Sony Intros 3D Blu-ray Player

[Smokey]

Sony today launched the new BDP-S470 stand-alone Blu-ray 3D™-ready player. The model can be upgraded to play Blu-ray 3D content with a firmware update available this summer.

The company also announced that the previously introduced BDP-S570 Blu-ray Disc™ model and the BDV-E770W and BDV-E570 Blu-ray Disc home theater systems will be Blu-ray 3D capable with firmware updates available this summer.

In addition to Blu-ray 3D playback, when connected to a broadband Internet network, all of the new models instantly stream movies, videos, music, and more from Netflix®, Amazon Video On Demand, YouTube™, Slacker® Internet Radio, Pandora® (Coming Spring 2010), NPR, Sony Pictures, Sony Music.

Unique to the new models, users with an iPhone® or iPod® touch device can control the players using a free app called “BD Remote” that can be downloaded from the Apple App store. The app allows an iPhone or iPod touch device to function as a remote control that includes the ability to access a Blu-ray Disc’s details such as jacket artwork, actor, and production information as well as search for additional video clips online.

The models also offer improved start up and disc loading performance. The stand-alone Blu-ray Disc players can start-up from power off in about three seconds.

Available in February/March for about $200.

[atomicAdam]

will this finally be the nail in the coffin for the the theater, or will home 3D just never replace the whole 'going to the movies'?

[Smokey]

will this finally be the nail in the coffin for the the theater, or will home 3D just never replace the whole 'going to the movies'?

Given that 3D have been around for decades and it is still a niche concept for movie theater meduim, 3D might also go the same route for TV medium.

[bobsticks]

will this finally be the nail in the coffin for the the theater, or will home 3D just never replace the whole 'going to the movies'?

I've heard that 3D will be a major area of tech push for the studios but I'm going to agree with Smokey. Until we move towards holography I suspect 3D will remain a niche product...getting grown adults to consistently wear them goofy-azz glasses is a hard sell...

[Sir Terrence the Terrible]

I've heard that 3D will be a major area of tech push for the studios but I'm going to agree with Smokey. Until we move towards holography I suspect 3D will remain a niche product...getting grown adults to consistently wear them goofy-azz glasses is a hard sell...

If you buzz around the AV sites, folks are really looking forward to 3D in the home. Remember, it is us guys that convince other grown adults to buy into Blu ray, and then 3D Blu ray.

I don't really think it will be that hard to get adults to wear them goofy-azz glasses. They had no problem getting them to wear them watching Avatar in 3D.

[Sir Terrence the Terrible]

Given that 3D have been around for decades and it is still a niche concept for movie theater meduim, 3D might also go the same route for TV medium.

This is not the same 3D as the past, you have to remember that. For movies, I think it is a boon, for TV, that I don't know about.

[Sir Terrence the Terrible]

will this finally be the nail in the coffin for the the theater, or will home 3D just never replace the whole 'going to the movies'?

No, the theater still has a trump card that will probably never reach the home. It is called Ionsonic 3D sound.

[nightflier]

What will be required on the hardware side to get 3D sound to match the 3D video? I imagine it would be pretty irritating to hear an arrow/plane/helicopter wizzing behind, but to see the thing in front of you or off in a different direction.

[pixelthis]

If you buzz around the AV sites, folks are really looking forward to 3D in the home. Remember, it is us guys that convince other grown adults to buy into Blu ray, and then 3D Blu ray.

I don't really think it will be that hard to get adults to wear them goofy-azz glasses. They had no problem getting them to wear them watching Avatar in 3D.

The headaches will not be so easy a sell, however.
Its a push to run 3D in a two hour+ movie, for the marathon TV watching most Americans
do (eight hours a day, on average) something will have to give, most likely.

[Sir Terrence the Terrible]

What will be required on the hardware side to get 3D sound to match the 3D video? I imagine it would be pretty irritating to hear an arrow/plane/helicopter wizzing behind, but to see the thing in front of you or off in a different direction.

