Japan’s 1980s 3D Videodiscs
Added 2023-07-02 15:30:54 +0000 UTCIn the 80s it felt like people in Japan were living in the future. 3D VHD is a good example of this. The same year my family bought our first VHS recorder, movie enthusiasts in Japan were watching 3D videodiscs in their homes courtesy of the 3D VHD system.
Better late than never, I’m going to see what I missed out on.
I might need to take another pass at the editing on this one. But I’m not feeling my best today, so I thought I’ll just get this version out to you now and then maybe take another look at this in a few days.
Enjoy your week and take care.
UPDATE:
I’ve done a re-edit in an attempt to make the video a tad more engaging/interesting. Fixed a couple of errors. Added a section. Somehow it’s ended up pretty much the same length as before - so I must have cut out some unnecessary bits too.
Comments
Yes that my anti-algorithm slant. No silly surprised face and no hype. If only it worked every time.
Techmoan
2023-08-03 18:33:17 +0000 UTCFor what it's worth I like it. It's different enough from your others, which makes it stand out. At first I thought it was a video I'd not yet seen. One of my favorite of your thumbs was on this video: https://youtu.be/3z8z0sbLsrw
Grace Robbins
2023-08-03 17:16:46 +0000 UTCI was never happy with the original - but I’d already packed everything away in my locker. So on a recent trip to drop something else off, I took the opportunity to get a quick shot in the corridor. I’m still not sure whether it’ll have any positive impact, but I was a bit disheartened that a video I’d hoped to make for many years ended up disappearing over night.
Techmoan
2023-08-02 21:04:01 +0000 UTCCool thumbnail change! 👍🏻
Grace Robbins
2023-08-02 20:04:42 +0000 UTCI’m just imagining a house with old pizza boxes on the floor, mould on the walls, the kind of place that looks like a crack den mixed with a murder scene, and in the dark you can just make out on an old damp sofa there’s a person - sitting in their own filth, illuminated only by the blue glow coming from their VR headset…and inside that they’re living a life in a beautiful sea front villa watching the sunset. That’s the dystopia I’m imagining. …oh and there’s a dead dog on the floor, next to an empty food bowl.
Techmoan
2023-07-13 17:56:52 +0000 UTCNeRFs are getting better, who knows maybe one day we can move around in VR-Movies. However I cling to my FinePix REAL 3D W3. Really sad they don't make new 3D Cameras.
C. M.
2023-07-10 22:14:54 +0000 UTCAlways interesting to explore and appreciate the unique technologies that emerged in different parts of the world LOL...
Vicky FU
2023-07-10 10:15:59 +0000 UTCYeah, it's really disappointing. However, whenever they finally push affordable glasses free 3D, perhaps it finally takes off. In the meantime your best bet is to hope the Apple Vision Pro is successful, as that is content based, and if people create a bunch of 3D content for that, it should also show up on other formats.
Chris Munch
2023-07-09 04:59:54 +0000 UTCThis was quite interesting, I had no idea they had this in Japan that early. I don't remember seeing stuff like this in the US until the mid-90s, in particular visiting a Circuit City where they had an early VR headset and a 3D headset. What I found mind blowing many years later was finding out that all those famous photos of the US Civil War were all shot in 3D - and when you view it in a modern VR headset, they look spectacular - really great resolution and clarity. So 3D keeps failing as a format despite going back to the mid-1800s.
Chris Munch
2023-07-09 04:54:27 +0000 UTCAt least in the USA around 1995-1996, there was a "Virtual-IO i-glasses" HMD product where even and odd interleaved fields mapped to left and right 320x240 LCDs. As I recall, the LCDs were backlit and fired through optics; the image appeared overlaid through the translucent optics unless the provided (cardboard?) insert was installed to block the outside view. It came with a demo VHS tape; all I can remember from that was some CGI fishes swimming up close. (As you said, near field content was necessary for 3D to be engaging in low resolution.) I guess they hoped for a "Field of Dreams" outcome on 3D content (build it and they will come?). I only know about it because the company that I worked for at the time bought one to evaluate. Anyway, it seemed worth mentioning as one possible "missing link" between 3-D of the 1980s and 2000s.
