3D Vision Blog

Sony With a Consumer 1080p 3D Projector and 3D Laptops in 2011

Bloody — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 09:54:23 +0000

Sony has just announced its plans to have 3D-capable VAIO laptops available early next year with actual working 16-inch prototypes being available on display during the IFA 2010 trade show that will be open for visitors from September 3rd to 8th in Berlin, Germany. Apparently Sony plans to follow the lead of other companies like Acer, Asus, HP, Toshiba and others that are already offering or plan to also soon introduce mobile 3D-capable solutions with the 3D VAIOs probably available as early as the spring next year. Of course like most other such solutions the 3D VAIO laptops are also using frame sequential high refresh rate LCD screen with LED backlight and a pair of shutter glasses, like the ones available for the 3D BRAVIA Sony HDTVs. The specifications and details are quite vague for the moment, especially considering the fact that we are still talking about a prototype and that the final product may or may not be using different hardware. According to Sony these 3D VAIO laptops are using “200Hz high frame rate technology and LED backlight”, however this does not make it completely clear if the LCD display can actually function at 200Hz (240Hz) refresh rate or it is at 100Hz (120Hz) like on the 3D TVs, but also uses some sort of internal algorithm to interpolate the frames to achieve smoother movement. Apparently Sony is only demonstrating 3D video content and not 3D gaming and this raises a big question, because if this is a completely sony based solution they will also need some sort of additional software in order to convert the 3D games for PC into stereoscopic 3D just like Nvidia does with the 3D Vision, iZ3D’s Driver or the DDD’s TriDef Ignition. But more details will probably become available as we are getting closer to the actual release of the products on the market…

Another interesting 3D-capable product that Sony has announced is a 3D home projector, the Sony VPL-VW90ES, which is capable of projecting Full HD video with a 1080p resolution. Unlike most other projectors that are using DLP technology, this one is using Sony’s Silicon X-tal Reflective Display (SXRD) panel that is also used int he professional 2K and 4K 3D-capable Sony projectors used in movie theaters for example. Details about the projector’s specifications are still not very clear, besides the fact that it will be 1920×1080 native resolution, will offer 150000:1 dynamic contrast, will be also capable of taking 2D video and simulating 3D images (2D to 3D conversion), and very silent with a cooling fan noise of up to 22 Db. It is interesting to also note the fact that the projector will also be using the same active shutter glasses that Sony uses in its line of 3D-capable Bravia HDTVs, so you will have some interoperability if you get a 3D Vaio, 3D Bravia and VPL-VW90ES 3D projector. We can also pretty much assume that this projector will be equipped with HDMI 1.4(a) input, so you will most likely be able to also connect the Sony PS3 and play games in stereo 3D mode. But then again the PC gaming part in stereo 3D leaves a lot of questions, however maybe Nvidia’s 3DTV Play software can be the right answer for people willing to play PC games in stereo 3D with these new 3D-capable Sony products. There is still no word on pricing, but projector should be available in November 2010.

Other things that Sony has announced regarding their 3D-capable products are for example that the firmware update bringing Blu-ray 3D Movie playback to the PlayStation 3 consoles should be available in October, and not in September as previously expected. An upcoming Blu-ray 3D movie release scheduled for international release on September 25th and called “Lang Lang live in Vienna” featuring music by Beethoven, Prokofiev, Albeniz and Chopin played by the world renowned pianist Lang Lang. As well as the fact that Sony is planning to launch a 24/7 3D TV channel in USA early next year showing different 3D content in the form of movies, natural history, children’s programming, space, science, technology etc. As well as the fact that Sony Pictures is working on several 3D movies with “Resident Evil Afterlife” expected to hit the movie theaters very soon with an official premiere in most countries planned for September 10th.

