Will we ever see a 3D TV again?

Will we ever see a 3D TV again?

  • Yes, the Avatar sequels will do what the first film did for 3D technology!

  • No way the technology will ever return!


Results are only viewable after voting.
Passive 3D on my LGE6 is a regular watch here. Something like the recent Jungle Book or Alita Battle Angel in 3D is just so well done. I am currently waiting for one of the new wave of full REC.2020 coverage triple laser UST 4K projectors to come along that does 3D and Dolby Vision. Some are on the way that do one or the other but not as yet both. I think it's just a matter of time really.
 
The only projectors - of any type beit L.A.S.E.R. or not - that do Dolby Vision are those in the Dolby Vision cinemas. I think there's only 1 in the whole of the UK.
 
The only projectors - of any type beit L.A.S.E.R. or not - that do Dolby Vision are those in the Dolby Vision cinemas. I think there's only 1 in the whole of the UK.
True but this is about to change.
 
The only projectors - of any type beit L.A.S.E.R. or not - that do Dolby Vision are those in the Dolby Vision cinemas. I think there's only 1 in the whole of the UK.
Not including the nice Dolby theatre at Dolby HQ, there are multiple Dolby cinemas in the UK which do Dolby Vision. The best ones are currently all outside London which may be why a second theatre is opening in London soon.
 
I wouldn't get too excited about technical upgrades in the majority of cinemas. Unless the current equipment is unserviceable and needs replacement projectors are probably going to remain the same. Post Covid (?) cinemas are currently running at about 50% of the capacity they would normally operate at. The two biggest chains are in considerable debt to the extent of billions of Dollars. Newer Dolby formats and 3D are not going to draw in significantly more punters to make an upgrade worthwhile, especially if it means pushing up seat prices. People will just wait a couple of months, or less, for streaming sources. None of this is good news.

Remember that currently even those with 4K facilities are more commonly showing 2K formats upscaled. The frame rate of the films remains at 24fps which was instituted 8 decades ago! The industry is slow, and reluctant, to change unless it is guaranteed a profit.

My cinema business chums tell me that the trend with new cinemas is to build all encompassing entertainment centres to get away from the old 'coke and popcorn' image. These include incorporated restaurants, bars, games machines and bowling. The idea is that the profit sources are spread so they don't have to just rely on cinema income. The only real major investments in the new cinemas are the luxury seats, often at premium prices. Here's one such cinema that opened very recently.

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Not including the nice Dolby theatre at Dolby HQ, there are multiple Dolby cinemas in the UK which do Dolby Vision. The best ones are currently all outside London which may be why a second theatre is opening in London soon.
 
The industry is slow, and reluctant, to change unless it is guaranteed a profit.
You are right about the industry and it being slow to change. That applies to any large industry with existing infrastructure. But the change from analogue to digital shows that it is possible.

Remember that currently even those with 4K facilities are more commonly showing 2K formats upscaled.
That's not a huge issue and there are technical reasons why this 2k upscale is the default. But when done correctly, upscaled 2K images can and usually do look great.

The frame rate of the films remains at 24fps which was instituted 8 decades ago!
With the exception of 3D, running 2k or 4K at 60Hz makes the result look like a Spanish Telenovela or a home video. While some like it, the vast majority of people reject how it looks. So again, this is not a major issue.

My cinema business chums tell me that the trend with new cinemas is to build all encompassing entertainment centres to get away from the old 'coke and popcorn' image. These include incorporated restaurants, bars, games machines and bowling. The idea is that the profit sources are spread so they don't have to just rely on cinema income. The only real major investments in the new cinemas are the luxury seats, often at premium prices.
This has been the business case for a while now. Cinemas from 10+ years ago have been opening in shopping centres and other non dedicated facilities. But like I said above, any large industry with existing facilities is always going to struggle to update those facilities for numerous reasons.