Meh, we have gotten pretty good at mixing audio for 3D. However, Sony, Warner, Universal, and Paramount will probably have to give up the practice of dumping theater mixes directly on to disc. These mixes are not optimized for the home environment, and you will occasionally find a panning mistakes, and a soundstage that is too wide for hometheater size screens. .

At Disney, we do not use theater mixes for our home movies. The soundtracks for our DVD's and Blu rays have been optimized for smaller rooms, and are re-mixed in a hometheater size studio(mine).

I just instituded a new workflow practice for our 3D mixes. Instead of doing re-recording(soundtrack creations and finalization) in a large dubbing stage, we are going to start mixing 3D movie soundtracks in smaller studios FIRST, and then go to the dubbing stage to tweak that mix for theatrical presentation. It makes it easier to create a single mix that just needs to be tweak for each environment instead of going back to the original stems to create a hometheater mix optimized for the home.

[pixelthis]

Tried it in the fifties.
DUD.
The eighties, with "shutter" glasses and polarized glassed.
DUD.
And now, with tech that looks suspicously like the shutter glasses of the eighties.
I have seen 3D crash and burn more than a third world airline.
Excuse me iffen I am skeptical.
Brain damage is a hard sell.

[pixelthis]

AND TALKY will say "this is different".
YEAH...RIGHT.
Been there, done that, GOT THE TEE SHIRT.
I have enough "3D " from the slight effect you get from HD.

[Sir Terrence the Terrible]

The headaches will not be so easy a sell, however.
Its a push to run 3D in a two hour+ movie, for the marathon TV watching most Americans
do (eight hours a day, on average) something will have to give, most likely.

Over time I am sure some Manufacturer will come up with a way to do 3D sans the glasses that works within the spec of Blu ray 3D. The earliest attempts at doing this may free you of the glasses, but it requires your head to remain in a vice like single position, or the effect just turns into a blur.

Funny, the folks that reported they got headaches from the red/blue system, are now saying the new system does NOT give them head aches.

[Sir Terrence the Terrible]

Tried it in the fifties.
DUD.
The eighties, with "shutter" glasses and polarized glassed.
DUD.
And now, with tech that looks suspicously like the shutter glasses of the eighties.
I have seen 3D crash and burn more than a third world airline.
Excuse me iffen I am skeptical.
Brain damage is a hard sell.

Pix, don't be such a simpleton. All of the examples you stated come from film based projection systems complete with film judder. This new system uses digital files stored on a disc drive, and it is not subject to judder, which is the primary reason why folks got head aches. Another issue with the film based system was the lack of frame lock to keep the system in sync at all times. Digital projection and meta data have taken care of this issue as well. Another reason for the failure of previous 3D attemps lies solely with how directors of the time used the technology. Too many "in your face" effects, and the whole presentation just gets gimmicky. Now they are using the technology to create "deeper" more emmersive images that pull us in, not jut out at us.

Sometimes a situation requires some critical thinking and analysis. I know these are F graded subjects for you, so I guess I should consider the source.

[E-Stat]

Tried it in the fifties.
DUD.
The eighties, with "shutter" glasses and polarized glassed.
DUD.
And now, with tech that looks suspicously like the shutter glasses of the eighties.

For me, Avatar changed all of that. Yes, there will still be some gimicky stuff-flying-in-your-face films, but the ideal realized can be very good indeed. The previews to the upcoming Pirahna 3D create a very artificial you-know-you're-watching-3D as opposed to simply adding realism capability as evidenced by Avatar. I think it definitely has merit.

rw

[E-Stat]

It makes it easier to create a single mix that just needs to be tweak for each environment instead of going back to the original stems to create a hometheater mix optimized for the home.

Kewl. Less unnecessary fiddling usually results in a better product.

rw

[Smokey]

Over time I am sure some Manufacturer will come up with a way to do 3D sans the glasses that works within the spec of Blu ray 3D. The earliest attempts at doing this may free you of the glasses, but it requires your head to remain in a vice like single position, or the effect just turns into a blur.

Thanks for comments, but one question though...

For home 3D with glasses, can one wear glasses and do other choir like reading magazine or look at computer monitor (without distortion) while looking at 3D movie?

