Comments on: The future of 3D TV http://effectivus.com/2010/01/the-future-of-3d-tv/ helping technology companies create products that delight Tue, 31 Jan 2012 14:04:44 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Chris http://effectivus.com/2010/01/the-future-of-3d-tv/#comment-465 Chris Tue, 07 Jun 2011 16:08:01 +0000 http://effectivus.com/?p=956#comment-465 Oh dear, it all appears to be coming true. See recent articles: New York Times: <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/30/business/media/30panda.html?_r=3&smid=fb-nytimes&WT.mc_id=BU-SM-E-FB-SM-LIN-HST-053111-NYT-NA&WT.mc_ev=click" rel="nofollow">3-D Starts to Fizzle, and Hollywood Frets</a> Chicago Sun-Timeas: <a href="http://blogs.suntimes.com/ebert/2011/01/post_4.html" rel="nofollow">Why 3D doesn't work and never will. Case closed.</a> Oh dear, it all appears to be coming true. See recent articles:

New York Times: 3-D Starts to Fizzle, and Hollywood Frets

Chicago Sun-Timeas: Why 3D doesn’t work and never will. Case closed.

]]> By: Chris http://effectivus.com/2010/01/the-future-of-3d-tv/#comment-132 Chris Sun, 28 Feb 2010 15:49:15 +0000 http://effectivus.com/?p=956#comment-132 Oh, Andy. I think you underestimate the 3 dimensional allure of The Stewardesses. Even if the idea of "cabin fever" (surely some mistake?) does not interest you, what about those other great 3D titles? What about Bwana Devil (1953), or Cat Women of the Moon, or Hot Skin "feel it in SeXurround". You risk neglecting the huge cultural contribution that our industry has made to civilisation. Snigger, snigger... Oh, Andy.
I think you underestimate the 3 dimensional allure of The Stewardesses. Even if the idea of “cabin fever” (surely some mistake?) does not interest you, what about those other great 3D titles?
What about Bwana Devil (1953), or Cat Women of the Moon, or Hot Skin “feel it in SeXurround”.
You risk neglecting the huge cultural contribution that our industry has made to civilisation.
Snigger, snigger…

]]> By: Andy Ballingall http://effectivus.com/2010/01/the-future-of-3d-tv/#comment-131 Andy Ballingall Sat, 27 Feb 2010 14:49:27 +0000 http://effectivus.com/?p=956#comment-131 @Sheila "...it [TV] stopped showing anything that was vaguely informative or even interesting. If you rule out the ‘10 green celebrities’ genre and the promises of brilliant insights into archaeology or climate change or ecology that deliver half an idea in a decorative hour, and are not interested in watching people cook or have their houses or gardens destroyed, you are left with the news and weather. And I doubt either will benefit much from 3D." I agree with you, except for the bit about the news, which seems aimed at 3 year olds with a learning difficulty. My partner and I recently watched a pair of CDs. "Civilisation" (Kenneth Clark 1969) and "The Ascent of Man" (1973, Jacob Bronowski). I don't think either could be made today. Both would be deemed 'elitist', 'inaccessible', or just plain 'boring'. David Attenborough's excellent wildlife programmes have only survived because they feature animals eating each other. University Challenge is probably surviving solely on the hope that Jeremy Paxman will lose his rag one day. And in the space previously occupied by science programming, we are expected to put up with celebrity scientists whose role largely consists of standing in front of expensively filmed locations across the world, edging, through the course of an entire hour, unbearably slowly towards a single statement of fact that would take about 5 seconds to look up on the internet. (In summary, me, me me!) @Sheila

“…it [TV] stopped showing anything that was vaguely informative or even interesting. If you rule out the ‘10 green celebrities’ genre and the promises of brilliant insights into archaeology or climate change or ecology that deliver half an idea in a decorative hour, and are not interested in watching people cook or have their houses or gardens destroyed, you are left with the news and weather. And I doubt either will benefit much from 3D.”

I agree with you, except for the bit about the news, which seems aimed at 3 year olds with a learning difficulty.

My partner and I recently watched a pair of CDs. “Civilisation” (Kenneth Clark 1969) and “The Ascent of Man” (1973, Jacob Bronowski). I don’t think either could be made today. Both would be deemed ‘elitist’, ‘inaccessible’, or just plain ‘boring’. David Attenborough’s excellent wildlife programmes have only survived because they feature animals eating each other. University Challenge is probably surviving solely on the hope that Jeremy Paxman will lose his rag one day. And in the space previously occupied by science programming, we are expected to put up with celebrity scientists whose role largely consists of standing in front of expensively filmed locations across the world, edging, through the course of an entire hour, unbearably slowly towards a single statement of fact that would take about 5 seconds to look up on the internet.

(In summary, me, me me!)

