Nvidia Announces 3D Blu-ray Format For 2010 178
Barence writes "Nvidia has announced that 3D Blu-ray movies will begin appearing in 2010. A spokesman confirmed that the Blu-ray Association — to which Nvidia is a contributor — had settled on the 'proper parameters [for] what constitutes a 3D Blu-ray' and claimed the first 3D Blu-ray films would hit the shelves 'towards the end of Summer 2010.' Nvidia will support the standard through its 3D Vision technology, using bit rates of around 60Mbits/second — twice that of a standard movie — although HDMI 1.3 'should have sufficient bandwidth' to ensure smooth playback. New files will be encoded using the MVC-AVC format, which is based on the AVC format currently used by Blu-ray movies.' Update: HotHardware has some additional details, including images of demo hardware.
More details including a notebook version... (Score:3, Informative)
Eh (Score:4, Informative)
RTFA. First of all, there have been several models of TV that can actually display 120 hz and do 3d. Most of them use DLP for their light engine, but I think the very latest model LCDs can also do it. (that is, they've gotten the LCD crystals fast enough that there isn't too much ghosting between frames to do 3d)
Second, if you RTFA, you'll see it mention that the ps3 has plenty of power to display a 3d blueray movie. PS3 has ALWAYS been the best blue ray player, from the very beginning.
And finally : there are a fair number of major movies that had theater releases in 3d. Obviously Avatar is the next one up. This standard will enable home viewers to watch these films again. It will be somewhat expensive : even if you have a ps3, most folks would need a new TV, and the glasses will probably retail for $30-$50 or so a pair once it's mass market.
3d gaming is the killer app for stereoscopic displays though. It's been possible for many years, and it's a fantastic improvement in computer graphics. The next generation of consoles may just have enough graphics horsepower to make it a mainstream activity.
Re:Remind me why we need (or even want) this? (Score:4, Informative)
Well, I either need to wear a dorky thing on my head, or have it sticking out of my ears, or I need to have it installed in a room with the proper spatial qualities and locations for the performance. Video is higher bandwidth, making the investment far greater. Thing is, from the existing spatial information in a 2D image I can discern most of the 3D information that existed in the original print. Somewhat more to the point, since a movie is a 1 dimensional plot through a storyline, and the director is giving me the "proper" perspective, why would I want to wander around the room for a diferent one. Or worse, like in audio - only have one "sweet spot" in the room where I can see what the director intended. There's a reason the seats in the middle of a live performance hall are more expensive than those on the edge. Remember - this is for blu-ray, not things like games or live sports.
Every 3D demo I've seen has been limited by the act that you have to look at a monitor with a very limited angle of view. If I turn my head, I get nothing. To get a different perspective I have to move my body and turn my head back to the screen, or just sit and wait for whatever the director wants to throw at me.
Besides, I don't think you're getting much more actual information. Your eyes (well, brain) process a 3D image to create a 2 dimensional representation with depth perception information which cannot be determined from placement/obscuration. It's a fairly minor effect, and you can get most of the cues from a single eye. Depth matters in areas where you need to dermine fine spacial relationships, such as driving, or hunting, but it has very little effect otherwise. Live performances have practically no useful depth information, and yet they are the original 3D. They are just as enjoyable in 2 dimensions on a screen.
Personally, I think multi-channel sound and good LFE adds a great deal more to a movie than the visual dimension of depth.
Re:Remind me why we need (or even want) this? (Score:3, Informative)
> What are some good movies that are in 3d? I haven't seen any.
Pixar's Up was awesome, other than that nothing.