Up Close and Personal

“In less than 20 years, anything presented digitally in public forums will be presented in 3-D,” declared Dreamworks Animation CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg at the recent 3-D Media Markets conference produced by analyst firm Paul Kagan and Panasonic. Now, the 3-D movement is hitting home in a big way, as companies scramble to reinvent gadgets equipped with a reach-out-and-touch-me dimension. Here are a few of the latest ones.

3-D Camcorders: We told you about the new Fuji 3-D camera, and it’s no surprise that 3-D camcorders are a fast follow-up. Panasonic’s HDC-SDT750K, the first consumer 3-D camcorder, has a removable conversion lens for a convenient quick-change to 2-D shooting. The 3-D videos can be viewed on any 3-D enabled television. Catering to consumers’ love for all things miniature are the Aiptek 3D-HD and Viewsonic 3DV5, both potential rivals to the Flip. Technology known as “parallel barrier” allows on-screen preview of 3-D images without special glasses, while accompanying software enables viewing on any PC or standard television. Glasses are required for 3-D viewing, but at least viewers now have more comfortable and stylish options than those doled out at the cineplex.

3-D Toys: The future of 3-D may be in viewing it with the naked eye. Debuting early next year, Nintendo’s much-anticipated 3DS handheld 3-D enabled gaming device does just that. Of course, before there were video games, children immersed themselves in other worlds via the View-Master. Hasbro recently introduced My3D, a toy that’s a 21^st century reinvention of the iconic gizmo. The handheld binocular-like device attaches to the iPhone or iPod Touch, whereupon it renders a stereoscopic effect by displaying side-by-side images. As iDevices are many parents’ favorite babysitters, we expect that more than a few will be picking up this toy if it keeps their kid well occupied in the back seat of the car.

3-D Projectors: The large screen projector is coveted by those who value the viewing experience as much as the content itself. Best experienced in large format, 3-D technology now has entered the projector category for the biggest, most in-depth “big picture” yet. The latest releases, introduced at this fall’s CEDIA convention, include Sony’s VPL-VW90ES and three models from JVC launching this month. While they all work with standard projection screens, they do require special active shutter glasses that must be purchased separately. Out next year, and touted as “ultra-quiet,” are Sharp’s XV-Z17000 3D DLP and Mitsubishi’s Diamond 3D 1080P. Projectors aren’t cheap, but at least you can try to earn back your investment by opening an indie theatre in your backyard.