3D TVs: The Future is Now

Jackie Gleason once stated that all TV should be in 3D. How right he was! 

If you are in the market for a 3DTV, make sure to do some research. I recently attended the Mrs. G’s VIB blogger event, a 5-part series that includes keynote speakers and networking opportunities for regional bloggers and like-minded professionals.  This month the topic was all about 3DTVs.  Suzanne Kantra, founder and editor-in-chief of Techlicious.com was the scheduled speaker for the day.  Your options are basically the same for 3D as 2D; LCD, plasma, rear-projection and front projection DLP TV’s. Each type has only a handful of models available now, in the coming months we will be seeing many more options available. Remember, 3D is a feature, you can also watch 2D on the TV, so if you want to purchase a 3DTV, you are not just limited to 3D only. Before purchasing, make sure you know what size can fit in the particular location and depending on how much sunlight you get in the room. You won’t want to view a plasma TV in direct sunlight, and 3D technology works better in a darkened room anyway.  

3D technology has been around for quite some time. My father tells a story about when he was a child and he and his friends couldn’t wait to go to the movies to see someone’s hand jump out of the screen. I remember being a child and Jaws 3 came out in 3D. At some point I think the shark jumped out of the screen, but that was about it. 3D technology has become so much more advanced than just some thing jumping out of the screen at you. Movies are made primarily for escapism; you watch a movie to forget about everything around you. 3D technology does exactly that for you, once you put the 3D glasses on, you feel like you are IN the movie, not watching a movie.  Everything else around you disappears and you are totally focused on the movie and feel like you are part of the action. True movie escapism is finally here.  

When you purchase a 3DTV, you have to get the same manufacturers 3D glasses to see it. Samsung glasses will not work on Panasonic TVs, as of now it is a proprietary system. These new glasses are also very comfortable, not like the old paper ones you would receive years ago. They are almost like sunglasses, and will even fit over your prescription glasses. In June, a universal set of glasses will hit the market, and this is when I see 3DTV taking off. Consumers don’t want to be limited, and once the market is transferable, 3D technology will fully take off.  

In addition to having a transferable market, 3D technology is going to become personal. We will be taking 3D pictures with our 3D cameras and shooting 3D movies with personal 3D video cameras. Everything you shoot will be viewable on your 3DTV. Imagine seeing the photos from your summer vacation on the big screen TV in 3D, or showing your child shooting the winning goal of his soccer game to everyone who couldn’t make it, in 3D.  There will also be a huge gaming market for 3D technology.  

Personally, I was a little skeptical of the 3DTV experience. I have never been one to fully see 3D images, and have kind of given up on the whole “3D Experience” since I felt I could never really see it. But this is such advanced technology that once I put the 3D glasses on, I was pulled right into the movie that was being shown. The 3D glasses fit nicely over my glasses, and I had no problem viewing the Coraline clip. In fact, I was looking forward to seeing more. The other clip was of people skydiving, I had to remove the glasses at one point because I really felt like I was jumping out of the plane, that’s how real it felt. Also, I’m not a big gamer, but I could see wanting to play video games in 3D as well.   

In the coming months be on the lookout for your local cable and satellite providers to start offering 3D programming. ESPN will be showing The World Cup this summer in 3D as well.  3D is the future, and the future is now. 

Jackie Gleason was right, 3D is the way to go.

Nicholas DeVito is a freelance writer living in Central New Jersey. You can follow him on Twitter @njdevito and read his blog at nicholasdevito.wordpress.com