If you own a 3D TV, you should already know about 3net. It’s a joint venture network from Sony, Discovery and IMAX that displays 3D content all day, every day, which is pretty awesome considering the amount of 3D content out there is severely lacking.
It first launched with quite a variety of nature-style shows and documentaries, perfect for the 3D space, but today a more kid-friendly offering has been announced. → Read More
3D is a polarizing topic, whether it’s in TV, movies, or games. I think it’s interesting (which is why I wrote this extremely long article about it), but I’ll also be the first to admit that adoption was never going to happen quickly. People just don’t buy TVs frequently enough — not to mention the fact that there were no benefits to early adoption, but plenty of drawbacks. That said, it’s hard to avoid “3D ready” TVs these days, because even budget TVs are getting the minor changes necessary to make 3D possible (120Hz processing, for instance).
And according to a study by Strategy Analytics (summarized on their blog), the 3D TVs out there are actually being used. → Read More
We’ve seen many price drops in the video gaming industry in the last 30 years, but I personally can’t remember such a radical move: Nintendo just announced [in English, PDF] that they will cut the price of their (relatively) new 3D portable gaming system 3DS by a whopping 10,000 Yen ($127) to 15000 Yen ($190). → Read More
After experimenting on 24 adults, a research team at the University of California, Berkeley has determined that viewing content on a stereo 3D display hurts your eyes and your brain. The scientific term is “vergence-accomodation,” which means that the eye must constantly adjust to both the distance of the physical screen and that of the 3D content.
This can supposedly cause visual discomfort, fatigue, and headaches, which I had thought were just a part of life but apparently there’s a scapegoat: 3D technology. → Read More
Japan-based SoftEther has developed a cool 3D motion-capture figure [JP] to create computer graphics and animations in 3D. Dubbed Quma, the human-like doll has a set of joints throughout its body, all of which are equipped with sensors and can be moved freely by the user: hold up the right arm for example, and the 3D figure on your computer screen will do the same, in real-time. → Read More
Hitachi announced [JP] a new mobile 3D screen today: the IPS-based LCD is sized at a respectable 4.5 inches, doesn’t require glasses to view pictures in 3D and has 400 cd/m2 brightness in 2D mode and 470 cd/m2 brightness in 3D mode. But perhaps the biggest selling point is the fantastic resolution of 1,280×720. → Read More
A Japanese company called Global Wave has developed a special film, which can be used to transform any given 2D LCD screen into a naked-eye 3D display – just applying it to the LCD is enough. Global Wave says the so-called Pic3D sheet is the first of its kind. → Read More
Want the 3D experience without the glasses and with the headache? You’re in luck. Brando is offering a $180 glasses-less 3D PMP that plays multiple file types and presumably plays naked-eye 3D video. → Read More
Do you remember the fvision, the amazing 3D tabletop display that we’ve shown you last year? Thanks to 96 projectors arranged in a circle, the device produces 3D images that multiple viewers can see from different angles – no glass case, 3D glasses or other extra equipment needed. And now the NICT, Japan’s National Institute of Information and Communications Technology, found a way to showcase their technology in a way that’s more appealing to the general public. → Read More
Training surgeons in hospitals is difficult and expensive, but what if you could use some 3D tech in order to simulate treating patients in a realistic way? That’s what Japan-based Totsu Sangyo thought when it used their Gemelos 3D Base [JP], a 3D camera that captures pictures in full HD resolution, during a surgery at the University of Tsukuba. → Read More
If you have a 3D gaming rig, the biggest problem you have is showing it off. You can either run the game wear the glasses and then say “I swear, it’s 3D!” or you give your friend the glasses and show him or her what to do and then you can’t share in the joy. This either ends in violence or sobbing. Your choice. Now, however, your friend can wear these super cheap $99 glasses with a USB cable. All you have to do is plug them in and you can both watch things in 3D at the same time. Bang. No sobbing. You do still require a full 3D Vision set-up including IR dongle. The glasses are available in June. Product Page → Read More
Pioneer has been working on “Floating Vision” displays for quite a while, and now the company has shown the technology used in embedded systems. The naked-eye 3D display Pioneer recently showed at an exhibition in Tokyo lets users view images or videos “floating” in space – embedded in a prototype car navigation system. → Read More
Nissho Electronics in Japan announced [JP] the BDL5231-3D2R today, a 52-inch glasses-less 3D TV that boasts full HD resolution. Dutch electronics venture Dimenco Displays, founded by four former Phillips employees, has provided the 3D technology. → Read More
Japan-based Ortus Technology has developed what it calls the world’s smallest 3D display with full HD resolution – after announcing the world’s smallest full HD display in 2D last October. Also sized at 4.8 inches, the new screen is basically the 3D version of that model. Unfortunately, users need to wear glasses to view pictures in 3D. → Read More
It’s not the first 3D smartphone from Sharp, but the AQUOS PHONE SH-12C big S unveiled [JP] is much cooler (if you think 3D in a phone is really necessary, that is). The company simply seems to have squeezed in everything they have into the Android device. → Read More
Samsung officially announced [KOR] the D9500 today, a 75-inch LCD 3D TV with LED backlight, the biggest of its kind. That is pretty cool, but the downside is that users will need to wear active shutter 3D glasses to view pictures in 3D. → Read More
Coming soon to an Nvidia-powered computer near you: 3D Web video! Cheers all around, half-slices for everyone. Nvidia made the announcement at NAB 2011, the same place where Apple announced Final Cut Pro X. The 3D video will be delivered via a plugin for the Microsoft Media Platform, aka Silverlight. → Read More
Sharp Japan announced [JP] the BD-HDW series today, which consists of three 3D-enabled AQUOS Blu-ray recorders: the BD-HDW80 (with a 1TB HDD on board/$1,290), the BD-HDW75 (500GB/$1,060) and the BD-HDW73 (320GB/$940). → Read More
Cycleblob, an addictive browser game created by Israeli developer Shy Shalom, went live today. The game ports light cycles, the futuristic vehicles from the legendary 1982 film Tron, to the browser. Nerd power! Of course, seeing as Tron was recently upgraded with a new sequel, it’s only fitting that light cycles should be given a more contemporary setting in which to compete — especially if that backdrop takes advantage of modern web standards and contexts.
In the original Tron, light cycles were matched against each other on a flat grid and were limited to making 90 degree turns, so Cycleblob has set its light cycles in motion on a rotating 3-dimensional field (really, a blob) that floats in space. Just as in the original, if you hit the wall of light left by your or your opponent’s vehicle, it’s game over. → Read More
It’s now a little less expensive to play Crysis 2 in 3D. (Haven’t seen the game in 3D yet? You’re missing out…) Samsung will now include two pairs of 3D glasses with the purchase of one of its 3D plasma or LED TVs. Very handy. Does this have anything to do with Ron Bennington saving the day earlier today? I don’t know this for a fact, but I’m just going to say yes, yes it does. → Read More