Peter Lawrence
2023-07-09 00:34:42 +0000 UTCI envy all folks that had any sort of choices in this realm - I love the little (European) cars, whatever flavor they were back then. I do fondly remember my little '85 red Dodge Charger hatchback.
Grace Robbins
2023-07-08 22:04:12 +0000 UTCOh yeah hold on - my memory is deceiving me again, it was a Spitfire first choice, then the Midget/TR6 in no order.
Techmoan
2023-07-08 21:53:12 +0000 UTCThey probably last well in a warm country but in the UK they got destroyed by salty winter roads. A friend of mine was massively into Triumphs. He had a Spitfire which he only drove in the summer months and he was really obsessed with the Dolomite sprint, but given their age finding a good one was getting to be quite difficult. Someone else I knew had a similar obsession with Opel Mantas, same issue, they were getting thin on the ground unless you wanted a restoration project.
Giles Jones
2023-07-08 21:09:03 +0000 UTCThe current death of 3D is making me a bit sad. I've noticed that local cinemas (Czech Republic) recently stopped offering 3D screenings. And with 3D TVs being long dead, there is no other option. I hope that there will be another comeback, since I really liked that experience. I always picked the 3D option when going to see a movie.
Tom Holec
2023-07-08 20:38:30 +0000 UTCI considered a TR6 as my first car, but I couldn’t afford one so had to settle on an MG Midget instead.
Techmoan
2023-07-08 20:37:14 +0000 UTCRandom Mat... but I was out just now getting take-away food for my Mom (who is laid-up recovering from knee surgery) and I thought you'd appreciate this little Triumph convertible I snapped a photo of: https://ibb.co/LPwM7bN
Grace Robbins
2023-07-08 18:36:13 +0000 UTCOne of these days I must dig out my PS4 again to try watching my 3D blu-rays with a PSVR. I want to believe it will be a better experience than my old LG passive 3D LCD!
John Johnson
2023-07-08 18:28:51 +0000 UTCI haven’t, but I’ll provide more information about me and 3D in the next Patreon update
Techmoan
2023-07-08 16:53:02 +0000 UTC@techmoan about 3D and general viewing experience. Did You check out Viture glasses? I have recently obtained a Lemorele HDMI2USB-C adapter. All in all it is rather a novelty with several drawbacks, but it still works surprisingly well on the 3D (2x1080p) if you have SBS footage.
C. M.
2023-07-08 15:25:57 +0000 UTCJust watched the official YouTube release. You really improved the original. I especially liked the added section, (I hope you added it, and not that my senility is catching up to me!), about the differences between the 3D crazes over the years. I was first fascinated by the 1950s 3D movies that I watched in the 1960s, and remember watching House of Wax in the Theater. But, instead of two projectors, they used one and spun a wheel between the film and the lens that alternated the polarizing effect with each alternating frame. 3D was cool, but the stuttering gave me a headache, and led to reports of epileptic seizures of patrons during the showing. I wonder if Apple's new Vision Pro could reignite an interest in 3D... (at $3,500?... nah!)
CrimsonPig808
2023-07-08 12:18:07 +0000 UTCThanks for this video, so interesting! I'm so sorry your 3D Oled TV died, this looked like the best way ever to watch and share 3D at home.
CheeseParis
2023-07-08 04:49:56 +0000 UTCThere may be a possibility to shift the signal and synchronize it to OLED TVs, but it would lead to a low resolution image on a big screen, doesn't seem worth it.
CheeseParis
2023-07-08 04:44:24 +0000 UTCMaybe you can check it using a multimeter or something.
Steven Reich
2023-07-08 00:26:01 +0000 UTCI presumed it would be an electrical pulse sent down the wire to power the LCD shutters - but I don’t know the specifics.
Techmoan
2023-07-07 21:01:42 +0000 UTCWhat kind of signal is being sent to the glasses? 60hz square wave?