Personally I'm not interested in anything other that a place to go and watch films on a huge screen with banging audio and comfortable seating. The BFI has the biggest screen, excellent IMAX audio and comfortable seats. The Odeon Dolby Cinema has an OK screen (with Dolby Vision), excellent audio and comfortable seats. But for me, Cineworld is the best in central London for choice and audio/visual experience.
 
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Cineworld (incorporating Picturehouse) are in a desperate financial situation both in the UK and in their chain in the USA. On top of their drop in income they owe millions to the company's they lease property from whom they did not pay throughout lockdown. They are also in a dispute after they backed out of a major deal with a big Canadian chain before lockdown. Their situation is precarious to say the least. AMC (Odeons) are not much better. Enjoy them while you can. Most of us don't live near Central London.
 
Cineworld (incorporating Picturehouse) are in a desperate financial situation both in the UK and in their chain in the USA. On top of their drop in income they owe millions to the company's they lease property from whom they did not pay throughout lockdown. They are also in a dispute after they backed out of a major deal with a big Canadian chain before lockdown. Their situation is precarious to say the least. AMC (Odeons) are not much better. Enjoy them while you can. Most of us don't live near Central London.
Yeah I heard about the situation and it's worrying. Even before the pandemic AMC were in trouble. What's a little ironic is that they have all spent money to up their game in the last few years then the pandemic hit. There's a few films I would have gone to the cinema to see but now I just wait until I get home.

Anyway this is way OT :)
 
When I said above that there are expert enthusiasts I was talking about this guy. :) Check out his reviews of other MCU films like Dr Strange as well to help to tell the story.


Just FYI I finally got a chance to watch this film it is top tier MCU 3D :)
 
I still enjoy watching 3D movies on my LG 55 UF950V.. i doubt would ever sell it . 3D doesn't look the same on my Optoma projector ... I would buy another ( bigger screen) 3D TV is LG would ever release one again
 
I love 3D.. although I don't have a 3D tv. Best I can get is 3D bluray via VR headset!

I don't think we'll see a return of 3D though to the living room because the masses want passive simplicity.

I actually have an affection for HDR as something approximating the experience of 3D. I just love how well-lit objects pop out of the screen. Am I alone in this comparison? :)

I feel HDR has finally forced something immersive and magical onto the masses, and unlike 3D they can't turn it off or run away from it..

HDR forces everybody to be overwhelmed and wowed just like 3D did. Hahaha.
 
My prediction for the future is Augmented Reality Television: flat screen panels will be consigned to history, with glasses/spectacles being worn to enable 3D viewing of movies that appear to ‘float‘ at a fixed position in front of you.
 
I actually have an affection for HDR as something approximating the experience of 3D. I just love how well-lit objects pop out of the screen. Am I alone in this comparison? :)

I feel HDR has finally forced something immersive and magical onto the masses, and unlike 3D they can't turn it off or run away from it..

HDR forces everybody to be overwhelmed and wowed just like 3D did. Hahaha.
I thought like this too, I have a 1500 nit monster HDR TV and I accepted that HDR is the new 3D. But once I started watching 3D again I realised what I was missing. Decent 3D on a large screen is just too good :)

The Avengers in 4K HDR looks great, when I first saw it, it was like watching a new film. But the blu-ray also has excellent colours and contrast levels not far from the 4K disc. Add top tier 3D to the mix and this takes the viewing experience to another level.
 
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Agree with @Tropi about the voting and the 20-30 year cycle of reinvention.

My typical viewing position is 1m away from a 50" FHD plasma, I love the active 3d when done well.

Shame that the glasses viewing windows were so small. Always felt that the active glasses should have had bigger viewing area, more like the IMAX glasses (almost a visor size) when I last saw a 3d movie.

I also think that some of the issues with creating good 3d is that the production crew need to learn new skills at framing/compositing 3d shots.
Some of the headache inducing effects are due to; the director and cinematographer, using a standard repertoire of scene cutting, framing and aperture settings. These techniques work well in 2d to focus the viewer on a subject, but cause our brain to see something wrong/cause headaches in 3d.
 
