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Setting up seating in your 3d home cinema

HomeTheater3D.com — Wed, 19 Jan 2011 17:38:46 +0000

Setting up seating in your 3d home cinema

The 3D age has well and truly begun, no longer a preserve of the big screen in movie theatres but finally available in homes around the world, providing you are willing to invest in a 3D TV and the necessary equipment to make the effects pop out at you. At the moment 3D TV technology is still a relative rarity and so you may not know how best to set up the seating arrangements in your home cinema to harness the true potential of 3D. Here is a short guide on the best way to place your furniture so that you are not left wondering why you spent so much to become an early adopter.

At the moment all 3D TVs released to consumers require that you wear special glasses in order to view the 3D effects correctly. These are not the flimsy cardboard style glasses with red and blue lenses but advanced specs which produce stereoscopic images without detracting from the visual clout of a film. However, there are limitations to these glasses and the current 3D TV display technology which means you cannot sit at any old angle or lounge too much without losing some of the impact.

Most 3D TVs require the use of active shutter glasses, although some brands will be introducing passive displays which can be used with cheap plastic specs. Active shutter 3D produces the best viewing experience but as a rule you cannot seat more than four people side by side without compromising the experience for those on the end of the row, as off-centre viewing becomes less than ideal and will diminish the viewer`s ability to appreciate the 3D. As such you will need to arrange the furniture so that people can sit directly in front of the television and make sure that it is at eye level. This means mounting it on a wall at a height is out of the question.

The solution to the four person maximum is to stagger the seating and have two rows if you have enough space. Of course people can always sit on the floor in front of those enjoying the sofa so investing in some bean bags or placing a cushion beneath them for comfort might be a good idea. It is interesting to note that those who are on the extreme angles of the 3D TV will get a better experience if they are slightly further away than those in the centre, so experiment with seat placement and perhaps invest in recliners from the likes of Catnapper in order to make everyone comfortable and ready for the 3D fun.

TV makers to put out 3-D sets with cheaper passive glasses

HomeTheater3D.com — Wed, 05 Jan 2011 19:42:28 +0000

“TV makers believe they could blame disappointing sales of 3-D TVs last year partly on the bulky glasses they came with. They’re trying to tackle that this year by introducing sets that work with lighter, cheaper glasses of the kind used in theaters.

Manufacturers don’t plan to completely supplant 3-D TVs with the heavier, battery-powered glasses that went on sale last year for the first time. But the introduction of a competing technology a year later is a sign that the first 3-D TVs didn’t live up to expectations.

LG Electronics Inc. announced Wednesday that it is introducing two sets, a 47-inch and a 65-inch one, later this year that use so-called “passive” glasses. Each will include four pairs. Current 3-D sets usually include one or two pairs of “active” glasses, but some don’t include any, and each pair costs about $100.”

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HomeTheater3D.com — Fri, 31 Dec 2010 23:26:05 +0000

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A Word about In The Third

HomeTheater3D.com — Tue, 07 Dec 2010 13:53:10 +0000

Home Theater 3D is pleased to announce a cross-sharing partnership with “In The Third”. ( http://www.inthethird.com ) In The Third offers exciting reviews of 3D movies, TV shows and 2D to 3D converted content in a very personal and down to earth format. As a service to our readers and to acknolwedge the great content offered; we are now hot-linking reviews as they come in at In the Third. Please take the time to visit the site and enjoy the reviews and commentary.

-HomeTheater3D

3D TV: Buy Now or Wait?

HomeTheater3D.com — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 21:40:13 +0000

PCMAG: If finding the right HDTV wasn’t hard enough, now you need to decide if you want to make the leap to 3D. Walk into your local electronics store today and you’ll see 3D TVs from Panasonic and Samsung. Last week, Sony announced that you could preorder one of its Bravia 3D LED TVs, and LG, Sharp, Vizio, and others will start selling sets the coming months. If you check out an in-store demo, you’ll likely be impressed by 3D. We recently spent some quality time with Panasonic’s VT25 3D plasma watching Ice Age 3: Dawn of the Dinosaurs and it was a blast. After all, 3D adds depth and, when it’s done right, can make you feel like you’re inside the picture. While 3D isn’t new, bringing it to your living room on an HDTV is. As with any nascent technology, the big question is: Should you dive in now? Or wait until more 3D sets are available, prices come down, standards shake out, and content becomes more plentiful? Here’s what you need to consider before buying a 3D TV.

