3-D Will Save Marriages

While I would likely never see Beowulf or Journey to the Center of the Earth in its average 2-D form, I just can’t help myself from putting on those glasses and enjoying “stuff jumping out at me.”

That’s why when the opportunity arose to visit my old stomping grounds at USC to explore the Entertainment Technology Center’s (ETC) open house where it was showcasing its 3-D lab, I couldn’t have been more excited.

The ETC’s CEO and executive director David Wertheimer showed me around the facility (which earned extra points immediately with the vast array of Girl Scout Cookies it had provided for visitors). As I entered a quasi-screening room with several screens playing different films and shows, I went into visual overload. There were different types of 3-D glasses near each screen which visitors could put on to sample the different 3-D media offerings. I didn’t realize that depending on how the 3-D media was shot and projected, you needed different glasses. I tried on everything from old-school versions with the red and blue eyes to heavy-duty ones that felt more like protective gear.

After taking a look at a 3-D football game, I quickly realized that this could save marriages. I don’t know a touchdown from a hockey puck, but I was completely blown away by the clarity of what I was seeing. It actually made a sports-averse gal like myself want to crack open a beer and watch a full game, overtime and all. Let’s put it this way, I’d take Monday night football in 3-D over Gossip Girl any day.

Wertheimer let me demo a new technology in the works known as an autostereoscopic display that enables 3-D viewing without wearing glasses. I viewed some of the 3-D Miley Cyrus concert on a small screen; he had me bend down and position my head at a certain angle. I wasn’t sure if it was Miley Cyrus that was making me nauseous, or the awkward positioning, but I could not stand to watch it for more than a minute. While it would be amazing to have stuff jump out at me sans eyewear, I’m fine sticking with glasses until this technology is perfected.

After the tour, I was able to sit down with Wertheimer where he discussed a 3-D HD standard for Blu-ray, when consumers will be getting 3-D in their living room and more. Check out the video below. 

Q&A: David Wertheimer, CEO/Executive Director, Entertainment Technology Center @ USC from Broadcasting & Cable on Vimeo.