Looks as though the 3D content drought may be about to end, as broadcasters Sky have today announced that their 3D TV channel will officially launch on October 1st of this year.
Those with a 3D ready TV, Sky+HD and top channel subscription package will be able to enjoy the new 3D-only channel at no extra cost. The channel will offer a range of programme types, from sport to Hollywood movies.
The intial line-up includes coverage of both the Ryder Cup golf tournament and Premier League football, as well the 3D movies Bolt and Monsters Vs. Aliens. By Christmas, this will expand to include My Bloody Valentine, Alice in Wonderland, Ice Age - Dawn of the Dinosaurs, Coraline, Fly Me To The Moon and Harry Potter & The Half Blood Prince.
Jeremy Darroch, Sky's Chief Executive, said: "As with High Definition, 3D is set to transform the way TV is enjoyed in homes nationwide. Following hot on the heels of the success of 3D cinema, Sky customers will now be the first anywhere in Europe to experience 3D TV from the comfort of their living rooms. They can look forward to a fantastic mix of live sport, blockbuster movies, and innovative entertainment and arts shows."
Panasonic have unveiled their Viera RT2B 3D TV, an "all-in-one" set that includes a built-in 3D Blu-ray player and HDD recorder.
While people are still only taking tentative steps towards widespread adoption of 3D tech, Panasonic seem to have the right idea here. Priced definitely at the higher end of the market (around £3,500 when converted from Yen), it'll allow people access to 3D content straight out of the box, providing they snap up a 3D Blu-ray disc to go with it.
The HDD and Blu-ray can also combine to make recordable Blu-ray discs from the content you've got stored on the drive.
Available in 46 and 42 inch sizes, the Viera RT2B 3D TV goes on sale in Japan on August 27th. We'll keep you posted if Panasonic decide to bring it over to UK shores, which we very much hope they do.
I have to admit to being a little bit sceptical about the need for another Toy Story film when it was first announced a year or so ago. The first two films are, in my opinion, classics, capturing all the imagination of childhood, full of lovingly realised characters and friendships, not to mention some hysterical gags.
But after the beautiful and, dare I say, challenging Up and Wall-E, I couldn't believe that Pixar re-visiting our old plastic friends could lead to anything more than an enjoyable, if unnecessary nostalgia trip. Pixar had grown up, and were confidently covering some quite difficult subject matter in their more recent films. What else could be done with the Toy Story crew, other than milk the cash cow by slapping a 3D suffix to the title?
Well, forgive me Pixar, for I had too little faith; Toy Story 3 is a stunning tale, every bit the equal of both its predecessors and Wall-E and Up.
A long time has passed since the events of Toy Story 2, and Woody Buzz and co are feeling a bit neglected. As their owner Andy has become a teenager, they've been left sitting in the toy box, whilst friends like Bo Peep and Wheezy have either been donated to charity or simply thrown away. Andy's off to college, growing up, and growing out of love with his toys. He decides to take Woody along for the ride, but pack the other toys up in the attic, which they resignedly accept as a sort of retirement period.
However, a mix-up sees the gang left out as trash, a betrayal Andy would never have intended, and a quick-witted Woody thinks fast, sending his pals off to the SunnySide daycare centre instead. While Buzz and co are initially thrilled to be played with again, all is not what it seems at SunnySide, and it's soon down to Woody to help get the gang home again.
It's a rip-roaring adventure, every bit as imaginative as previous entries into the series. Again the Pixar team have mined memories of childhood to great effect, pulling together a hilarious cast of recognisable childhood toys, wonderfully animated, and playfully poking against our expectations of each character.
Mr Potato Head, Hamm the moneybox and Buzz Lightyear still get big laughs, but the funniest scenes are reserved for newcomers the Ken and Barbie dolls. The too-cool-yet-sickly-sweet pair have a fiery, hilarious romance in the film, and Ken's camp and oh-so-misunderstood outlook on fashion and life are superbly written.
But for all the humour on show, Toy Story 3 will be best remembered for its heart. It's truly touching, and downright sad at some points. The toys are coming to terms with the loss of their owner and best friend, moving on from relationships and dealing with the grief of losing their pals. It's never patronising, and some of the finer points may go straight other a younger audiences head, but it goes pretty deep for a children's film. A 15-minute sequence at the end of the film is one of the most suspenseful, intense and heart-wrenching scenes you are ever likely to watch. I defy you not to cry, or to at least scream "nooooooooooooooooo!" out load at one particularly magnificent moment.