3D TVs are selling much better than anticipated

HomeTheater3D.com — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 12:27:35 +0000

“The TVs are selling much better than we anticipated, but people don’t seem to realize you need 3D content as well,” said Gregory I. Goff, assistant general manager of Best Buy in Holyoke.

As 3D programming becomes more common, sales will likely rise, he said. “That’s what we’re hoping. ESPN plans to launch in June and a lot of movies that were made in 3D will be coming out this summer.”

James Cameron Tells D8 How He Made Avatar in 3D

HomeTheater3D.com — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 18:01:12 +0000

He said you could get a good experience with Avatar in 2D, and said 90% of what he did on the film had nothing to do with 3D – from writing the story to hiring the actors. He said 3D was an additional experience, so when it was available in 3D in theaters people wanted to see it in that format, but when it came out in 2D DVD and Blu-Ray, it became the highest grossing disc.

Kotaku: How To Lure 3D TV Customers?

HomeTheater3D.com — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 19:00:21 +0000

Kotaku: “Not with video games. Not with the World Cup. But with that long standing killer app: pornography.

This summer Sony is bringing 3D games to the PlayStation 3, and Nintendo is introducing its “glasses-free” portable gaming device. But as the Japanese 3D television market begins to heat up, the country’s adult industry is hoping to cash in. Last year, it was HD porn titles being streamed through a PS3.”

Providers Say They’re Ready for 3D. Are Viewers?

HomeTheater3D.com — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 17:54:39 +0000

With a number of high-profile events already in the can, 3DTV is ready to break out of the gates with ESPN showcasing the World Cup in the format next month. But there’s still a very long way to go, in terms of consumer adoption, before the emerging technology comes close to critical mass.

“This definitely is the year that everybody’s converging on 3D except for one person and that’s the consumer,” said HDMI licensing president Steve Venuti at NewBay Media’s 3DTV 2010 conference here last week. The panel was moderated by Multichannel News technology editor Todd Spangler.

Shrek’s Weak open Raises Questions about 3D

HomeTheater3D.com — Wed, 26 May 2010 12:23:10 +0000

This weekend, Shrek Forever After, the fourth film in the long-running and incredibly profitable DreamWorks franchise, stumbled out of the gate with a relatively disappointing $71 million opening weekend. The film was projected to open in the $80-$120 million range and had the widest release–a staggering 4,359 theaters this weekend– of a PG-rated film in history.

Paying the price for 3D roll-out

HomeTheater3D.com — Tue, 18 May 2010 16:02:17 +0000

Avatar, Clash of the Titans and the upcoming Tintin trilogy – all of them big budget movies made in 3D.

But it’s not quite as straightforward as that.

The price you pay to watch a 3D movie at the cinema is always the same – but there are several ways of tricking your eyes into seeing that extra dimension and, according to some, the quality varies greatly.

Is 3d Worth the hype?

HomeTheater3D.com — Tue, 18 May 2010 12:59:48 +0000

The next time you go shopping, try this: Walk into an electronics store and ask for a demo of 3D (three-dimension) TVs. This request will not only draw the store manager’s attention but will also ensure that all your queries are answered with utmost politeness — in the hope of converting you into a buyer. This is because 3D TVs fall in the super-premium sales category. Selling a single product to you can cover a large part of the sales target of any store.

Why Iron Man 2 isn’t in 3D

HomeTheater3D.com — Fri, 14 May 2010 17:04:41 +0000

Iron Man 2 was originally planned to be shot in 3D IMAX. Unfortunately, that idea didn’t work out as director John Favreau had hoped. He said in a press conference last month that budget issues were one of the reasons why that didn’t happen. What were the other reasons? Paramount, the studio responsible for IM2, wouldn’t tell us, but Hollywood insiders say whenever there’s a mystery in Tinseltown, it probably has something to do with money.

3-D entering new dimension as expectations rise

HomeTheater3D.com — Fri, 14 May 2010 15:00:55 +0000

Moviegoers, warming to technical terms like “convergence” and “stereospace,” have become more cognizant of the difference between good and bad 3-D. Critics have weighed in on its shortcomings. And the general aura of novelty was never going to last forever.

“People are definitely starting to see the difference,” said Jon Chu, director of “Step Up 3-D.” “All these people putting Hollywood in check on why we’re doing 3-D, why we’re raising prices, I think it’s a good thing for the art because it makes sure everyone is using 3-D for the right reasons.”

The next 3-D release will be “Shrek Forever After” (May 21), the fourth installment of the animated franchise from DreamWorks. Six 3-D films will arrive this summer, including the animated films “Toy Story 3″ (from Pixar) and Universal’s “Despicable Me.”

