3D HDTV: Samsung Makes the First Move

It's hard to believe but 3D films were first conceived and shown back in 1922 and the first 3D movie was called The Power of Love. Huey Lewis wasn't even born yet and it's difficult for people today (2010) to even imagine what a 3D movie back then could look like. Remember, sound wasn't in movies until a year later (1923). People liked it but it just wasn't at a technological level to be very memorable and it was expensive.

3D images actually date back to about 1844 but we won't get into that here.

Let's fast forward to the early 1950's which was by far the "golden age" of 3D movies. Some that older people will remember are The Creature from the Black Lagoon and Dial M for Murder. Even in the 50's, 3D movies were still expensive to make and were more of a gimmick than a standard.

Fast forward again to the early 1980's. I remember seeing Jaws 3D and Raiders of the Lost Ark in 3D in Los Angeles. I was just a little kid and honestly, I was terrified. Who takes a kid to see Jaws 3D when you live right by the beach? Thanks Dad! As the earlier decades tried and failed, the 80's didn't really have what it took either.

The first real, mainstream accepted 3D presentations came for those fortunate enough to live near an iMax theater. Why there are so few of these around the country I'll never know because they make everything seem so much better than in a canned 10 theater complex. Many of these iMax films were nature related like Tales of the Abyss which released a few years after Titanic and explored the wreckage. This was an amazing film but if you didn't see it in an iMax, it's just another documentary.

Many people will tell you that The Polar Express was the first modern 3D film they saw and it really was an amazing movie in 3D even though the characters seemed to be in the uncanny valley (not human enough to be empathetic but close enough to be kind of creepy).

Today, 3D movies are everywhere and with blockbuster epics like Avatar, and great kid's films like UP and Ice Age 3 making money hand over fist, 3D is here to stay.

Bringing 3D HDTV Home

As with most new technology, this year will have a huge rush on the new 3D HDTV systems with Samsung and Panasonic leading the race. Accompanying the 3D HDTV's are 3D capable Blu-Ray players so if you still have a VCR and SDTV, you've got a lot of saving to do my friend and you should make the jump to HDTV soon because prices are very affordable. You can pick up a nice 32 inch LCD HDTV for around $400.

In April 2010, according to Samsung's official website, the Samsung 3D HDTV which is a 46 incher with the model number UN46C9000 will hit stores and retail for about $6000. That sounds expensive but think back to the first plasma HDTV's of a similar size. For another $1000, you can get a 52 incher. These 3D HDTV's come with a very cool touch remote but the glasses are sold separately for some reason.

If you wait until May, according to High Def Digest, the Samsung 3D HDTV PN50C7000, a lower priced model is a Plasma 3D HDTV unit that will retail for around $1700.

Samsung's website says that you can switch your TV from 3D to 2D at the touch of a button and that the TV is capable of rendering your average 2D broadcasts in 3D on the fly. Does this mean we can now make even the most dull episode of COPS exciting at the touch of a button? It sounds too good to be true and that information alone makes me want one more than you could possibly know.

The porn industry is bound to capitalize on this new technology as well if that's your thing.

As a gamer, the introduction of the Samsung 3D HDTV (and other brands that will follow) mean that video games have another direction to take because as of now, most 3D capable games are garbage.

Zach Honig, http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2361106,00.asp PC Mag
Unknown Author, http://www.highdefdigest.com/news/show/High-Def_Retailing/Samsung/3D/Industry_Trends/Samsung_Announces_Prices_and_Dates_for_2010_HDTV_Lineup/4371 Hi Def Digest