This being a tech-blog after all, I'll give a quick review of the 3D tech on show during my screening of the film. We were lucky enough to catch Toy Story 3 in a 3D RealD showing on a Sony 4K screen at the Apollo Cinema on London's Regent Street. RealD screenings on 4K screens have a few significant differences compared to the technology used in other 3D cinemas. Sony's kit projects two images to both eyes simultaneously, rather than high-speed alternating left and right images for each eye used elsewhere. It makes for a far more comfortable viewing experience, and those who have suffered from 3D-induced headaches in the past should seek out a similar screening near them. The 4K display itself is also far sharper than other cinema screens I've seen, though the necessity for 3D glasses throughout still remains an issue, with brightness levels suffering once they are over your eyes.
As for the 3D effects on show in Toy Story 3, apart from a few notable scenes, it's yet another film that hasn't quite managed to capture the sense of depth and movement as well as Avatar did. I wouldn't be too upset if you can't catch a 3D screening of the film, as thankfully the story itself is excellent either way.
A masterfully told adventure, full of belly laughs and some of the most touching scenes you're likely to ever see in a film, I can't recommend Toy Story 3 highly enough. For a kids flick, this will be as emotionally resonant with adults as it will be entertaining for the starry-eyed children its aimed at.
5/5
Toy Story 3 hits cinemas nationwide on 19th July 2010.
It's been dubbed as a televisual revolution, the year when 3D tech bursts out of cinemas and into living rooms. If there was one nation of early adopters you'd have banked on jumping head-first into the 3D fray, it'd be the tech-savvy consumers of Japan, right?
Wrong. It appears that the Land of the Rising Sun still cant see what the third-dimensional fuss is all about.
A survey of 8, 957 Japanese consumers found that nearly 70% of those questioned had "no plans" to purchase a 3D TV. That's not a bad number for a sample pool really, which must send chills down the spines of Samsung and Sony execs.
So what was the reasoning behind the 70 percent's indifference? For 70% of the, er, 70% it came down to not wanting to wear silly 3D glasses, while the remaining 30% were put off by the high asking price of 3D technology. Pretty much the same reasons as everyone else's around the world then!
Still, if 30% of Japanese consumers all went out and bought a 3D TV, that'd be quite the success story. But that's not going to happen anytime soon really, is it?
Hailed as the best thing since sliced bread, it's been hard to avoid the buzz generated around 3D TVs over the last 18 months. However, it appears, so far at least, that the massive promotional push behind 3D TV has only resulted in modest sales in Europe.
Retail analyst GfK have revealed that a mere 25,000 3D-capable TV screens were sold across Europe in the first month of their availability.
Despite "almost every notable manufacturer " carrying a £D set of some description, it still hasn't caught the imagination of the public beyond the odd trip to the cinema it would appear. Internet TV however seems to be faring a little better, with 90% of 120 electronics retailers stating that their customers are excited by the prospect of web-connected television.
We're guessing the high-premium to grab a 3D set and the relative lack of 3D content out there yet is still a big hurdle for consumers to jump. But considering some 250 million TVs are expected to be sold this year, it's not the healthiest of starts for the fledgling technology.
Get ready; as of tomorrow, Sony's 3D bombardment will begin, as their brand-spanking new range of 3D-capable Bravia TVs hit stores.
The KDL-HX803 is their first 3D TV set out of the starting blocks. Using active shutter technology and a separate 3D transmitter, the 1080p, 200Hz screen will be in shops tomorrow. Available in 40 and 46 inch sizes, the KDL-HX803 also features a built-in Freeview HD tuner and Sony's Bravia internet service to access catch-up TV and YouTube, among others.
Hold out until July though and you'll be able to pick up Sony's flagship KDL-LX903 TV, which will be fully 3D out of the box thanks to an inbuilt 3D transmitter, as well as shipping with two pairs of 3D glasses.
Sony are also prepping plenty of new 3D content to go along with the screens, from 3D games, to concerts and movies.
Blu-ray players will also be getting 3D tech in the BDV-S470 and BD-S570 models, as well as the BDV-E370 and BDV-E870 home cinema kits.
Sharp's range of Quattron 3D TVs have been unveiled. Taking in the same four pixel colour technology as seen in the standard Quattron range (which adds a yellow sub-pixel to the red, green and blue of traditional TVs), the 3D TVs are set to launch in Asian territories in July.
Four sizes will be available at the launch of the LV series of 3D TVs, sized up at 40, 46, 52 and a whopping 60 inches. Each 3.9 cm thick LED backlit screen will require AN-3DG10 glasses to view 3D content, which will be available in silver, red or blue. Though a pair will be supplied with the TV, they will also be available separately for around £75.
