3D TV thoughts

[P3D Marvin Jones <Campfire@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

> This was such a lame ratings grab. I hope that it was
> unsuccesful for the networks. I would be much happier trying to show and
sell
> the concept of 3D with good 3D. 

The problem is that if this IS unsuccessful, it will be a thousand times
more difficult to sell ANY 3D, good, bad or indifferent, next time. All
you'll hear is "Oh, they tried that on TV and it bombed. Nobody wants to
see 3D any more!"

Also, from Dan Symmes as quoted by Oliver Dean:

> I was quite disappointed with last night's broadcast, and suspect will
> be for the rest as something (someone) has reduced the chroma of the
> programs (bad dubs???), which is where 3D is, making the image pale and
> with little 3D. Anaglyphic 3D NEEDS more chroma, not less. You might
> turn the color up on your TV and will probably see better 3D, albeit
> with more chroma noise.

Dan of all people should know the vagaries of anaglyph 3D on NTSC
television. It's never worked worth a damn in the past, and it continues to
NOT work this week! I suspect that the whole ABC promo might not have even
happened if any of the producers or other creative people had ever actually
SEEN an anaglyph BROADCAST in the real world, instead of only seeing direct
feeds on top-of-the-line monitors carefully tweeked for maximum effect.

Ironically the 3rd Rock show will almost certainly be the most
dimensionally successful one of the lot because it uses Pulfrich 3D. While
Pulfrich is the Woolworth Bargain Basement version of 3D, in the hands of
someone who knows how to exploit its limitations it can be the most
startlingly successful system on television. Of course, Married With
Children was able to blow it completely by cynically assuming that all you
needed to do was outfit a gullible audience with goofy glasses and not
waste your time actually setting up any shots to trigger the Pulfrich
effect, but hopefully someone involved with 3rd Rock will be a little more
3D-savvy. The only potential problem is that one of the things Pulfrich is
weakest at is the only thing ABC could think of when they heard "3D" --
that is throwing everything not nailed to the floor at the camera. Pulfrich
works wonderfully at recording a scene in depth and providing roundness to
objects and spacial relationships between them. We'll have to wait to see
how it's used at NBC!


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