As oppose to theater enviroment, there are alot of distraction in home viewing habits. Me for example, like to watch Tv while while surfing the net (multitasking ).

[Sir Terrence the Terrible]

Thanks for comments, but one question though...

For home 3D with glasses, can one wear glasses and do other choir like reading magazine or look at computer monitor (without distortion) while looking at 3D movie?

As oppose to theater enviroment, there are alot of distraction in home viewing habits. Me for example, like to watch Tv while while surfing the net (multitasking ).

Damn it Smoke, you should be paying attention to the ding dang movie!!!! If you split the brain in this fashion, it will not have enough processing power to do both things effectively.(just kidding)

You probably could wear them while surfing the net, but it will make things a little darker because of the film over the lenses. I put my glasses on at the movies before the 3D usually starts, and the only effect it has is to darken the picture a bit.

[bobsticks]

I would be interested to see the demo breakdowns on preferences of those who wear traditional or reading glasses versus those who don't.

[Sir Terrence the Terrible]

I would be interested to see the demo breakdowns on preferences of those who wear traditional or reading glasses versus those who don't.

When we did testing on the technology at Disney, we chose a wide variety of glasses and non glasses wearing folks. Folks who wore reading glasses could remove them because reading glasses are mostly magnification glasses(like I wear). Those wearing them to correct something like near or far sightedness or other sight challenges were kind of a mixed result. Those that didn't wear glasses found no problems with 3D.

Most near and far sighted folks found no problems. But those who had problems focusing because of unnatural movements of the eye. had tremendous problems with 3D. If your eyes had trouble locking in on centrally focused objects, you are going to have problems with 3D.

This is what we found in our demo's.

[bobsticks]

Well chit, we're already behind yet again in the tech wars...

http://www.engadget.com/2010/02/11/avatar-available-to-watch-in-4d-but-only-in-korea/?icid=main|hp-laptop|dl8|link5|http%3A%2F%2Fwww.engadget.com%2F2 010%2F02%2F11%2Favatar-available-to-watch-in-4d-but-only-in-korea%2F

I bet that little sock-puppet dictator has something to do with this...

[Sir Terrence the Terrible]

Well chit, we're already behind yet again in the tech wars...

http://www.engadget.com/2010/02/11/avatar-available-to-watch-in-4d-but-only-in-korea/?icid=main|hp-laptop|dl8|link5|http%3A%2F%2Fwww.engadget.com%2F2 010%2F02%2F11%2Favatar-available-to-watch-in-4d-but-only-in-korea%2F

I bet that little sock-puppet dictator has something to do with this...

Sticks,
It is in SOUTH Korea, the North couldn't afford a bag of M&M's

This sounds cool though. I would love to experience Avatar this way!

[Woochifer]

I've heard that 3D will be a major area of tech push for the studios but I'm going to agree with Smokey. Until we move towards holography I suspect 3D will remain a niche product...getting grown adults to consistently wear them goofy-azz glasses is a hard sell...

Over 75% of the tickets sold for Avatar have been for the 3D screenings. The box office returns over the last few years prove that 3D has evolved beyond niche status. It's not a hard sell if moviegoers are already choosing the 3D screenings when given a choice. If anything, the move to 3D TV simply follows where the market demand has gone.

[pixelthis]

Grimmick.
NOT ready for prime time.
There is something that screams unnatural to the human (and talkys) brain.
Got a looonnng way to go before you can fool the most advanced thinking machine on the planet.

[Feanor]

Grimmick.
NOT ready for prime time.
There is something that screams unnatural to the human (and talkys) brain.
Got a looonnng way to go before you can fool the most advanced thinking machine on the planet.

May not a gimmick given the new technology; I enjoyed it during Avatar in the big screen, (and I wear glasses all the times so having to put on the 3Ds wasn't such a big imposition).

But I don't see it coming to the small screen near me anytime soon. Afterall, I'm still working to get an HDTV, then a BRP, nevermind the 3D versions. When the latter will hit the streets they will be price to skim the affluent (or stupid) first adopters. Speaking for poor people everywhere, I'm weary being made to constantly feel deprived and inferior because I can't afford the latest/greatest.