There's an interesting function thrown in that also allows you to convert 3D content to 2D. A little strange you may think for anyone who has splashed the cash on impressive 3D tech, but once 3D broadcasts become the norm it may prove a godsend in a house full of TV watchers with only two pairs of glasses between them.
The 3D Quattron TVs will this time also feature networking capabilities, missing from the 2D sets, with the introduction of Wi-Fi support and USB hard-drive recording.
Sharp also unveiled two new 3D Blu-ray players to complement the TVs. The Sharp Aquos BD-HDW700 and BD-HDW70 will come with 2TB and 1TB hard drives respectively. Fully networked, they will also deliver content wirelessly to any other Sharp Aquos TV set you may have in the house.
No news yet on when these TVs will hit the UK, but we've been assured that the line is set to go global. We'll update you when we learn anything new.
Sky are lining up a big day of 3D sporting coverage this Saturday 21st May, with three major finals getting a 3D makeover.
Kicking of the 3D hat-trick is the Championship play-off final between Blackpool and Cardiff City at 2pm.
This is then followed by the Heineken Cup Final between Biarritz and Toulouse at 4pm, and lastly the Champions League Final between Bayern Munich and Inter Milan at 6pm.
Sky have been showing 3D sport in pubs since January, using LG screens and polarised 3D. Sky are looking to roll out a 3D channel to their satellite subscribers before the end of the year.
If you fancy checking out the above games in 3D, head over to http://www.sky.com/3dpubs to find your nearest 3d showing.
Sanyoare to add a brand new model to their range of short-throw, short-focus projectors, the PDG-DWL2500J. Not content with being able to produce images as large as 110 inches across, Sanyo's latest light box can produce 3D images too.
That short-throw technology is pretty impressive on its own merit too, producing 3D visuals from a distance a little as 2.4 centimetres.
In terms of connectivity, the projector features a HDMI port and Ethernet socket alongside a 10watt speaker, while the bulb throws out 16:10 aspect ratio images with 2,500 lumens of brightness. The resolution is a bit of a let down though, only at WXGA natively.
It'll cost a pretty penny when it launches next month in Japan for 450,000 Yen (£3,295 circa), but home cinema enthusiasts are probably looking at a glimpse of the future here.
Microsoft and LGare preparing to team up to bring 3D gaming to the Xbox 360. Microsoft have been until now very quiet about 3D gaming on the Xbox 360, but this new partnership now confirms that they aim to face Sony's proposed 3D challenge head-on.
The "strategic partnership" will see Xbox 360 consoles and games bundled with LG 3D TVs. The first bundle scheduled for release will include the LX5900 3D TV.
The bundles will be made available exclusively in Korea to begin with. But with 3D TV sales expected to be big business this year, you can bet on similar deals rolling out worldwide eventually.
So what do you hope for from the Xbox 360's 3D offerings? A bit of Gears of War 3, 3D? Or maybe even updates to add 3D compatibility to older titles? Let us know!
Who needs a 3D TV when you can bag yourself a 3D projector for around half the price? That's what ViewSonic's PJD6531W 3D ready projector offers. It's out this month and comes in at a cheap £649.99.
So what's to get excited about here? Other than the price tag and the 3D capabilities via a firmware update later in the year, this short throw projector can produce widescreen images up to 60 inches across from a distance of just 1.9 metres.
Images are beamed with 3,000 lumens of brightness, which means day-time viewing shouldn't be half bad. An eco-mode will also save the bulbs life expectancy, promising 6,000 hours of constant usage. There is also a HDMI input and PC display inputs, making it handy for gaming, Blu-ray viewing and presentations alike.
If there's one shortcoming however it's that the images have a max resolution of 1280x800 WXGA 720p, rather than the superior 1080p. If that isn't a problem for you however, this projector is definitely worth getting in for the World Cup.
3D TV manufacturers may have come to an agreement over a standard 3D Blu-ray format, but the same sadly cant be said of their 3D glasses tech. If you're lucky enough to be an early adopter of either Samsung or Panasonic 3D TV sets, you'll be annoyed to find your glasses aren't compatible with the other brand's screens.
Or at least not compatible wearing them the conventional way round. Pop your glasses on upside down and you may be surprised to find that Panasonic glasses work with Samsung screens and vice versa!
The thinking behind the fix from Home Cinema Choice is actually very simple: both manufacturer's glasses use polarising lenses, but both chose to put them into the frames the opposite way round.
