3-D on TV: Reviews

During Superbowl weekend, two 3D spectacles hit the little screen in living rooms across America. The first was the Monsters vs. Aliens 3D trailer that aired during the Superbowl game; the second was a special episode of Chuck that was filmed in 3D format.

I was unable to watch the Monsters vs. Aliens trailer during the Superbowl, but the review over at First Showing indicates that my fears about the the promotion were right. The quality of the commercial was low, especially since it required the use of the more retro and cheap two-color glasses that are a step backwards in 3D technology. What's more, despite the supposed huge campaign to hand out these glasses, many people had trouble finding them before the game, meaning that a good chunk of the audience was stuck watching a blurry picture on the screen for the duration of the trailer.

Chuck, while still handicapped by the lack of glasses, seems to have done a bit better, though the strong material of the show probably helped carry the technology. I was glad to see that the format of the picture was still watchable without the glasses, so that those who were unable to obtain glasses weren't unable to watch the show. Chuck, aside from opening the episode with a scantily-clad Sarah in Chuck's dream, made fairly good use of the 3D format, only once throwing the obligatory knife at the screen and instead using the technology to add some depth to its Intersect-flash moments and rock concert scenes. Still, the glasses provided were only as good as one can possibly get with free technology. The days of regular 3D programming are far from here.