I remember watching an episode of Tomorrow’s World in the mid 1970’s in which Michael ‘Screen Test’ Rod and Judith ‘horticulturist’ Hann revealed the wonders of 3d television. By simply adorning a pair of red and green glasses affixed to that week’s Radio Times, viewers watched spellbound at 3d images from the comfort of the Brentford Nylon sofa in glorious red-and-greeno-vision.
At the time, it was impressive stuff – providing, of course you were lucky enough to own a colour television). But the general consensus was…a fad.
However, there has been a lot of talk on the return of 3d television and how 2009 is set to be the year it returns with a bang.
Sky is developing plans to broadcast high definition 3d material – primarily sports events and entertainment shows such as Gladiators. The format is also high on the agenda of companies such as Panasonic, Sharp and Hyundai. Meanwhile, Disney – no less – is promising at least eight new 3d movies by the end of 2012.
Claims of revolutionising the way in which we watch television are not to be taken lightly. Watch a film or a sporting event and count the number of cuts per minute. There can be dozens. Quick editing enhances the feeling of excitement and can transform a movie from ‘badly acted dross’ into ‘fast paced action’.
Not so with 3d. Brian Lenz, Sky’s head of product design, has instructed directors to ‘linger longer’ – so a football match, for example, may be filmed from one angle for up to several minutes. The 3d effect creates a similar effect to actually attending a match. Your eyes start wandering towards the action off the ball, what’s happening in the crowd, the way the referee runs. So just like the real thing.
It is an astonishing experience and, as budgets tighten, it’s easy to imagine how the average working man (and woman) may prefer to stay at home in front of the box for an evening of escapism rather than blow their money on a Friday night out. It’s akin to the success of Hollywood in the depression of the 1930s.
With so many economic and political factors dictating the future of the electronics industry, perhaps President Obama’s call for the US public to kick start the economy could rejuvenate the consumer sector. And as diversions go, 3d television could well be the direction that many take.