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Agree with @Tropi about the voting and the 20-30 year cycle of reinvention.

My typical viewing position is 1m away from a 50" FHD plasma, I love the active 3d when done well.

Shame that the glasses viewing windows were so small. Always felt that the active glasses should have had bigger viewing area, more like the IMAX glasses (almost a visor size) when I last saw a 3d movie.

I also think that some of the issues with creating good 3d is that the prodcution crew need to learn new skills at framing/compositing 3d shots.
Some of the headache inducing effects are due to; the director and cinematographer, using a standard repertoire of scene cutting, framing and aperture settings. These techniques work well in 2d to focus the viewer on a subject, but cause our brain to see something wrong/cause headaches in 3d.
What you are proposing are two different edits of the same movie. One for the majority who will see it at non-3D venues or on standard TVs, and a separate cut for 3D displays. Given that films are made on a very tight budget these days and that the 3D is usually an electronic re-creation anyway rather than shooting on 3D cameras this idea is totally uneconomic and impractical.
 
What you are proposing are two different edits of the same movie. One for the majority who will see it at non-3D venues or on standard TVs, and a separate cut for 3D displays. Given that films are made on a very tight budget these days and that the 3D is usually an electronic re-creation anyway rather than shooting on 3D cameras this idea is totally uneconomic and impractical.
.... which means 3D can't come back, then.
Giving audiences massive headaches isn't going to endear them to 3D. It definitely didn't to me the last time, I can tell you that for free!
 
What @mrtickleuk said;
.... which means 3D can't come back, then.
Giving audiences massive headaches isn't going to endear them to 3D.
But James Cameron managed it and so have others. This is why I think 3d cannot become mainstream unless tools and skills change. Some directors etc. may not want to bother.
 
I think one's brain kind of "adds in" 3D to a normal 2D picture anyway so 3D TV has always been a solution to a problem that doesn't exist IMHO.

If we ever get a glasses-free solution then it may return, but for most it's just not worth even a small amount of hassle for very little return.
 
I bought 2 3D tv's, one in 2013 (46" Samsung) and the other (Hisense 58") in 2014. I only bought 3D movies I knew I would watch over again. But even so, I still have a good few of them.
 
3D will almost certainly return in some form, once manufacturers run out of other ways to convince us that our existing TVs are obsolete and we need to upgrade ! They're already struggling to persuade us that we all need 8K...

One drawback to 3D was the relatively small size of some of the 3D screens that were commonplace 10 years ago, but the much larger (75"+ and even up to 100") screen sizes currently available would give a much better 3D (immersion) experience. The big sticking point will always be the glasses though so 3D without the need for those would surely be a priority if they ever decide to go down this route again.
 
Being an avid 3D film-goer of early 80s, unsurprisingly BIG Fan..

Currently have 1x 4K 3D DLP projector, and an unused 1080 3D DLP as a back up.

Naturally, I'm waiting for the next gen/performance enhanced projector etc.
-currently amassing any 3D discs I can find
-total in the many, many hundreds so far..
 

RFM has covered this in 2023 CES, there is still some activity around 3D behind the scenes with technology demos and two different approaches that are both glasses free.

But somebody implementing one of those approaches into a mainstream product is another matter and the content needed to sell it, older 3D movies on BD and 3D game consoles from around 15 years ago wont cut it.
 
What about the dual-format 2D/3D discs??
Movies such as I-Robot, Priest, Green Hornet etc, when selecting 2D I imagine Only the Left or Right image is presented on screen.??
 
What you are proposing are two different edits of the same movie. One for the majority who will see it at non-3D venues or on standard TVs, and a separate cut for 3D displays. Given that films are made on a very tight budget these days and that the 3D is usually an electronic re-creation anyway rather than shooting on 3D cameras this idea is totally uneconomic and impractical.
What about the dual-format 2D/3D discs??
Movies such as I-Robot, Priest, Green Hornet etc, when selecting 2D I imagine Only the Left or Right image is presented on screen.?

?
 

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