Beyond the third dimension

James Cameron is a fan of 3D and so is Yoshi Yamada of Panasonic. How do we know? They were saying as much at CES this month, when Yamada-san announced that Panasonic will soon have a 3D Blu-ray authoring system installed in its Hollywood lab. Meanwhile, Cameron is in production with Avatar, which will be shot entirely in 3D.

It's a pattern that Panasonic knows well. Ensuring that DVD production tools were right there on the Universal lot from 1996 onwards, under the wise stewardship of Jerry Pierce of DVCC, helped to make the format acceptable to both creatives and accountants in the film industry. Without this on-the-spot demonstration of the format's potential (along with the decisive support of Warren Liebefarb of Warner Home Video and Koji Hase at Toshiba) DVD could well have fallen at the first hurdle.

At CES in January 1997, it was hard to avoid being hit by giant DVD posters and flags, which fluttered over non-working mock-ups of what DVD CE products might be like if ever the consortium members could finally agree common standards. The 3D video being shown at CES in 2009 is threatened by a similar lack of agreement on how to implement 3D in the home. Lack of agreement held back DVD and the fruitless battle between HD DVD and Blu-ray put off all but determined early adopters of HD packaged media. Format squabbles could prevent investment in the 3D content which is needed to make it a success and everyone involved should fight against this possibility. The home entertainment industry needs to wake up to reality.

3D glasses will be with us for some time yet, which some may think to be a disadvantage, although it adds a sense of occasion to the viewing experience. Pseudo-3D, as demonstrated by Philips and others, is fine for watching short-term - at right angles to the screen - but tiring and ineffective for long-term viewers. Dolby and Quantel go for the polarized approach: surely this must be the route to success at the present state of the art.

Disney's cartoon Bolt, featuring the voice of John Travolta, was released in Disney Digital 3D 'in select theaters' in mid-December and it looks great. As a showcase for the full 1080p 3D home system of the future (2010 onwards?) it is hard to beat. "It's not a gimmick" says Cameron and he's right. You quickly come to think of the screen as an open window, with nothing between you and the movie characters.

Bolt, Avatar and as many additional productions as can be assembled, could well be the catalyst Blu-ray requires to establish its identity as a 'must-have' item in the cash-strapped home. When the potential for 3D Games is added to the attraction of 3D movies and music titles at last the format has a USP that will put it ahead of the pack. Will a 3D animated dog turn out to be Blu-ray's best friend? Coming soon to a three-dimensional home near you...