The 3D Cinema Experience at Home

A trip to the big screen is something I always look forward to. I probably always will. The new 3D movies have put an even greater level of enjoyment to my trips to the theater. You don’t have to twist my arm to get me to experience the joys of a well made 3D experience. Having four little girls who enjoy a 3D movie as much as I do gives me the perfect excuse to see all the latest CGI animations coming out.

3D works by making sure each eye sees a slightly different picture than the other with each image representing the perspective of each eye.

Because our eyes are separated slightly they each see the world from a different perspective. 3D movies mimic this effect thus giving the illusion of depth on a 2D screen. Every 3D image or movie you view uses this same principle but may go about it in a slightly different manner.

Anaglyph Stereo

Anaglyph used to be popular but suffers from poor picture quality. In case you don’t know the term anaglyph refers to the red and blue glasses which are usually made out of cardboard. The images for each eye have either a red or blue tint. The red or blue lenses filter out the corresponding image so each eye sees the different perspective. This works to a degree but the colors are somewhat muted so you wouldn’t want to watch a top notch feature length movie with them.

Active Shutter Glasses Stereoscopy

Alternate-frame sequencing is the technical term coined for active shutter glasses. Each image is shown alternately on the screen. When an eye is not supposed to see the image it is blocked by the shutter over that eye going dark. This is the reason a TV needs to be capable of at least a frequency of 120Hz. Divide this by two and you have the required 60Hz for each eye that is needed for smooth animation. Even higher frequencies can ensure a flicker free experience for the vast majority of viewers. Most new models of TVs and projectors being manufactured today are capable of this higher frequency.

Using active shutter glasses can have its downsides. The major disadvantage is that the glasses require power either through a cord or from batteries. When you have a large family that can add up to quite a mess of cables or quite a lot of batteries. As they have been around for a while now prices for active shutter glasses and the TVs that use them have greatly reduced in price. If you only need one or two pairs of glasses then this would be the way to go.

Polarized Light Stereoscopy

Technology is always changing and new ways of displaying 3D imagery in the home are gaining market share. One such system uses polarized light for projecting images onto a screen and it is now possible to display both images on the screen simultaneously. Special polarized lenses in the glasses are polarized to only let in the correct image while blocking the other.

There are some major advantages to this method but the one limiting disadvantage is that it is prohibitively expensive to the average home user. Projectors are currently the best way to display the images so you will need to buy a silver projector screen to get the best effect. Silver screens reflect the light in such a manner as to ensure there is minimal depolarization for a crisper picture.

I believe polarized light stereoscopy will become the dominant method of 3D in the home eventually as costs decrease over time. The glasses don’t require batteries, are cheaper and also lighter than active shutter glasses. You can also have a more widely dispersed audience as the 3D effect is viewable from more angles. The average pair of shutter glasses will darken the image by about 20%. Polarized glasses can reduce this to about 10%.

The author loves electronic gadgets and loves writing about his passion. You can find more information on home entertainment technology on his site at 3D projectors for the home theater

This article has been written by the author, Eric James. Should you require anymoreBible App please visit his Bible resources!