Steven Reich
2023-07-06 16:17:50 +0000 UTCExcept you were seeing less instead of more.
Steven Reich
2023-07-06 16:16:46 +0000 UTCThere’s just something so bleak and dystopian about the idea of a person sitting alone watching a movie on a headset.
Techmoan
2023-07-05 23:22:48 +0000 UTCI suspect it wasn’t worth the wait - 3D turned out to be just as difficult a thing for me to convey as describing the sound quality from a speaker.
Techmoan
2023-07-05 18:02:41 +0000 UTCi've been waiting forever for this video!
Paul Han
2023-07-05 17:35:43 +0000 UTCSo I'm one of 40%! I think that means something about me is actually special! 🤣
CubicleNate
2023-07-05 12:05:54 +0000 UTC3D stuff I can handle... but VR makes me want to chuck. Even watching someone else's VR videos sends me a bit queasy.
OzRetrocomp
2023-07-05 10:41:08 +0000 UTCTech like this is still fundamentally superior to watching 3D movies on a $500-$4000 VR headset in one important way: there's a credible chance of sharing the experience with a group, thanks to those cheap shutter glasses. The Avatar II demo on Apple's Vision Pro was slick as hell. But the overall experience of watching a movie by yourself is nothing compared with watching it on a basic, commodity-grade TV _with_ a few family members and friends in the living room.
Andy Ihnatko
2023-07-05 03:01:26 +0000 UTCVR: remembering to watch this video again and chuckle 🤭- thanks. https://youtu.be/Eiv6Q19n21k
Grace Robbins
2023-07-04 13:27:19 +0000 UTCEven in a full blown VR environment the goggles have a fixed focal distance. While you can get good results nowadays, it still won't feel entirely natural. In a 3D movie, the director determines the optical focus of the image, which is noticeable as soon as you try to look at objects somewhere in the background.
Tunix
2023-07-04 13:23:30 +0000 UTCThere’s a pretty significant percentage of people who just can’t deal with VR…from memory it’s something like 1 in 10. I think I’m one of them. Update - it’s reportedly as high as 40%.
Techmoan
2023-07-04 13:20:41 +0000 UTCI tried a friend's headset once (can't recall what) and it just gave me a nosebleed.
Brad Jones
2023-07-04 13:16:40 +0000 UTCEvery 3D experience I have had, most of which are at amusement parks, have all made me nauseous. I have found that VR does very similar so I must be broken.
CubicleNate
2023-07-04 13:13:13 +0000 UTCVery good, Mat. It's always interesting when you delve into the detail of past technologies. I knew none of that before now.
Stephen Bell
2023-07-04 12:57:18 +0000 UTCI'd completely forgotten there was an 80s 3D phase...although it makes sense, given the "Jaws 19" holographic 3D billboard joke in "Back to the Future Part II". It does seem to be a technology that keeps coming around - one day they may actually get it to stick. Possibly it's biggest challenge so far is that while it's 3D, it's still from a fixed point of view...maybe one day we'll have true holographic 3D movies where you can actually move around the scene.
Chris Crowther
2023-07-04 12:25:05 +0000 UTCThese were all shot as 3D movies. 3D Conversion is a 2004+ computer intensive activity.
Techmoan
2023-07-04 12:14:05 +0000 UTCI suspect the fact that "House of Wax" was shot as 3D helped a lot with it being a better 3D presentation. I'm guessing that isn't the same for some of the later films.
Chris Crowther
2023-07-04 11:57:29 +0000 UTCI particularly enjoyed the spinning paper part, but for some reason now have an inclination to buy Techmoan merchandise. ;)
David Boddie
2023-07-03 20:06:59 +0000 UTCVery nice updates - I appreciate the history of theatrical 3D you've presented. I'm immensely amused that an R-Rated film rejuvinated the public's interest in 3D. 😅
Grace Robbins
2023-07-03 17:50:08 +0000 UTCNo, we’re thinking along the same lines.
Techmoan
2023-07-03 16:18:22 +0000 UTCI was always fascinated by that ad. I really want a string quartet on my coffee table. I hope my comment wasn't taken as a criticism. It was meant as an appreciation of the work you put in.
