64. 3D

The technology that makes 3D possible is nothing knew. It has been known for hundreds of years as stereoscopic vision. The process allows for the illusion of depth in a two dimensional image. Long before photography the technology was first explored during the Renaissance - that infamous time when pursuit of art also included the pursuit of science.

Humans perceive depth by viewing a slightly different image out of each of their eyes.It is easy enough to wink one eye and then the other and watch how the images changes slightly. The small difference in the two images is most noticeable in the relationship between fore and background objects.

A typical photograph would be the view from one eye. A 3D photographic image is created by taking two simultaneous photographs approximately 2.5 inches apart (the common distant between two human eyes). Later when a device is used to see these two photographs the illusion is that of depth. When I was a child that device was a toy called the View-Master. When stereoscopic photography was first invented around the 1860's it was the Bates-Holmes Stereoscope that entertained children and kids alike for hours on end. Long before television and cinema there was little competition for forms of entertainment.

Of course 3D in cinema is nothing new. I love the classic images of movie audiences with their blue and red eye glasses. For sometime 3D movies have been surrounded by the gimmick of trying to get the audience to duck from an illusion of something flying out from the screen. It often distracted from the story rather than adding to it. Avatar was likely the first movie to use stereoscopic technology to tell the story over the gimmick. Avatar was literally shot with two cameras (even the animated sections rendered two separate images for viewing.) Since Avatar undeniable and unmatched success many films are now being released in 3D. But many of these films are not shot with the two camera stereoscopic technology so the effect is far from similar. Alice in Wonderland is one of these films.

I have read about home 3D television systems just coming on the market at a cost of $10,000 plus with viewing glasses at additional cost. I don't believe that any companies are rushing to broadcast in 3D but they are definitely working towards it. My concern? Unless the content is actually shot with the two camera stereoscopic technology it will not truly mimic the illusion of depth. I feel the same about high definition television. If a program was recorded with HD technology the image broadcast is extraordinary - creepy clear. But so much of what is on TV is a rebroadcast of old media. That will never look better than the technology that was used to record it. Just something to think about before you pay extra for 3D. How much of what you view really be seen in stereoscopic illusion?