Is it really "3D"?
By JCGamer 2 Comments
I was listening to episode 10 of Weekend Confirmed and the topic of 3D came up. The host, Garnett Lee, mentioned that he thought that this iteration of 3D would fail because it really isn't 3D (said something to the extent that 10 minutes of Mario Galaxy 2 portrays 3D better than 100 minutes of Avatar) and I have to agree with him.
The 3D effect that Avatar, Clash of the Titans, Shrek 3D, etc... all use really doesn't look 3D--or rather does not look like 3D in real life. I've also seen demonstrations of the 3D TV and they use a similar effect. The issue is that this 3D effect give the illusion of depth with something going into or out of the screen, but the overall effect is one that looks like multiple 2D panels on different planes of sight. Yes, while there is an image that is right in front of me, the object looks flat and no way "solid" or "3D". It's like looking through a viewmaster. Some time ago, Ebert said:
"There is a mistaken belief that 3-D is "realistic." Not at all. In real life we perceive in three dimensions, yes, but we do not perceive parts of our vision dislodging themselves from the rest and leaping at us. " (ref)
I hold this belief as well. 3D movies for the most part been a gimmick with a spear in your face, or a robot hovering right in front of you. Now, I have to admit that sometimes this effect can be cool--but there seems to be a disconnect when the object in front of me is "closer" than the rest of the objects on the screen, but look flat.
It would seem that my issue with 3D is that nothing looks solid in the 3D planes. In real life, I do not have things jumping out at me. A picture is "2D" but I doubt anyone looked at one an thought something was off. Pictures and other 2D images have a sense of depth and weight to the objects in a way 3D movies have yet to show me. Hell, the best 3D I've ever seen is probably this:
Notice how the objects in the "window" have depth. It feels like you can see "into" the picture and "around" them. These object seem solid and look nothing like flat pictures superimposed on each other like modern 3D. Granted the DS also has an example of this, and it is also cool:
I have no doubt that 3D will be the next standard for TV's and movies (it seems like there is just too much momentum to stop it at this point). But are the images we are seeing really 3D? Will there be advancements in the technology to really see "into" a screen or are we just relegated to looking at flat images that seem to be closer than the other flat image?