"I successfully enjoyed 3DTV on a Panasonic model with upside-down Samsung glasses, and vice versa," said HCC's Steve May.
"Admittedly it wasn't a very comfortable experience, and you do look stupider than normal trying it, but heck, this is what we've all been reduced to..."
A common standard for active shutter 3D glasses is said to be on the way. Might be worth holding out for that to be set in stone before splashing out on a 3D TV, or face looking like a Star Wars extra when watching a rival brand's telly.
3D TVs are all well and good, but we all secretly know that they'll be a lot more attractive if we didn't have to wear silly glasses for it to work properly.
Enter Toshiba's Mobile Display team. They've been working away at a 21-inch glasses-free auto-stereoscopic 3D TV.
While 3D glasses are annoying, auto-stereoscopic screens bring with them their own problems. Eye-fatigue is an issue when watching 3D TVs without glasses, but Toshiba believe they've figured out a work-around for their 1280x800 resolution screen. By adding a lens sheet to scale back the luminance intensity and a "multi-parallax approach" to smooth images and widen the viewing angle, Toshiba Mobile Display hope that it's safe enough for extended viewing.
Very much still in the testing stages this one, with no price or consumer release date set. It remains however a mouth watering glimpse at the future of 3D TVs.
Samsung are said to be considering developing a new line of TVs that would run Google's Android OS.
After successfully launching their brand new range of 3D TVs, which have completely sold out in the company's home territory of Korea, the Korean Herald is now reporting that an unidentified Samsung executive has said that: "we are considering Google TVs. We are examining the business feasibility of Google TVs."
Sony have suggested similar plans, with another Samsung executive suggesting if Sony's Android screens came into production and proved successful that their own hand would then be forced.
A TV running Android throws up some very interesting possibilities. Internet connected, users would likely have access to a large range of Android Marketplace apps and web content. However, Samsung already have their own internet-connected TV platform, Internet@TV, a very capable system in its own right.
Samsung have already in the past showed interest in the potential of mobile platforms making the jump to the big screen. Samsung's vice president Kim Kyeong-hyun has previously said that he believes "(Apple and Google) will help expand the TV market."
Sony has officially unveiled the HX803 3D TV set, revealing that it will come bundled with 3D PlayStation 3 games. It's part of their 3D launch range alongside the LX903, which will be available before the start of the 2010 World Cup, which Sony is to film in 3D.
Alongside the stereoscopic PlayStation games, Sony also revealed some bundles would include "exclusive 3D Blu-ray disc movies with selected Sony 3DTVs and Blu-ray players".
Both TVs use active 3D glasses, which don't come cheap, so you're going to have to fork out for a couple of pairs if you plan on watching with a gang of friends. Also, while the LX903 has a 3D transmitter pre-installed, the HX803's is a separate unit.
"Built upon Sony's very latest 200Hz high frame rate technology that allows viewers to see 3D in full High Definition 1080p fidelity, the High Definition 3D image is further enhanced with the inclusion of 'High Speed Precision, 'LED Boost' and '3D up conversion', three technologies unique to Sony and designed to make the 3D image even clearer and brighter and the 3D experience even more exciting," said Sony's release.
Still, the inclusion of 3D PS3 games is very interesting indeed, as, as far as I'm aware, there have been no games shown so far built specifically with 3D in mind.
Sharp have just entered the 3D TV playing-field, announcing that they are to launch a range of 3D compatible screens in Japan this summer.
China, the United States and Europe will also be getting the Sharp screens later in the year, so UK readers can pop one of these onto their 2010 Christmas lists if they like.
Sharp is the fourth-largest TV manufacturer in the world, just behind Samsung, Sony and LG.
The 3D race is really picking up now. There are already Panasonic and Samsung 3D TVs available, with Sony's 3D TV launch just over the horizon in June. While it's yet to be seen whether or not 3D TVs popularity will match the industry push behind the technology, services like Sky's 3D TV channel will help deliver the quality content that the format greatly needs if it is to convert the masses.
According to DisplaySearch, 2.5 million 3D TVs will be sold this year. While that may not sound like a huge amount, DisplaySearch expect rapid growth in the sector, with as many as 27 million units sold in 2013.
FIFA and Sony today revealed their 3D broadcasting plans for this summer's 2010 World Cup Finals in South Africa.