Stephen Cairns
2023-07-03 15:54:50 +0000 UTCOh and thanks for the YT advert link - I'd forgotten all about that one, but seeing it now did awaken a vague memory.
Techmoan
2023-07-03 15:47:41 +0000 UTCGreat video on an interesting tech I knew nothing about -- thank you. Also, I can certainly see why you wanted to memorialize that epic fannypack in all its 3D glory :)
MM
2023-07-03 11:02:19 +0000 UTCYou could always include more personal 3D experiences as referred to here (perhaps): https://youtu.be/tJOdF3B0y7w
Grace Robbins
2023-07-03 10:34:00 +0000 UTCYou're absolutely right - I was thinking the same thing about the video not living up to the effort required to get it made. I'm working on ways to add a little bit to it - to make it seem a bit more worthwhile...but unfortunately 3D like VR is one of those things that really makes for a terrible video as you can't properly show it to the viewer.
Techmoan
2023-07-03 10:15:22 +0000 UTCI have similar sight issues as well and although i've never been that interested in 3-D anyway, the march towards Augmented/Virtual Reality as tech ecosystems in their own right (rather than add-on features for other tech) means that there is potentially a real space for accessibility to be built in for those of us who wouldn't otherwise be able to benefit. Especially now Apple has formerly entered the market as they've consistently been the market leaders in accessibility at least in my mind.
Sam Parsons
2023-07-03 07:50:22 +0000 UTCThanks for a look at another technological cul-de-sac. I can't help thinking that the preparation needed for this one was out of all proportion to the length of the video. My ideas about 3D and VR have always been tempered by the fact that I've worn glasses since the age of five and tended to assume that the goggles and headsets wouldn't work for me. I always thought the variations of 3D glasses were just slightly silly interim technologies, there until real 3D could be perfected. I imagined that the 3D future would look much more like the early 80s Grundig ad, which shows kids playing a video game inexplicably bursting out of the screen and a couple enjoying a Schubert string quartet played by hologramatic musicians on their coffee table. https://youtu.be/aEWEFWwO7-w
Stephen Cairns
2023-07-03 07:41:13 +0000 UTCStarchaser was my first theatrical 3D experience so I have fond memories, sad that the BD release was 2D only - what with a 3D lenticular slipcase! I only purchased a projector in 2016, skipped buying a 3D set, but have been collecting 3D discs since (3D Film Archive is doing amazing work in the states). I got a used Sony HDR-TD10 camcorder and Fuji W3S for still photography in 2020, a shame that the "boom" ended before these first generation imagers had time to advance, the video from the Sony on a gimbal is still impressive. I had an epiphany that I could mimic aerial 3D photography just by shooting video with a drone as it is moving sideways then pulling frames for the left and right eye (the more temporal distance, the more pronounced the 3D effect) - to supplement ground-level stills taken with the Fuji camera. Then I had the further realization that I could use a single take of that video, offset it by a few frames and duplicate it for L and R eyes creating 3D aerial video. Very convincing. Right now I am actually working on my first lenticular prints for 3D landscape photos using sideways video as a basis (10 frames worth as opposed to just 2 creates a more immersive experience). In Japan there is a company that will do up to A2 size, but their postcard rates (100 or more in a batch) are not too expensive.
Chris Browne
2023-07-03 04:02:57 +0000 UTCI just noticed the ladybug 🐞 pin you were using with your functional visual representation - doubtful that it means anything other than an available item, but it's adorable.
Grace Robbins
2023-07-03 02:22:54 +0000 UTCJust another excellent video, good sir.
Stephen Hamme
2023-07-03 00:21:34 +0000 UTCThat makes sense as to why I could never focus properly while wearing both eyeglasses and 3D glasses. I get headaches watching both IMAX and 3D.
