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.

3-D Looking to Become a more Permanent TV Fixture

Readers must forgive the Vault for its inundation of 3-D posts of late, but news just seems to be pouring out of the wood works. Just take a gander at this Monday Los Angeles Times article, which discusses moves that are being made to potentially make three-dimensional pictures a more regular feature on television. The Consumers Electronics Show this weekend will be featuring several televisions from various companies that are "capable of displaying 3-D like pictures." Part of the recent interest comes from concerned movie studios who want to make sure they get the most bang for their buck for investing in expensive three-dimensional escapades by allowing consumers to purchase a 3-D version for home. The studios have an excellent point. 3-D is all fine and dandy on the big screen, but how will that translate to the box in your living room? Current technology means you either opt for the "flat version," or try out a 3-D version complete with old-school red-and-blue glasses, like in The Polar Express remake released late last year. Unfortunately, the attempts to translate the technology from one screen to another have failed; scroll down to "Customer Discussions" on the above link and you will find some very unhappy people who switched off the format ten minutes into the movie. The new televisions that are being displayed this weekend are supposed to be taking a step forward towards smoothing out the major kinks in home-viewing experiences by adapting the advances made in theatre to these smaller venues. Philips even has developed a TV that doesn't require glasses to view the three-dimensional format.

It seems unlikely that a 3-D wave is going to come crashing into the television market anytime soon, especially with the dubiousness of the success of the technology in film. That won't stop TV execs from trying to hook audiences: look for a 3-D episode of Chuck to air after the Super Bowl! Apparently NBC thought that all the glasses wandering around for the Monsters Vs. Aliens trailer that will air during the game were too good an opportunity to pass up and announced last November that they would be putting together a special episode in that format. As a fan of Chuck, my question is this: will the transmission of a 3-D picture mean that those who don't want to watch it in that format will be stuck with a blurry picture? As much as I'm interested in seeing how the technology fares for an entire hour, I'd hate for people to turn away from the show because they can't view it. Check back for more details here as they emerge.