However, English fans have been left out in the cold, with no group stage fixtures for England making the jump to 3D, nor any TV broadcasting schedule announced. Instead we'll have to hope England get through to the knock-out stages to see Rooney and co. in the third dimension. But even then we'll have to hunt out a cinema projecting the game in 3D, as Sky's 3D channel will not be showing the games.
ITV and BBC are the co-rights-holders of the coverage, and so far neither have announced any further plans to broadcast 3D content from the World Cup.
"You might be curious to know why [sic] the selection criteria," said Niclas Ericson, FIFA's director of TV. "It is a very difficult one but the main issue was that we wanted to have a good spread of the matches in terms of matchdays covered.
"We also wanted to make sure that the key games would be in this production schedule such as the opening, the final stage matches and, of course, the final in Soccer City. There were a lot of other reasons such as production reasons and logistics and space.
"Some of you here I'm sure will wonder why...England versus USA is not being used. It's a very hot match on June 12 and [it] is not possible to do it because of the various constraints that we have.
"But we feel you should not despair. England will make it through the final rounds and then we will show that."
Nice try at smoothing things over Ericson, but considering Brazil are getting three 3D group games and Spain, Argentina, Germany, Holland and Nigeria are getting two apiece, it still doesn't seem all that fair.
ou may still be undecided whether or not you're going to invest in a new 3D TV, but it seems that Americans (or at least a select, wealthy few with money to spare) are totally ready for the 3rd dimension. Panasonic have apparently sold out of thier entire first batch of 3D TVs on US soil after just a week.
Despite there still being a lack of 3D content to deliver to these 3D enabled sets, Panasonic had no trouble shifting the screens, glasses and 3D Blu-Ray players, even with a hefty $2,899 (£1,897) price tag for the screen.
Hitoshi Otsuki, Senior Managing Director for Panasonic's overseas operations, said, "It's a great opportunity to turn around our TV business."
Looks set to be a great summer for pub owners. Just think how many of us fancy having a few beers down the local and watching the World Cup? Looks like BskyB have acquired another arrow for the pub quiver, having snapped up 15,000 3D TVs from LG to be installed in drinking holes this Spring.
The idea is to drum up interest in Sky's first 3D TV channel, set for launch sometime around April.
"These partnerships will help consumers become more familiar with 3D TVs and that can only be a positive for the industry and innovation", said?Havis Kwon, executive vice president and head of the LG's LCD division.
Though there is plenty of buzz surrounding 3D TVs at the moment, analysts have predicted a slow start to 3D TV sales. Perhaps this latest wave of televisions has come a little too soon after the HD revolution, with consumers comfortable sticking with their 2D1080p HD sets instead.
With the buzz surrounding 3D TV starting to really pick up, retailers Currys and Harrods have both today announced that they are now beginning to take pre-orders for 3D TV sets.
Both Harrods and Currys will be showcasing the new technology instore, using Sony's Bravia HX903.
As well as 3D compatibility, the HX903's feature list includes an integrated Freeview HD tuner and 200Hz Motionflow blur reduction technology, ranging in screen size from 46 inches up to 60 inches.
Curry's prices for Sony's 3D TV range start at £1,999, presumably for the 46 inch model, with the 52 inch screen coming in at £2,999.
While Harrods have yet to finalise their prices, they expect their 52 inch model to retail at around £2,500.
Click here to visit the Currys homepage, or here for Harrods for more details on their respective offers.
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Looks as though the 3D content drought may be about to end, as broadcasters Sky have today announced that their 3D TV channel will officially launch on October 1st of this year.
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It's been dubbed as a televisual revolution, the year when 3D tech bursts out of cinemas and into living rooms. If there was one nation of early adopters you'd have banked on jumping head-first into the 3D fray, it'd be the tech-savvy consumers of Japan, right?
Who needs a 3D TV when you can bag yourself a 3D projector for around half the price? That's what 
Samsung are said to be considering developing a new line of TVs that would run Google's Android OS.![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=7b83bcae-6184-44fd-a1bb-6ee1cbd60c99)
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ou may still be undecided whether or not you're going to invest in a new 3D TV, but it seems that Americans (or at least a select, wealthy few with money to spare) are totally ready for the 3rd dimension. Panasonic have apparently sold out of thier entire first batch of 3D TVs on US soil after just a week.
Looks set to be a great summer for pub owners. Just think how many of us fancy having a few beers down the local and watching the World Cup? Looks like BskyB have acquired another arrow for the pub quiver, having snapped up 15,000 3D TVs from LG to be installed in drinking holes this Spring.![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=6ab646a9-2bc1-42c4-838a-6f8c5e2f8019)