Grace Robbins
2023-07-02 23:52:30 +0000 UTCThe most eye-wrenching 3D effect is with those Pulfrich (I think) glasses, where to get a "good" effect there has to be a lot of continual background movement. There's that terrible Doctor Who/EastEnders crossover special made using it, as well as a Top Of The Pops edition from the same year (recently repeated). And it works well on LCD screens and tablets. I've kept my glasses from 1993!
Brad Jones
2023-07-02 23:09:36 +0000 UTCI was born with a strabism (squint) and by the time this had been corrected with eye patches, I had lost any ability to see stereo vision. I've always felt left out from any 3D tech as it simply doesn't work for me. I had a glimmer of hope in the late 2000s when 3D cinema became popular and thought I might experience some 3D effect. As soon as the audience started oohing and ahing at the exaggerated close-up action scenes, it was obvious my depth of vision was still as flat as a pancake. I guess you don't miss what you never had, eh?
Paul Hughes
2023-07-02 22:38:42 +0000 UTCI disliked the Avatar 3D movie going experience intensely. It made me nauseous and gave me a headache. I complained to my wife after the movie and she said it wasn't a comfortable experience either. Some "neighbors" in the theater volunteered similar information. It has since been reported that it really depended on where you sat for screenings back in later aughts and early teens. I understand these have improved the projection technology since then.
David Fulton
2023-07-02 22:14:07 +0000 UTCI also discovered 3D as a kid, in my case through viewmaster reels. I've just checked and I currently have 227 three reel packets. But in the late 90s I got into 3D photography with a 1950s Stereo Realist camera, still my favourite film camera. Now though I use a Fuji W3, which produces ok images as long as it's used at 400 iso or less. For viewing in a slide viewer I copy the digital images to film using a Polaroid film recorder, picked up from Ebay for £6.50. It came from York university and they paid £6500 for it in 1997!
David Peaker
2023-07-02 22:09:09 +0000 UTCI couldn't imagine what a 'Phil Collins phase look' would look like prior to this comment. How would one actively pull off such a look, I wonder?
Grace Robbins
2023-07-02 22:08:15 +0000 UTCDespite being 134 years of age, she continues to wear her get up to this very day! She still looks pretty fantastic...maybe she does sleep in a crypt!
David Fulton
2023-07-02 22:07:48 +0000 UTCNot from L.A. - but as a young lady every time I saw Elvira I thought to myself, "that getup cannot be comfortable at all to wear" 😋
Grace Robbins
2023-07-02 22:01:10 +0000 UTCI wonder if any fellow Los Angelinos of a certain age remember Elvira "Movie Macabre" having that special 3D presentation back in the early 80s. We had to beg an adult to drive us to 7-11 to get the cheap specs. I don't recall much about the flix but I think I came of age that day watching The Mistress of the Dark doing her little "3DTV" dance!
David Fulton
2023-07-02 21:49:15 +0000 UTCA disc can be stamped out in seconds. For years video tapes had to be recorded in real time so a video duplication factory needed hundreds of machines.
Duncan
2023-07-02 21:44:09 +0000 UTCMat, do you think the primitive "3D" attempts of the original House Wax release did anything to help with the higher quality of the experience that you noted in the video, or is it just a coincidence and simply down to a better aspect ratio being presented?
David Fulton
2023-07-02 21:43:35 +0000 UTCInteresting to think that early television experiments were also based on a rotating disc. Vinyl records, CDs, Laser discs, floppy disks. film reels, hard discs, all using the same basic paradigm. I wonder if there is something in the collective unconscious going on... like how even the most advanced energy production systems are essentially steam and a rotating turbine.
David Fulton
2023-07-02 21:36:25 +0000 UTCThe surprise of discovery derived from this video sits alongside ancient Greek steam power, Roman coin-operated machines, The Antikythera Mechanism, and 18th century FAX machines in the 1850s. And I am only exaggerating a little! I associate proper 3D video with the 21st century (and I still don't think they are that great) so seeing what these Japanese engineers were up to in the 80s is one of those lovely shocks to the imagination!