]]> By: Chris http://effectivus.com/2010/01/the-future-of-3d-tv/#comment-130 Chris Mon, 01 Feb 2010 20:48:20 +0000 http://effectivus.com/?p=956#comment-130 Thanks Sheila, good point. Nope, I'm certainly not the mainstream target audience, but I think my kids (19,16, 12) should be. Sadly for the future of TV they appear to suffer from your problem of not finding much to interest them and don't watch much either. Stats suggest that the top shows in 2009 attracted almost the same audiences as they did ten years ago, but the rest have lost between 20% and 30% of their audiences. So yes, you are right, TV is in far bigger trouble than just figuring out whether 3D TV will be the next big thing. Thanks Sheila, good point. Nope, I’m certainly not the mainstream target audience, but I think my kids (19,16, 12) should be. Sadly for the future of TV they appear to suffer from your problem of not finding much to interest them and don’t watch much either.
Stats suggest that the top shows in 2009 attracted almost the same audiences as they did ten years ago, but the rest have lost between 20% and 30% of their audiences. So yes, you are right, TV is in far bigger trouble than just figuring out whether 3D TV will be the next big thing.

]]> By: Sheila http://effectivus.com/2010/01/the-future-of-3d-tv/#comment-129 Sheila Mon, 01 Feb 2010 16:14:10 +0000 http://effectivus.com/?p=956#comment-129 I'm intrigued by your statement 'television has lost its way'. I agree but for other reasons. While as a neo-Luddite I'm sceptical of 3D's 'added value', I feel that TV (if there is an entity about which such statements can justifiably be made) veered off the desired track a long time before the latest 3D venture. At least 5years ago (maybe 10 - time flies) it stopped showing anything that was to me ((aren't we all egocentric?) vaguely informative or even interesting. If you rule out the '10 green celebrities' genre and the promises of brilliant insights into archaeology or climate change or ecology that deliver half an idea in a decorative hour, and are not interested in watching people cook or have their houses or gardens destroyed, you are left with the news and weather. And I doubt either will benefit much from 3D. So - by a sideways argument - if I am not part of the mainstream/mass sector which market forces determine TV should aim to satisfy, how can I comment? And Chris, I don't think you are the part of this sector either....... So a fascinating point of view, but what can we do about it? I’m intrigued by your statement ‘television has lost its way’. I agree but for other reasons. While as a neo-Luddite I’m sceptical of 3D’s ‘added value’, I feel that TV (if there is an entity about which such statements can justifiably be made) veered off the desired track a long time before the latest 3D venture. At least 5years ago (maybe 10 – time flies) it stopped showing anything that was to me ((aren’t we all egocentric?) vaguely informative or even interesting. If you rule out the ’10 green celebrities’ genre and the promises of brilliant insights into archaeology or climate change or ecology that deliver half an idea in a decorative hour, and are not interested in watching people cook or have their houses or gardens destroyed, you are left with the news and weather. And I doubt either will benefit much from 3D.
So – by a sideways argument – if I am not part of the mainstream/mass sector which market forces determine TV should aim to satisfy, how can I comment? And Chris, I don’t think you are the part of this sector either……. So a fascinating point of view, but what can we do about it?

]]> By: Chris http://effectivus.com/2010/01/the-future-of-3d-tv/#comment-128 Chris Fri, 29 Jan 2010 08:34:34 +0000 http://effectivus.com/?p=956#comment-128 Thanks Kevin, good to hear that you enjoy the posts. Thanks Kevin, good to hear that you enjoy the posts.

]]> By: kevin shaw http://effectivus.com/2010/01/the-future-of-3d-tv/#comment-127 kevin shaw Thu, 28 Jan 2010 08:54:18 +0000 http://effectivus.com/?p=956#comment-127 Good thinking Chris! I am still wondering if the television manufacturers can pull off this trick again. Actually for reasons you mention, I think stereo tv is a bigger benefit than hdtv for most consumers - if they can get past the viewing angles. And viewing angles are an inherent problem with LCD screens anyway, but it does not seem to have hurt sales Keep them coming Kevin Good thinking Chris!
I am still wondering if the television manufacturers can pull off this trick again. Actually for reasons you mention, I think stereo tv is a bigger benefit than hdtv for most consumers – if they can get past the viewing angles. And viewing angles are an inherent problem with LCD screens anyway, but it does not seem to have hurt sales

Keep them coming
Kevin

]]> By: Chris http://effectivus.com/2010/01/the-future-of-3d-tv/#comment-126 Chris Tue, 26 Jan 2010 15:45:23 +0000 http://effectivus.com/?p=956#comment-126 Thanks Andy, great fun writing it too! Thanks Andy, great fun writing it too!

]]> By: Andy Vasey http://effectivus.com/2010/01/the-future-of-3d-tv/#comment-125 Andy Vasey Tue, 26 Jan 2010 15:39:29 +0000 http://effectivus.com/?p=956#comment-125 Chris - great article! Chris – great article!

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