HP ENVY 17 3D a 3D-capable Multimedia Laptop by the End of the Year

Bloody — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 10:26:46 +0000

It is now official as HP has announced their plans to release the HP ENVY 17 3D, a 3D-capable multimedia laptop for the holiday season this year. There were a lot of rumors going on about HP getting a 3D-capable laptop since quite a lot of time, at first for a professional solution, but now we actually get a quite powerful consumer laptop. And if we are lucky enough we may also see the HP 2310g 120Hz LCD monitor too, as apparently HP is finally ready to also jump on the 3D wave.

It is interesting to note the fact that the HP ENVY 17 3D is actually the first 17-inch notebook to support 1080p 3D, meaning Full HD 120Hz screen for gaming and Blu-ray 3D movie playback apparently. But more interesting is the fact that the laptop is based on an ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5850 graphics card and that means no Nvidia 3D Vision, but an alternative solution also based on active shutter glasses. So that can either be some HP solution developed on their own, or more likely the AMD/ATI stereoscopic 3D solution that we’ve been waiting to see for quite some time now. The powerful video card should be backed by a quad-core Intel Core i7 processor, so there should be no problems in using this laptop not only for watching multimedia content in 3D, but also playing games in stereo 3D mode.

Also as a part of HP’s ongoing partnership with the National Basketball Association (NBA), select models of the HP ENVY 17 3D will include some 3D action from the 2010 NBA All-Star Game. Additionally a 3D movie trailer for the upcoming animated film “MEGAMIND” from DreamWorks Animation will be included, which is certainly Ok, but definitely we could use some more 3D video content.

The HP ENVY 17 3D is expected to be available this holiday season with pricing yet to be determined, but considering that the currently available non-3D version of the HP ENVY 17 with similar parameters starts at $1,399.99 USD, the standard configuration of the 3D version of the laptop will most likely be in the range of $1600-$1800 USD.

- To visit the official website for the upcoming HP ENVY 17 3D laptop…

Asus G51JX-3DE Laptop With Integrated IR Transmitter for 3D Vision

Bloody — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 08:10:21 +0000

You can consider this as the next logical step – integrating the infrared transmitter for the 3D Vision shutter glasses inside the frame of the laptop’s screen, so that you will no longer need to carry with you a separate transmitter, just the glasses. And Asus just did that in their updated G51JX-3DE gaming laptop with integrated 120Hz LCD panel that is already starting to hit the market, so you can purchase it even at the moment should you decide you need a 3D capable notebook.

Apart for the integration of the Nvidia IR transmitter for the active shutter glasses there are not a lot of changes as compared to the previous versions of the G51 series with 3D capabilities. In this 15.6-Inch laptop you get a 1366×768 LED-backlit 120Hz LCD display, Intel i7-720QM Quad-Core processor at 1.6 GHz with Turbo Boost up to 2.8 GHz, Nvidia 360M GTS graphic card with 1GB DDR5 video memory, 500GB 7200RPM hard drive, Blu-Ray Combo Drive which can be used for Blu-ray 3D movies playback with the right software player, 6GB DDR3 1066MHz system memory along with Windows Home Premium 64-bit Operating System.

The good news is that Asus won’t be the first and only one to integrate the IR transmitter inside the laptop, others will do the same and there is some information going around that Acer will very soon also have a new 3D-capable 3D Vision laptop with integrated IR transmitter too, but we’ll have to wait and see if it turns out true.

- The Asus G51JX-3DE 3D-capable laptop is currently available with a price of $1,686.99 USD…

iZ3D Will Stop Producing 3D Hardware and Focus on the 3D Software

Bloody — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 20:28:23 +0000

It seems that iZ3D has decided to phase out of their 3D hardware business and this means that they are going to cease selling iZ3D monitors and instead from now on will focus on the development of their 3D driver that will work with hardware from other vendors. Of course all owners of iZ3D displays do not need to worry as the support for the monitors will still continue to be available in the drivers in the future too. More details about that are available on iZ3D’s official blog post published today that is available here.

