Digital 3D
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Digital 3D is a non-specific 3D standard in which films, television shows, and video games are presented and shot in digital 3D technology or later processed in digital post-production to add a 3D effect.
One of the first studios to use digital 3D was Walt Disney Pictures. In promoting their first CGI animated film Chicken Little, they trademarked the phrase Disney Digital 3-D and teamed up with RealD in order to present the film in 3D in the United States. A total of over 62 theaters in the US were retrofitted to use the RealD system. The 2008 animated feature Bolt was the first movie which was animated and rendered for digital 3D, whereas Chicken Little had been converted after it was finished.[1] Even though some critics and fans were skeptical about digital 3D, it has gained in popularity. Now there are several competing digital 3D formats including
History
A first wave of 3D film production began in 1952 with the release of
After announcing that Home on the Range would be their last hand drawn feature and in fear that Pixar would not re-sign for a new distribution deal, Disney went to work on Chicken Little. The RealD company suggested that Disney use their 3D system and after looking at test footage Disney decided to proceed. In 2005, Chicken Little was a success at the box office in both 2D and 3D screenings. Two more films followed in their classic feature animation - Meet the Robinsons and Bolt - along with several others. Since then many film studios have shot and released films in several digital 3D formats. In 2010, Avatar became the first feature film shot in digital 3D to win the Academy Award for Best Cinematography and was also the first feature film shot using 3D technology nominated for Best Picture.
Live-action
The standard for shooting live-action films in 3D involves using two cameras mounted so that their lenses are about as far apart from each other as the average pair of human eyes, recording two separate images for both the left eye and the right eye. In principle, two normal 2D cameras could be put side-to-side but this is problematic in many ways. The only real option is to invest in new stereoscopic cameras. Moreover, some cinematographic tricks that are simple with a 2D camera become impossible when filming in 3D. This means those otherwise cheap tricks need to be replaced by expensive CGI. for example Oz the Great and Powerful.[2]
In 2008,
Animation
CGI animated films can be rendered as stereoscopic 3D version by using two virtual cameras. Because the entire movie is basically a 3D model, it only takes twice the rendering time and a little effort to properly set up stereoscopic views.
In 2004
Video games
In June 1986, Sega released the
In July 1995, Nintendo released the Virtual Boy, built around a 3D viewer held closely to users' eyes, acting like a pair of goggles. Both left and right eye images were red, and put strain on players' eyes; the system was a failure and was discontinued the following year. In December 2008, several third-party developers for the PlayStation 3 announced they would work toward bringing Stereoscopic 3D gaming to major gaming consoles using their own technology. In the coming months, both the Xbox 360 and the PlayStation 3 will be capable of 3D imaging via 3D TV and system/hardware updates. On June 15, 2010, at the E3 Expo, Nintendo unveiled the Nintendo 3DS, the successor to the Nintendo DS series of handheld consoles. It is the first gaming console to allow 3D viewing without the need for 3D glasses or an equivalent.
Home media
Television
When the unexpected 3D box office success of Avatar — combined with a record twenty 3D films released in 2009 — produced a presumption among TV manufacturers of heavy consumer demand for 3D television, research and development increased accordingly.
Samsung launched the first 3D TV in February 2010, with the release — via selected retailers — of a 3D starter kit that comprised a Samsung branded 3D-capable High Definition player and television, with two pairs of its 3D glasses, an exclusive 3D edition of Monsters vs. Aliens, along with a discount on the purchase of three other 3D movies. In June 2010, Panasonic announced Coraline and Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs as bonus 3D titles with the purchase of any of its 3D TVs. On June 22, 2010, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs became the first 3D title to be released without any requirement to buy any new electronic hardware, while a free Blu-ray of this Sony title would be included in any of its 3D entertainment packages.
Specifications for 3D included the HDMI 1.4a standards. Some 3D TVs produced simulated 3D effects from standard 2D input, but its effectiveness is limited in the matter of depth.
Each of the TV manufacturers would design its own 3D glasses in accord with its own 3D television technology. Although the only option available in 2010 was
Home video
Several
Broadcasting
In 2008, the BBC broadcast the world's first live sporting event in 3D, transmitting an England vs. Scotland rugby match to a London cinema.
See also
- 2D to 3D conversion
- 2D-plus-Depth
- 3D film
- List of 3D films
- List of 3D video games
- MasterImage 3D
- Panavision 3D
- RealD Cinemaby RealD Inc.
References
- ^ Official Disney Production Notes, Disney.go.com.
- ^ "Why 3D Will Fail… Again". June 9, 2012.
- ^ "Hands on with Samsung's 110-inch 8K Glasses-Free 3D TV (My Head Hurts)". Forbes.
- ^ "Departments – Fraunhofer Heinrich Hertz Institute".
- ^ "BBC News Report". BBC. 2009-12-03. Retrieved 2011-06-16.
- ^ "The Drum news report". The Drum. 2010-04-03. Retrieved 2011-06-16.
- ^ "World Cup games to be filmed in 3D". BBC. December 3, 2009.