David Fulton
2023-07-02 21:27:46 +0000 UTCI used to wear polarized sunglasses at the gym so I couldn't see the TVs. I kinda felt like Roddy Piper in They Live
David E. Blankenship
2023-07-02 20:53:11 +0000 UTCI liked the fact that in the 80s, the Japanese were experimenting with consumer technology and trying to push the boundaries. While this 3d tech may not have been a success, it did lay the groundwork for future versions. As a side note, I wonder why 3d just died away? I remember when 3d was everywhere and it seemed to be on the verge of becoming standard.
Joe S
2023-07-02 20:15:50 +0000 UTCI bought the exact product in the early 2000s you mentioned in the video with the the three movies because I was so into 3D. Was a very bad 3D experience. But I am still a 3D fan and even more so since bluray 3d. I own over 200 3D-films and enjoy wathing them on a quite big screen via a projector. Some films like "the passenger" from 2016 are so good with the 3D it makes the whole experince of the film so much better. Sad that home consumer 3D is dead right now but it might come back with better VR glasses in the future. Watching the latest Avatar film in 3d in an IMAX theater was one of the best movie experince from a technical standpoint in my life. Avatar 2 might be the last 3D Bluray you can buy. If 3D comes back it centainly will not be on bluray.
Michael Wehr
2023-07-02 19:30:51 +0000 UTCNice video! If you do a little chart/infographic like that again, consider two more colorblind friendly colors like dark blue/bright yellow. Can't win for everyone, but red/green is a pretty common color deficiency. You explained things enough so I could follow, but it'd be nice to make it easier to follow.
Scott Seligman
2023-07-02 19:23:55 +0000 UTCI really shouldn’t do things like that - it always comes across too loud on the lavalier.
Techmoan
2023-07-02 19:10:55 +0000 UTCTalking to camera AND putting a VHD into its case. I can only dream of that level of multitasking!
Big Car
2023-07-02 19:09:29 +0000 UTCVery cool. I did not realize VHD offered 3d, VHD was just something I read about in a magazine. I was familiar with the Pioneer LaserActive 3d stuff but that was early 90s and wicked expensive as I recall. 3d tech never sticks around for various reasons; maybe why its so fascinating.
Freeman Connell
2023-07-02 19:03:04 +0000 UTCOh yes, I forgot you had a bad eye. I shall continue to have it sitting in a corner then until one day, a capacitor will explode.
Kirk Northrop
2023-07-02 19:01:30 +0000 UTCThanks for the offer. Due to eye problems I can’t really enjoy 3D any more either, but it’s very kind of you to offer.
Techmoan
2023-07-02 18:58:55 +0000 UTCAlso… I have an LG 24” 3D monitor sitting here not being used Mat. It’s been sitting here not being used for a very long time, so if you want to watch your 3D Bluray’s in a small but almost adequate number of inches, it’s yours.
Kirk Northrop
2023-07-02 18:44:18 +0000 UTCTwo different 3D planes sounds right. Original IMAX 3D had four planes, RealD had 12 or 16 I think. One thing I’d note is that the red and green isn’t very clear to those of us with colour blindness. The graphic is clear, but the paper version isn’t. I’m not suggesting you should re-shoot obviously, I’d just like you to be aware for the future :)
Kirk Northrop
2023-07-02 18:39:49 +0000 UTCI’m another one of those rare specimens who really likes 3D. After wanting it back in the day, a few years ago I finally bought the Fuji FinePix Real 3D W3 camera, and while the image quality is terrible, some of those photos I took of travel and my kids when they were young are still some of the most engrossing, “realistic” photos I have, so I’m very sad that 3D never took off. With Apple reintroducing 3D photography with the Apple Vision Pro I’m hoping it makes a comeback (even if I can’t afford it)
kalleboo
2023-07-02 18:37:37 +0000 UTCExcellent. The spinning paper diagram made me realise that Mat is the Tomorrow's World presenter we never got to see. Does anyone remember the Imax 3D animation sponsored by Intel. Of all the iMax films I saw that really impressed me at the time. A real 3D puzzle was the large Glasses Free 3D display I saw in 2006. It was at West Quay shopping centre for the launch of the Toyota Auris. Obviously Toyota have a much larger budget than most home users but I still wonder how it worked.