Avatar’s James Cameron urges producers to embrace 3D TV

HomeTheater3D.com — Thu, 13 May 2010 16:25:40 +0000

Director James Cameron, whose blockbuster “Avatar” set off a 3D frenzy in the movie industry, on Thursday told television producers to put aside their worries about higher filming costs and embrace the technology.

How to get on the 3D bandwagon

HomeTheater3D.com — Mon, 10 May 2010 12:46:10 +0000

There’re many avenues to play back 3D content–from movies to games and TV shows–through the latest home cinema, game console and computer. The problem, however, is a lack of a new unified 3D format across these platforms to guarantee full compatibility between different 3D hardware and software. For example, you cannot simply connect a 3D-enabled laptop to any 3D TV for playing 3D games out-of-the-box. Here’s what you’ll need to know to get on the 3D bandwagon, based on available and upcoming content.

DreamWorks a Leader in 3D Movies

HomeTheater3D.com — Thu, 06 May 2010 23:00:51 +0000

Perhaps no company has promoted 3D harder than DreamWorks Animation, which created Monsters vs. Aliens (the first 3D Blu-ray movie I’ve seen) as well as the recent How To Train Your Dragon and the upcoming Shrek Forever After in 3D. These movies have probably done more to push 3D than anything other than Avatar.

Seven in eight 3D TV buyers ‘won’t see 3D shows this year’

HomeTheater3D.com — Thu, 06 May 2010 18:58:54 +0000

More than 800,000 households will have bought a 3D-ready television before the end of this year, but fewer than one in eight will actually be watching 3D programmes on it, a new report predicts.

3-D video gaming is coming, but at what cost?

HomeTheater3D.com — Thu, 06 May 2010 14:55:55 +0000

After the rush by audiences to Hollywood 3-D blockbusters “Avatar” and “Alice in Wonderland,” game designers and developers are hoping to strike gold with 3-D gaming.

Today’s best games, already immersive experiences thanks to large-screen TVs and sophisticated graphics, could become even more intense in three dimensions — imagine “God of War III” in full, bloody 3-D glory. So far, however, the video gaming industry has proceeded cautiously.

3D TV the biggest switch since black and white

HomeTheater3D.com — Wed, 05 May 2010 20:01:37 +0000

3D TVs are trickling into Australian lounge rooms, and could be in yours for less than $2500, writes Jennifer Dudley-Nicholson.

The next big thing in television could cause twitching, nausea, headaches, altered vision, dizziness or seizures.

Or, more likely, it could make home-cinema aficionados rush into shops and inspect what manufacturers have called “the biggest transition for television since black-and white to colour”.

When Will Fox Finally Release Avatar on 3D Blu-ray?

HomeTheater3D.com — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 13:50:34 +0000

The Blu-Ray copy of Avatar is the best selling Blu-ray disc of all time, but no word yet on when a 3D version will come to homes.

The Blu-ray version of the movie Avatar was released on April 22 to record sales, and an “ultimate edition” is due in November, but many are left wondering when they will be able to sit in their homes and visit Pandora in 3D, as Cameron intended. No one seems to know for sure.

Recycle Your 3D Movie Glasses!

HomeTheater3D.com — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 17:07:09 +0000

So that got me thinking: Do YOU recycle your 3D glasses?

According to Geek Sugar, 42.1 million 3D glasses have been distributed for Avatar alone. That number is huge and seems kind of contradictory considering the movie’s theme, as well as Fox’s special “Earth Day” Blu-ray/DVD release for the blockbuster.

3D puts Stoke City fans in seventh heaven despite defeat to Chelsea

HomeTheater3D.com — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 11:37:10 +0000

The final result wiped the smiles off the faces of Stoke City fans, but the chance to watch the team in 3D was something they will never forget.

Football in 3D arrived on screens in the UK earlier this year, but for Potters fans it was the first chance to see the players in a new dimension on television when they travelled to Chelsea yesterday.

More than 150 fans packed into bowling alley Tenpin, on Festival Park, and donned glasses to watch the match.

Although unhappy with what they saw in terms of the defeat, many of the fans said the experience was like being at the match – despite being more than 150 miles away.

Is Avatar’s Blu-ray Success Bad News for 3D TV?

HomeTheater3D.com — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 13:25:07 +0000

Since Avatar is a smashing success in Blu-ray 2D, does this mean that consumers are blasé about 3D entertainment in the home? After all, content drives adoption of new consumer technologies, at least most of the time. If shoppers are snapping up Avatar discs now, it is quite possible they’ll pass on the 3D version–well, aside from a relatively small number of home theater buffs who want to recreate a theatrical experience.

