Comprehensive Guide To 3D TV
You Are Here .....3D Movies
3D TV Manufacturers - The latest developments and models from the leading TV manufacturers - Toshiba Samsung Mitsubishi
Panasonic Sony LG Vizio
Phillips Sharp
3D TV Models - Revealing the latest new 3D models to hit the stores.
3D TV Networks - Get the lowdown on the 3D content providers, and find out who has plans for dedicated 3D channels - Cablevision, Cox, Time Warner, Comcast, DirecTV, Verizon, Sky
3D TV Converters - Guide to 2D to 3D converters.
3D Blu Ray Players - Read about the latest breakthrough developments in DVD players - an essential piece of the 3D TV puzzle.
3D Glasses - Understand why 3D glasses are required to see good quality images in 3D.
3D Movies - Examining the meteoric rise in popularity of the new 3D films to hit the cinemas.
All 3D TVs Get the latest reviews and development news on the full range of available 3D TV models
Toshiba Samsung Mitsubishi Panasonic Sony LG Vizio Philips Sharp Loewe
Discover the parts that make up the 3D experience.
Revealing what you need to watch 3D TV - an introduction to the TV sets, Blu Ray players, and glasses.
The why, what, how, where, and when of buying a 3D TV.
The top 'need to know' facts you'll want to consider when looking to buy a 3D TV.
Learn how 3D TV works
Easy to follow guide to the 3D TV technology used to deliver 3D imaging. Answering the question 'how does 3D TV work?'
Is watching 3D bad for your health?
Examining the latest published 3D TV health warnings - is watching 3D images bad for your health?
Discover the parts that make up the 3D experience.
Revealing what you need to watch 3D TV - an introduction to the TV sets, Blu Ray players, and glasses.
The why, what, how, where, and when of buying a 3D TV.
The top 'need to know' facts you'll want to consider when looking to buy a 3D TV.
What does the future hold?What's the next step for 3D imaging in our homes?
Let's take a look at the possible future of 3D entertainment - holographic TV developments.
The Cost Effective, Simple Way To Get 3D TV
Read about 3D TV Starter Kit bundles. Get the TV, glasses, movies, and connectors all in one go.
Where can I get more info on 3D TVs, Blu Rays, glasses etc
A great way to get good information on any subject is by participating in forum discussions. Here you'll find a good choice of 3D TV forum threads chosen for their interesting discussion value.
3D Movies
Despite the excitement over the latest offerings, 3D movies aren't new cinema fare. In fact, the format seems to be right on schedule for its once-every-30-years peak of popularity. Maybe this time 3D is definitely here to stay, especially considering the growth of interest in 3D TVs and accessories such as 3D Blu Ray players.
The craze always starts the same, and at first glance 2010 appeared to be no different than 1950, when a bright filmmaker came along and created a film specifically for 3D. During the 1950s - affectionately know as the 'golden era' of filmmaking - several movies were made in 3D, but they were proving expensive to make and difficult to show in cinemas due to the manual projection techniques required. This is the period when the old style blue and red cardboard 3D glasses were first used, some may say giving 3D movies a bad name..
These fluctuations in the popularity of 3D movies, first in the 1950s and then again in the 1970s and 1980s, stalled out after a few years. The 1980s saw the arrival of IMAX, which set a new standard with the use of a 70mm film projector and the well known giant screen.The format started strongly both times, and ended tamely for the same reasons. The final nail in the 3D coffin has been the same twice before: the conversion of films into 3D which were not originally intended for the format.
This time, however, is significantly different. The renewed popularity of 3D movies seems to be propelling 3D into the mainstream, bringing with it a whole new level of interest in getting 3D entertainment into our homes. New 3D TV networks are springing up, and the major 3D TV manufacturers are constantly releasing announcements of new models.
We've begun the cycle all over again this time, epitomized by the release of Avatar and Clash of the Titans. Avatar was not only intended for 3D from the beginning, but the director, James Cameron, actually created a new type of camera to do three-dimensional filming. This creates a solid visual flow throughout the 3D epic. Avatar can be credited with contributing to a record of over $31 billion in box office sales in 2010, with much of the growth seen in sales of tickets in the Asia-Pacific region. 3D movies made up 21% of US and Canada sales.
The call for a 3D version of Clash of the Titans, on the other hand, wasn't made until post-production. This meant 2D footage had to be manipulated by computers to produce 3D effects, and the result is a 3D movie that's not getting the critical acclaim that it might have.
The conversion of Clash of the Titans demonstrates the reason that 3D movies disappear again after a few years. With so many people eager to cash on the 3D gold rush, the format is seen as a money-making tool rather than a new format. All it takes a few shoddily converted films to turn the public's 3D wonder into 3D disappointment.
With each new wave, however, the technology takes a leap forward. The first craze in 3D movies in the 1950s used red-blue anaglyph images, but this distorted the film's colour. When 3D came around a second time in the 1980s, there was a new way to make 3D images: polarized anaglyphs. These images used light levels, rather than colors, to produce 3D. Now, in 2010, even the way 3D is filmed has taken another step forward.