Duncan
2023-07-02 18:19:29 +0000 UTCI went to see Jaws 3d at the cinema last year looked amazing but it was more about depth then effects. They did ET and Titanic in 3d as well as part of a special anniversary. Titanic 3d with no breaks really hurts your eyes. I also remember seeing jaws 4 (I think) in 3d when it came out originally. Great video
Retro Nick
2023-07-02 18:14:34 +0000 UTC3D was so futuristic… Excellent vid.
Gareth R
2023-07-02 18:12:30 +0000 UTCSorry I was thinking of PSVR2.
Techmoan
2023-07-02 17:43:22 +0000 UTCWhen I was a child I was a little obsessed with 3D. It seemed to me like the 1980s was full of it. 3D stickers, 3D magazines (supplied with some crappy cardboard 3D glasses), 3D at the cinema....I think my child brain dealt with 3D better than my adult brain as I can clearly remember talking with friends at school and saying that Jaws was literally inches from my face at the cinema! Anyway I found this fascinating, its good to look back at this old tech and its good to hear personal stories from the past, although it does always make me want to go back in time and do it all again.
LANDLINEMAN.com
2023-07-02 17:24:24 +0000 UTCHouse of Wax is still my fave 3d film (sorry Mr. Cameron). Pretty crazy that it was directed by a guy blind in one eye who couldn't see the 3d effects! Of course finding a rep house that can still project the old 35mm prints is a bit of challenge now, at least here in Canada.
Buckaroo Bunny Slippers
2023-07-02 17:08:34 +0000 UTCI'd pay for an app that allowed playback of all my 3D blurays on my PS5. I still have my PSVR1 headset, but it's all packed up now since I got the PSVR2.
Sparky Kelly
2023-07-02 17:01:37 +0000 UTCPSVR does, but PSVR 2 doesn't as they've not licensed 3D playback on the PS5 bluray drive. A shame, as I didn't try it on PSVR due to the screen door effect, with PSVR 2's much higher resolution it would probably be perfect. Might have to email Sony, ask them if there's a chance they could implement it via a purchased license option, maybe?
Adam Gurney
2023-07-02 16:56:49 +0000 UTCI've got one of the last 3D TV sets produced, Panasonic 4K model from 2017, everyone else has stopped producing them the year before and out of the blue they announced this one last hurrah. I'd had a 3D plasma prior to that and had been putting off upgrading to 4K, the last 3D OLED's were in short supply and I was looking at having to fork out about a grand for one even though they were the last year's models; with the Panasonic announcement I waited until they started getting heavily discounted towards the end of the year, jumped in at the first major price cut and then saw prices sky rocket when people realised that stock was running out and this was their last chance. The thing that I don't get: newer models usually have really high refresh rate screens and pretty powerful processors built into them, they could easily drive 3D playback and only have to include the transmitter, for active shutter glasses, as the extra expense to still support it. Just seems ludicrous to completely ditch the format when it could be so easily supported.
Adam Gurney
2023-07-02 16:51:25 +0000 UTCI was all about the 3D Bluray format. Bought a PlayStation 3D display that still works (I think?), but yeah haven't kept full track of the battery powered glasses it needs. Did pick up some extras when they dropped in price. And broke one too.. I ended up switching to buy 3D Blurays from the UK as a last bastion of the format (>5 years ago. I assume there are no new titles available these days). Mainly just Pixar anyway though. Oh and Nightmare Before Christmas that had developed a skip in the disc somehow... I guess I need to prepare for the idea that they will just stop working. 4K took over as the feature to drive consumer upselling and I don't think it adds as much as 3D did? I only bought into that last year and had some years where I had to end discretionary spending so been out of habit buying discs so kind of a big gap of content now.. Physical media itself is going away anyway too so... Have to prepare for that future too :P
PKFC
2023-07-02 16:41:06 +0000 UTCJaws 3D: but the shark still looks fake :-P. Clearly too far ahead of its time, but always good for a Techmoan episode! I guess I would have completely digged into this as a child, although, it took me a while before realising the 3D effect in the ViewMaster...
