The 3D TV experience: Now being discussed in 2D!!

[MartyS (Gromit)]

Finally got around to setting up Vudu on my devices, activating 3 devices got me enough credit to do some 3D rentals.

Even though my Blu-Ray player is 3D the Vudu app won't do it,  seems looking at the forums a lot of Panasonic 3D equipment isn't supported, so I have to use the app on the Samsung TV to watch 3D. 

My internet package should be able to do HDX 3D but it keeps buffering, have to switch to HD 3D, I think it's the TV that is the problem, every other device passes the speed tests for HDX.  Kind of suspicious that the only device that doesn't have a speed test is the TV.  Lots of people complain bout the lousy way Samsung does internet on their devices, ran into those complaints when I couldn't get it to connect through a wireless bridge.

Anyway, watched Paranorman, liked the movie and the Vudu HD 3D was pretty good.  Might pick that movie up on Blu-Ray if I see it go on sale.

Also got the Tangled Forever short, pretty good and funny (the horse is the best character in that movie and the short is all him getting into trouble).

Only other 3D I could afford with the free credit was a rental of Resident Evil: Retribution but I haven't watched it yet.

[MartyS (Gromit)]

Since Comcast increased my internet speed I can now stream Vudu HDX 3D without buffering issues. 

Actually I think it's because they removed powerboost, when I'm streaming HDX 3D it's only pulling about 11Mbps down, well below the bandwidth I had before.  I went from 16 to 22Mbps, but before powerboost would give me 24Mbps for a little while and then it would drop down to 16, now it's steady at 22.  So I think powerboost was confusing the player into thinking it could buffer at a higher rate or something. 

[MartyS (Gromit)]

Monsters Inc 3D is awesome!

They did a great job on the 3D, adding massive depth when appropriate.
Was looking forward to the door chase scene and it didn't disappoint.

One scene I was surprised by was the abominable snowman one, his cave was way more cool looking in 3D.

[MartyS (Gromit)]

Life Of Pi

Pretty close to Hugo and Avatar in it's use of 3D, and a very interesting and well done story that pulls you in from start to finish. 

Not sure where I'd put it in my list of best 3D movies right now, still think Hugo is the best, Avatar has better 3D but crappy plot, so this one might bump Avatar down to 3 and take 2nd place.

[Darth Geek]

I have a 2012 Samsung 3D LED TV. I like the 3D on it, but the Samsung 3D glasses I got with it are the chintzyest, cheapest looking things I've ever seen. Do I have to use Samsung brand 3D glasses,  or can I get better ones (that aren't really expensive)?

[MartyS (Gromit)]

 There are some universal glasses on the market now.  Since 2011 Samsung uses Bluetooth, so you'll need to look for 3rd party ones that can do that (usually listed as RF).

I like the ones for my set, seems they only work with 2011 models for some reason:

[LucasM]

Monsters Inc 3D is awesome!

They did a great job on the 3D, adding massive depth when appropriate.
Was looking forward to the door chase scene and it didn't disappoint.

One scene I was surprised by was the abominable snowman one, his cave was way more cool looking in 3D.

Agree with this thoroughly.


Was able to get Clash of the Titans 3D New for $5.30 delivered to my home, so I took the opportunity.  Tonight I watched it.

Let's just say this about it: my Panasonic TV can do better - FAR more consistent - 3D on the fly than is present on this disc.  The studio's cheap 2D to 3D conversion was so lousy that in some scenes - especially when they are in the mountains, but certainly not limited to that - the relative distances between things change incorrectly.  In the mountains, as the camera flies over them, instead of them spreading further apart as you get closer and pass over, they got closer together: the exact reverse of what one would see if actually flying over them.

In virtually every scene, whatever was in the background was completely ignored for 3D transformation, so it looks like the actors are constantly operating in front of large photographs.  And part of the time, the actors themselves remain quite distinctly 2D, despite parts of their surroundings being 3D.  For me this was most noticeable when Perseus is first being ushered into Argos: all the guards around him, escorting him, are quite noticeably 3D, while he looks like a cardboard cut-out.  To do this with the main - focal - character is just inept work.

Luckily in the 3D release is also the 2D version on a separate disc.  So from now on I can use that one and let my TV do the conversion.  At $5.30, I won't complain.

[MartyS (Gromit)]

The 3D on The Hobbit is great, the 3D scenery was the only thing keeping me watching several times when things were taking forever to move along....

[LucasM]

I did a blind buy for 'Star Trek - Into Darkness' in 3D [despite the annoying slapstick crap in the first Abrams one].  Some here may know that I work hard to avoid anything resembling a spoiler (I won't even watch 'Next Week' segments at the end of TV series episodes!), so all I knew going in was it would be the 'revamped' version of Khan [I would have even preferred that to be new info, as - during the film - he does a 'reveal' of his name being Khan and it falls incredibly flat when that's been plastered over virtually every written description of the film from day 1 on  ].

At any rate, since I'd read nothing about it's 'filmed 'D' status', I went into the 3D cold, just as I went into the film cold.  Everything, from facial depth in close-ups to lens flares ( ) behaved as they should, depth-wise, thoughout the film.  It actually was not until the end credits that the thought that it might have been a conversion even crossed my mind (and only because I thought to look for what 3D cameras were used, or else who did the conversion).  THAT is how good a 2D => 3D conversion it was.  Either that, or I was so involved in the story I missed the obvious areas that would have told me that it was converted while watching it the first time.