New cameras have been developed that view and film scenes in a fashion similar to that of the human eye. Instead of taking one image and doubling it to create 3D effects, this camera actually shoots the film from two slightly different perspectives. With this new filming process, 3D movies can produce the closest approximation of true three-dimensional viewing achieved so far. Films can now be created with a personal perspective in mind; visuals can be created to truly encompass and enthrall the audience.
Animated films are particularly well suited to be viewed in 3D, with film makers becoming highly skilled in creating the most stunning computer generated animation ever made. Animated 3D movies feature spectacular 3D effects and voice-overs by some of the brightest actors in the cinema world.
It's important, however, that 3D be considered a film format and not simply a trick. The push to convert as many films as possible, especially those created with no thought during production for 3D, has led to the fall of 3D twice in the past. If 3D movies are to stick around for good this time, filmmakers will have to start thinking in 3D. Converting films to 3D in post-production can create a lackluster experience if the filmmaker has made no allowance for the effects.
It's likely that for every Avatar, there may be at least one Clash of the Titans. The true test of 3D's sustainability will be in the next year or two. Will we see a revolution in filmmaking, with directors incorporating three-dimensions into their art form? Or will we simply see more and more movies converted to 3D in post-production, as studios try to cash in on the latest craze?
Let's keep our polarized 3D glasses handy while we await the results. One thing is for certain, the current explosive interest in 3D movies - increased by the availability of specially designed 3D TV sets and other hardware - is at a level we've never seen before. Surely that interest can provide the platform that will keep 3D movie developments heading forward with maximum momentum?
Are 3D Movies That Successful?
Gross cinema box office takings in the European Union increased by 5% last year to reach around �6.45bn, the highest level on record, thanks to the impact of 3D films, according to a report from the European Audiovisual Observatory.
The report adds that in contrast to 2009, box office growth appears to have been driven exclusively by an increase in average ticket prices, as admissions actually decreased by 1.6% to 957mn tickets sold.
The European Audiovisual Observatory speculates: "While it can be assumed that the novelty factor of 3D had significantly contributed in driving growth in cinema attendance in 2009, 3D films failed to further increase ticket sales in 2010 but kept cinema attendance at the second highest level since 2004 and caused the average ticket price to increase by an estimated 6.8%."
A surge in 3D screens in European cinemas also helped an increasing number of stereoscopic blockbusters to better exploit their market potential, the report states, enabling 3D films to dramatically increase their market share in major European markets such as France and Germany, where they took 16% and 17% of total admissions, or the UK and Russia, where they took 24% and 20% of total box office takings respectively.
Meanwhile, the dramatic increase in market share of 3D films of predominantly US origin over the past two years has caused the market share for European films to fall to their lowest level in the past five years - rising steadily to 28.3% in 2008, then decreasing to 26.8% in 2009 and 25.3% in 2010. Market shares for US films meanwhile increased from 66.9% in 2009 to an estimated 68% in 2010.
Latest Movie Releases
3D Movies - Useful Links
You'll find a full list of 3D movies at my sister site - 3DDVD.net - with the focus on those movies already released on 3D DVD. The site breaks down the types of movies into the recognised genres - Horror, Music, Adventure, and Childrens Animated.
For more info on 3D movies in general, aside from the Wikipedia article on the subject the best places to start your search are some of the leading movie review sites. There are a number of these online - some of which contain excellent information on the movie plots and actors plus critical reviews of the storylines and 3D effects.
Here's a selection of the best movie websites:
MovieWeb.com - Highly valuable site with excellent features, including ability to build your own preferred options. Carries a comprehensive section on 3D movies.
The illustrated 3D Movie list holds one of the most comprehensive selections of popular 3D titles, plus a number of those not se well known.
BigMovieZone.com - Billed as ''the ultimate resource for ALL IMAX and other large-format films and theaters - including trailers, clips, previews, interviews, reviews, DVDs, message boards and more". BigMovieZone.com is a valuable and well respected website.
IndyMogul.com - IndyMogul.com describes itself as ''The network dedicated to filmmakers and film fans alike - behind the camera or in front of the screen''
ComingSoon.net - As the name implies, ComingSoon.net focusses on newly announced films. You'll find great info here on new movie releases, with reviews and trailers to whet your appetite.
FirstShowing.net - Aims to deliver the latest movie news, trailers, interviews, rumors, and hype - from Hollywood and beyond.
WorstPreviews.com - Released and upcoming Movie Previews, Trailers, DVDs, TV, Movie Posters, Movie Photos - with a strong selection of interviews, quizzes, and movie trivia.
�The Lion King� is one of the greatest Walt Disney movies ever, and Disney have announced that The Lion King 3D version will be released in cinemas on September 16th 2011. Further releases on 3D Blu Ray will follow in early October.
http://www.tecca.com/column/3d-movies-2011/
May 30th 2011 - Read a great series of comments in response to a 3D movies article which examines the latest disappointing ticket sales figures for the latest Pirates Of The Caribbean blockbuster.
