuttered to block the L/R eye while the appropriate image is shown. All the TV needs to do is to show material at a high frame rate.

There are some autostereoscopic TV technologies out there too (various technologies). autostereoscopic = You don't need to wear glasses.


Explanation of realD (not a TV):
The realD system uses a digital projector + polarizing z-screen in front of the projector (cant remember if that's the right term). That screen will cause the light to be circularly polarized. The viewer has to wear polarized glasses (circular polarizers); they only let in light of a certain polarization. The polarization of the light is varied to get the L image into the L eye and the right image into the R eye.
The realD system requires a silver screen, which does not affect the polarization of light when it is reflected off it.

ok, so it's not really 3d, it's just an illusion. I was hoping it would something like a 3d game where you could move around a broadcast event, live. Bah! Same tech as games have had for over a decade!

"ok, so it's not really 3d, it's just an illusion. I was hoping it would something like a 3d game where you could move around a broadcast event, live. Bah! Same tech as games have had for over a decade! "

Yes it is "really 3D". Moving around an event, like in a computer game is NOT 3D (yes, there have been a few real 3D games but they have been *very* few)

True 3D is where one eye sees one image, and the other eye sees the same scene from a slightly different angle .. thus a different image. The same as we see the world every day through our own eyes.

Computer gaming techs/programmers started calling thier product 3D when it was only perspective shading and modeling on a 2D screen ... giving the "illusion" of 3D, not real 3D.

To call *that* 3D would be equal to calling your standard TV show 3D ... and no one does.

it's no more 3d then a then a 3D Stereogram. Except it's there is no 3rd dimension, you can't move around. (like you said "giving the "illusion" of 3D, not real 3D")

And again, there's been 3d home glasses that does the same thing as 3d TV for over a decade & there's been 3d virtual games for over a decade. I'd say longer even. Nintendo did this in '95. People have been doing this in games for ~as long, except you could see everything in stereoscopic 3d AND move around freely.

not sure why you call it "true 3d" either. If you only have 1 eye, you still move around in all 3 dimensions. You're not limited to two. Games became 3d when you had a Z axis. That was sometime in the late 70's to late 80's.

EDIT: in august I saw a demonstration with a DLP & glasses that let two different people view two different thing things at the same time. Could have some great uses.

You said "True 3D is where one eye sees one image, and the other eye sees the same scene from a slightly different angle .. thus a different image. The same as we see the world every day through our own eyes."

We are already able to watch NFL games with this method of each eye seeing a different image by drinking too much Bourbon during the broadcast. We find the effect is much greater in the 4th quarter assuming we are still conscious. No special glasses or projector required.

BigRockies.com Your Home in the Rockies!

"Stereo vision" would perhaps be more correct.

So why call it "3D?"

Because it gives the viewer depth perception.

I don't think "3-D" gets depth of field right though. Not sure if we really need it...

e.g. close one eye. hold your finger by your eye. Focus on it. Then focus on the background. You should see a rack focus like effect.

Limited DOF can be used artistically in 3D movies, with the usual purpose of focusing where people look.

It is more challenging to use this in 3D for practical reasons.

3D has nothing ... repeat ... *nothing* .. to do with "moving" in the 3rd dimenson. It has to do with *viewing* the 3rd dimension.

You can "move" when watching a standard TV show (when the camera "moves") but IT'S NOT 3D. There is *nothing* in the definition of 3D that says *you* have to control that, or the other two, dimensions.

I know I'm not going to change your mind ... so let's agree to disagree.

I remember the old 3D films of yesteryear---"Charge At Feather River", "House Of Wax", and there was a short with the Three Stooges. I think there was another one in the jungle. I thought they were great at the time---I was about 12 years old. The cardboard glasses were not much fun though.
JJK

Awesome... thanks for the post.

I've been looking into getting one of the Samsung 3d capable DLP HDTV sets... wondering about content... always thought sports events would hold big potential. They got the money to do it and plenty of awesome action to make it worth viewing in 3D. The slow motion replays would be something to behold.

I just shot a UFC tournament in 3D using a pair of Sony HDR-HC9's and a LANC synchronizer from colorcode.dk - came out awesome. When the fighters come to my corner it's like they are beating the crap out of each other right in my living room. Slow it down and you can see every muscle flexing and with a sense of *volume* - you can feel the shape of things in your mind - the only thing that compares in 2D is the Matrix effect.

For those interested - RealD is kind of combination of the polarized setups used by IMAX and the shutterglasses technology used by gamers. The LCD shutter is on the projector lens instead of on the glasses and it is alternating between two circular polarized LCD panels (one clockwise, the other counterclockwise). The advantage over IMAX/dual projection is you can use a single projector lens so there are no alignment issues. And you have passive polarized glasses which means they are cheap and there are no batteries to replace or signal issues. Genius!

But shutter glasses are great for home use because you don't need a silver screen. Just need the right kind of projector or 3D capable TV.

Technically realD could have used a physically rotating wheel instead of the z-screen. (This is according to Matt Cowan, their chief techie guy.)

Two years ago, I briefly considered a consulting assignment with this 3D company:

PureDepth

They produce displays which actually have two different LCD panels, with the front panel being partially transparent. (Think dual layer DVD, except in a display technology.) It's being used for Las Vegas video slot machines and for some military applications.


As for the most memorable 3D movie I've seen, that would be The Stewardesses, a 1969 3D flick that featured several "memorable" scenes including one on top of a billiard table which started with the pool stick protruding out of the screen towards the audience, and finished with a a stewardess and some guy on the pool table with various other things protruding out of the screen ... nudge nudge, wink wink, say no more ...