Hollywood will push Hard for 3D DVDs

HomeTheater3D.com — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 21:58:56 +0000

DVD sales dropped 13 percent last year, but the entertainment industry is looking towards future sales of 3D DVDs to help stabilize revenue. But first, more people need to buy 3D TVs.

Den of Geek Talks about: The directors for and against 3D technology

HomeTheater3D.com — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 12:00:32 +0000

As Sony announces it’s going to run courses to help filmmakers understand how to make 3D movies without giving the audience a headache in the process, the jury – even post-Avatar – still seems to be very firmly out on the technology, even if it’s increasingly becoming a moot argument.

For, right now, more and more productions are heading down the 3D road, and any director who doesn’t have requisite clout is probably wise to keep quiet on their thoughts over the 3D craze if they want to keep their options open for the future.

Most directors, including those we’re going to highlight here, seem fairly realistic about both the pros and cons of the format. But nonetheless, it’s interesting to see the range of positions that come forward nonetheless. Here’s how a few of Hollywood’s more prominent directors have been seeing the 3D craze of late…

Hands on with Panasonic 3D TV (review)

HomeTheater3D.com — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 16:49:20 +0000

I got to don yet another pair of sexy 3D glasses at Panasonic’s Melbourne launch yesterday, checking out Panasonic’s new 50+ inch VT20 3D-capable plasmas which are set to go on sale in June.

The result was certainly on par with Sony’s demo in February, although I prefer the design of Sony’s 3D glasses. It’s also clear that content makes a big difference to the 3D TV experience.

“The situation improved considerably when we switched to the Avatar demo. The 3D effect looked much more natural and the quality was up with what I remember seeing at the cinemas. I’m not an expert on cinematography, but I suspect Avatar looked better because the director composed shots with 3D depth of field in mind – so objects don’t stick out so far in front of everything else that they look like they’re not really there.”

EH: 10 Reasons 3D Will Succeed; Why 3D will find an important niche in the home theater experience.

HomeTheater3D.com — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 11:19:21 +0000

“1) Glasses – Consumers have shown they’ll don 3D glasses in large public venues (i.e. theaters and theme parks). Why wouldn’t they do so in the privacy of their own home. Glasses are also a stop-gap as auto-stereoscopic technologies develop and the associated price tag softens.”

Read the Article at: http://www.electronichouse.com/article/10_reasons_3d_will_succeed/

Kick-Ass a bomb because of lack of 3D?

HomeTheater3D.com — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 16:48:45 +0000

Cinema Blend has an interesting article on why the new movie “Kick-Ass” was such a bomb at the box office this weekend. Yes, the film didn’t have a huge, mass appeal, but its weekend take of only $20 million shows that it missed the mark by a LARGE margin. Among all of the reasons a film like this fails, they bring up the point of the film being in 2D as a contributing factor. It seems that action films geared toward the 20-something crowd is now looking for the presentation of the latest block-buster to be in 3D.

-Editor

“What Happened To My 3D Glasses: Like it or not audiences seem absolutely addicted to 3D. As Clash of the Titans proved, they don’t even care of its good, as long as they have to pay extra for glasses. That’s especially true of action movies.”

“Nobody expects Date Night to be in 3D but right now moviegoers expect nothing less from a superhero flick. Ticket-buyers show up to the theater looking for an experience, and right now they’re convinced that buying 3D is the way to get that experience. It should be no surprise then that How to Train Your Dragon, almost inarguably the best 3D release still in theaters, would steal most ofKick-Ass’s thunder.”

Read “Cinema Blend’s” Article here: http://www.cinemablend.com/new/5-Reasons-Kick-Ass-Failed-At-The-Box-Office-18154.html

3D TV: A simple 2D solution for the stereo blind

HomeTheater3D.com — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 12:59:02 +0000

Nvidia disables 3D if you don’t see its effects. 3D TV effects are wasted on a portion of the population, about 4 percent to 10 percent of us. When shown 3D content, some people in this group see double or blurry images, or suffer from eyestrain or headaches that makes the content unenjoyable, to say the least.

If you’re in this group, as I am, there is a solution: You can turn off the 3D feature on your TV, and watch the content “flat.” If it’s a movie you’re interested in, find a theater that’s showing it in the cheaper non-3D version. Nvidia’s new 3D-capable video cards for PCs won’t even show you 3D content if you fail a 3D vision test. They revert to 2D-only mode.