Stereoscopic 3d

At the eve of 2009, the 500 Million dollar movie Avatar, by James Cameron was released. Critics and movie goers alike were blown away by the awe inspiring imagery. Smart movie goers opted to spend a few extra bucks and enjoy the movie in the Stereoscopic 3D format. This movie wasnt your headache inducing 3D style of movie pulp past and many swore to return again soon to witness this amazing experience.

What many movie goers may not have realized as they exited the theater, is they had just experienced a milestone of film history.

Its no secret that film piracy, a falling economy and increased film prices have been contributing to a slower growth in the film industry, with many doomsayers calling for the death of film as we know it. Why will the next generation of savvy film goers pay high priced concession fees, sit in uncomfortable chairs and wait in lines for films they can download in under 20 minutes and watch on their home LCD and Plasma sets with near theater sound?

James Cameron knows the answer...stereoscopic 3d, done right!

What viewers may not realize is that Cameron himself took the mantle up of not only developing a new advanced style of camera that is capable of a new era of stereoscopic recording he also campaigned for the last 5 years convincing the movie industry that they should update their theaters to be compatible with his new technology!

In the end, Cameron was able to create a technology that uses two cameras that mimic the natural actions of the human eye...two cameras/channels working in conjunction (stereo) while filming which leads to a 3d depth of field.

The video above shows the camera in action and explains its unique features.

He also developed the film technology to be compatible with existing film screens and a new generation of silver screens that he helped pioneer.

The distinction being whether one is required to wear a clunky switch shutter LCD goggle similar to what one wears in an IMAX 3D movie or a simple $1.00 pair of polarizing lenses.

I recently watched the animated movie, Coraline on my home Plasma. One side of the DVD was the traditional 2D version, the other side was a 3d version. This movie was made with traditional 3d imagery (Anaglypgh) which requires red-cyan glasses like the ones showcased above.  It was truly amazing. Coraline, is a film written and animated by Neil Gaiman, writer of the popular Sandman series, and my favorites, American Gods and Neverwhere. Its certainly not your standard childrens fare and it was amazing to see in 3d sitting at home!

But, my experience, is just the beginning of home 3d stereoscopic films and gaming. Kits are already available to both film and view in 3d right from your home computer or TV.

Fun facts

The next version of HDMI will be 3d compliant!

Disney is set to release films under the new 3d technology

Star Wars and the Lord of the Rings Trilogy will be re-released in 3d versions!

James Cameron will be only creating 3d films from this day forward

Stereoscopic Anaglyph Copyright © Some rights reserved. Kim Scarborough