We'll see if my initial response is duplicated in subsequent viewings, but - at least at this point - I'd have to say that this is hands down the best conversion I've ever seen.  [I own 15 3D films, some converted, some filmed in 3D, so have a few of each to compare it to.]


I have two 3D films arriving this week, Iron Man 3, another 'blind buy', I received today; MegaMind arrives Thursday.  IM3 is supposed to be lackluster 3D, but MM is supposed to be excellent.

[Space version 2.0]

THAT is how good a 2D => 3D conversion it was.  Either that, or I was so involved in the story I missed the obvious areas that would have told me that it was converted while watching it the first time.

I'm going with the first part, because I too had to look up whether or not it was a conversion while watching it.

[MartyS (Gromit)]

 Just watched Iron Man 3 in 3D.

I forgot to look this up before buying, probably would have skipped the 3D version had I known it was a conversion.

The conversion was hit or miss, some scenes have great depth, but many do not.  Best 3D was in confined spaces, but the big wide angle outdoor scenes seemed lacking.

Oh, the movie is really good, I'll have to watch it again soon, but I'll probably watch the regular 2D Blu-Ray from now on.

[LucasM]

The 3D for MegaMind was, as anticipated, superb [native 3D].  While the story is engaging, in my opinion it would not have been worth owning in 2D... i.e. the 3D pushes it over the top of what I'd feel was worth re-watching... the 3D actually makes the film itself 'better'.

In Stark contrast to that [], yes, the 3D in Iron Man 3 was uneven and disappointing.  This is one of the few conversions I've seen (i.e. 'that I own') where it seemed apparent that the idea to convert to 3D was made after-the-fact (possibly money-grabbing), rather than it being intentionally shot with an eye for 3D conversion.  [The other being the $5 Clash of the Titans 3D I got, where I'll never watch the 3D version of that again... as it is, the only time I'm likely to watch it again period is with the RiffTrax.]  I'll have to watch IM3 again another time to decide if I'll even watch it in 3D in the future.  Like you, MartyS, I may go with the 2D for future viewings as well.

[MartyS (Gromit)]

Anyone watched Pacific Rim in 3D at home yet?

It's listed as a hybrid, all camera work shot in 2D and then converted, but the computer effects rendered in 3D.

Still pondering if I want to spend extra to get it in 3D...

[LucasM]

I haven't seen it in 3D yet.  But I did hear that for all the 3D in Pacific Rim del Toro insisted that the 3D for the computer effects had to be presented 'real' (as in 'no pushing focal length/convergence to get the graphics to pop') so they are supposed to look documentary-like, like someone was actually watching these events and just happened to have a camera on them, rather than it looking like a 'monster movie'.

I wish I remember where I read that, and some other, info that said that it appeared that the live action conversion was done so well that, for instance, close-ups of faces had features noticeably closer to the camera than others.  I believe they said the same held true for the other live action, but since this is now 3rd hand info (from an unknown original source), I don't suspect it is of much help to you.

I've added it to my Amazon Wish List in 3D, if that's any help in you deciding.


EDIT:  Turns out it was the review of it on Blu-ray.com HERE.  A quote from the review: "Straight from the mouth of del Toro: 'For action, adventure and genre cinema, I'm now a converted fan of 3D. I asked [Legendary Pictures] for the complete control of the 3D. I asked them for forty weeks or so to get the 3D conversion -- it usually takes just eight to twelve weeks -- and they agreed. As I'm a complete control freak, we achieved a 3D conversion that I think people will be very happy with it. It's now my favorite format for the vision of this movie, but I don't think 3D is for every film. If you can watch Pacific Rim in 3D, make sure to watch it that way.'
[continues:]
"So yes, the film's 1080p/MVC-encoded 3D presentation is derived from a post-converted 3D source. But as most of you know by now, "conversion" isn't the 4-letter word it once was. Pacific Rim's 3D experience thrilled in theaters and it thrills on Blu-ray; so much so that its scant few flaws seem positively inconsequential. Depth and dimensionality is terrific, from devastated cities that spill into the distance to the Kaiju and Jaeger warriors, which loom larger than life. Blades extend outward, claws slash the screen, sparks and alien blood fly, storms swirl, buildings crumble and apocalyptic battles ensue, all in eye-popping 3D. Better still, the 3D image isn't bursting at the seams with cheap gimmicks or transparent tricks, at least not the sort that tend to yank a viewer out of a still-unfolding story. Displays that are prone to crosstalk will exhibit a small amount of background ghosting, mind you. Between the wind, rain, smoke, dust and fury of the various behemoths, there's a lot going on at any given moment, some of it being less than suited to a perfect 3D experience. Even so, significant distractions, aliasing and other issues are nowhere to be found, and the prevailing darkness of the image isn't rendered problematic by the dimness of the 3D glasses."

[MartyS (Gromit)]

I was at Best Buy and picked up the 3D version, I'll probably watch it tonight.

Also picked up a newer pair of 3D glasses for my TV, much lighter and thinner, barely feel them on your nose, but harder to store since the earpieces are molded in a semicircle (no hinges).  No way to fold them up.