MrHammond
2023-07-02 16:34:04 +0000 UTCYeah it seems 3D video is pretty much not an "intended use" on anything consumer anymore at this point. You can however use e.g a Quest 2 to play it with a 3rd party app, it's the best way there is IMO. Won't be as good as Mat's 4K OLED with passive glasses used to be but it's better than any LCD-based TV was. Resolution is still a little low on current headsets but at least colors and obviously separation are great. And you can resize/place the video however you want it.
Kilrah
2023-07-02 16:20:55 +0000 UTC• It's very nice to get a revisit of the VHD technologies. • The inclusion of your personal story, and your fondness for 3D, makes this video all the better. I could even go out on a limb and say that 13:14 - 17:19 is the best part (or at least my favorite part) of the entire video. • That's a very handsome young gentleman in the lenticular photo - and it's so 80's/90's that it makes my nostalgia ache. • My only experience with 3D was in the movie theater. The first film I watched in 3D was Beowulf; okay for the 3D, I guess. My big pain was always struggling to get a proper (non-smugged) eyeglass and 3D glasses experience. • This is a particularly difficult topic to demonstrate and make a video about. We can't see the full 3D impact, but it is clear that the technology wasn't advanced enough to create an optimal experience. I appreciate all your efforts. • I sort of wish we had another cheesy VHD promo about 3D to look at. 😁 Take Care 🤍
Grace Robbins
2023-07-02 16:18:48 +0000 UTCIt does actually support that, I had a similar issue as yourself when I replaced my 3D tv and was left with 3D Blu-Ray’s. I ended up only being able to watch them on my PS4 using 1st gen PSVR. I can’t remember the software required for viewing, think it was standard app though, you watched it on a floating (cinema style) screen in 3D. Worked very well.
Jamie Howle
2023-07-02 16:17:51 +0000 UTCThat seems a real shame. VR is by far the best way to experience 3D for me (apart from, you know, the whole 'going outside' thing...)
matsimpsk
2023-07-02 16:13:38 +0000 UTCVery Interesting video. My favourite 3D tech purchase is my Fujifilm FinePix Real3D W3 digital stills camera. It's not perfect of course, photos of close up objects become a headache inducing mess but some photos work well and the 3D effect of the inbuilt display screen without any glasses needed is quite something.
Gideon Jones-Davies
2023-07-02 16:12:46 +0000 UTCNo it doesn’t. Which is a missed opportunity.
Techmoan
2023-07-02 16:10:34 +0000 UTCI wanted this SO badly when I was a kid. I don’t even remember how I learned about it, but I was very aware of this format circa 1987? I was a bit enamored with 3D after attending great 3D festivals at the Film Forum in NYC. I upgraded my Blu-ray player last year to multi-region UHD 4K and one of the first thing I checked after making sure it worked properly playing multi-region discs was that the 3D also worked. I’m also super bummed that whenever it’s time to buy a new TV, it’s not going to be 3D compatible. Nothing beats “House Of Wax” in 35mm if you ever get the chance!
Jake Fogelnest
2023-07-02 16:02:01 +0000 UTCHmm, does the PSVR support 3D blu-ray? Not that it would be particularly comfortable watching an entire movie with the headset on your bonce...
matsimpsk
2023-07-02 16:01:14 +0000 UTCDisappointing, but not surprising. Thank you for checking!
Modren
2023-07-02 16:00:42 +0000 UTCI expected someone might ask, I was going to add an overlay about the incompatibility - I’ll have to make sure I do that before it goes live. No the glasses don’t sync with the VHD.
Techmoan
2023-07-02 15:59:44 +0000 UTCQuite enjoyed seeing the picture of Mat during his Phil Collins phase.
Rick Thornquist
2023-07-02 15:58:42 +0000 UTCNow I'm curious about that DVD set! Have you tried using the Victor VHD goggles to view the DVDs, or the glasses that came with the DVD set on the VHDs?
Modren
2023-07-02 15:54:10 +0000 UTC
