How cool am I?
Where did this 3D barrage come from? I swear, 6 months ago 3D movies were what dreams were made of. We all had seen 3D presentations at various theme-parks and destinations but where did the overnight obsession come from? 3D has been around for 20 years, why the rush now?
Well, obviously Avatar played a roll in making 3D the greatest thing since sliced bread, but people are taking it a little too far. We all love innovation, but 3D is jumping the gun.
Remember when The Matrix came out, and “Matrixing” was an everyday word? Remember how cool it was the first time you saw Keanu dodge those bullets? Remember how many bad uses of the technology there were in the 5 years after the movie? We still see them today. Heck, even the second and third installments of the Matrix showed flaws with the technology.
So here’s my beef: just because one movie is a instant success and technological breakthrough doesn’t mean that the technology is ready for everyday home use. Avatar did take James Cameron over 10 years to make; now tv companies are saying that because 3D was great in one movie, that it’s ready for everyday home viewing (only 3 months after the release of the movie)… How does this make sense?
Chances are home 3D tv is going to be mediocre at first, with very little programming support the new technology. You’re going to spend $1000 for a television that sometimes shows 3D versions of 2D shows. This doesn’t sound like a product for me.
Even if 3D tv was supported by programming, and was an amazing product, I still have a beef with it. Who really wants to sit in the privacy of their own home, with their loved ones, watching tv… wearing 3D glasses!? People don’t even like wearing them at Disneyland, why the heck would they want to wear them in their living room?
It’s impractical, uncomfortable and strange. What if I wear prescription glasses? A TV comes with two pairs, but what if I have a family of 4? People have a hard enough time keeping track of the remote, how are they going to keep track of ANOTHER two sets of eye-glasses? What about the damaged, broken, or lost pairs, how much will replacements be? It’s just too rushed.
3D tv is just so impractical right now, lets finally get a handle on HDTV (which we’re just finally beginning to grasp) and give the 3D tv technology some more R&D time. The first wave of up and coming 3D tvs will probably meet mediocre reviews, all which could have been avoided by releasing it when it was ready and not because of Avatar fever.
Follow Todd on Twitter: @toddliss
Kent, I respectfully disagree with you. I have heard lots of feedback on this post and you are the first person to take the side of pro 3D tv. I just think that waiting to get a 3D tv is a smart decision. Remember, most new technologies are far from perfect (remember the buggy first iPhone?). I'm not denying that having 3D tv for home use would be awesome, but the home usability is not ideal. A Super Bowl party would be much harder to throw with a 3D tv - will you have glasses for 10 people? I'm guessing no. Maybe in the future they will make it more usable for home use, but until then I'm waiting.
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