Meanwhile the company has made available a second release candidate (RC2) of their 3D driver version 1.11 with some fixes and improvements like for example the new ColorCode anaglyph output support and improved performance on Nvidia-based GPUs. The new iZ3D version 1.11 RC2 driver is available for download here.

As we know iZ3D is one of the software partners for the upcoming stereoscopic 3D support with shutter glasses produced by BitCauldron and compatible with ATI GPUs and working with 120Hz LCD monitors currently a territory reserved only for Nvidia’s 3D Vision. And while there is still no official word on when the complete solution will be available from ATI or actually AMD and their partners, we are already seeing some hints coming from iZ3D. Like for example the dedicated page with details about MSI All-in-One 3D PC that uses ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5730 video card and the apparently new and still kind of mysterious 120Hz Viewsonic 3D LCD Display that should work with both AMD (ATI) and Nvidia-based GPUs.

Panasonic DMC-GH1 Custom Stereoscopic 3D Rig Collaboration Effort

Bloody — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 14:06:54 +0000

There is a collaborative project currently going on with the idea to build a custom stereoscopic 3D rig using two Panasonic GH1 cameras, hacked to use the with the amazing custom GH13 firmware hack over at the dvxuser forum. The Panasonic DMC-GH1 is a 12.1-megapixel micro four thirds digital camera with intercangeable lenses that can not only make high-quality photos, but also be used for recording Full HD 1080/24p or HD 720/60p videos with continuous autofocus. And with the help of the custom GH13 firmware hack the full potential of the camera can be realized, so in the end these cameras seem to be a very good choice for capturing high-quality Full HD stereoscopic 3D videos. Of course the issue that needs to be worked around in all custom 3D rigs is the proper synchronization between the two cameras and that is one of the main things that should be considered when working with custom solutions that were not designed to work in pairs for stereo 3D shooting.

- You can join the GH1 Custom Stereoscopic 3D Rig Collaboration Effort here…

Exxxtacy Chicago 2010 Coverage with Stereo 3D Photos and Videos (18+)

Bloody — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 13:41:47 +0000

During the weekend of July 16-18, 2010, Chicago played host to the first ever porn star convention in the midwest. The event was called Exxxtacy Chicago with up to a hundred porn stars scheduled to appear with big names like Lexi Belle, Alexis Ford, Asa Akira, and even legend Ron Jeremy. But unlike The Adult Entertainment Expo held in Las Vegas, Exxxtacy Chicago is a fan convention where porn stars pay their own way and setup their own booths to meet their fans and sign autographs. And thanks to the website Hot Girls in 3D you can get a complete coverage of the convention, all presented in 3D of course. There are quite a lot of 3D photos in 2D and different 3D formats as well as some videos in 3D that you can download and enjoy…

- So if interested head on to the Exxxtacy Chicago 2010 Coverage in stereo 3D (18+)…

StarCraft II Patch 1.1 to Bring 3D Vision Support in Mid-September

Bloody — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 11:05:50 +0000

StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty is celebrating its one-month anniversary and Blizzard has announced that the first feature and balance patch for the game should be completed and available by the middle of September. Patch 1.1 will contain a number of improvements including additional mod features, Editor improvements and bug fixes, some custom game improvements, support for NVIDIA’s 3D Vision, and more… And I’m pretty sure that most of you are expecting especially the 3D Vision support part, although StarCraft II already looks quite well in stereo 3D mode with the latest beta 3D Vision drivers. However the official patch 1.1 should fix all of the remaining small things like 2D crosshair along with other HUD elements rendered in 2D and maybe some other glitches that the game has when rendered in stereo 3D mode. So maybe in two weeks time StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty will become an official 3D Vision Ready game title.

- To read all of the available details about the upcoming StarCraft II patch 1.1…

The 3D Vision Video Player Just Got Updated to version 1.6.2

Bloody — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 09:34:20 +0000

It has been a while since the last update for the 3D Vision Video Player was released, but the new version 1.6.2 brings some new features along with improvements and fixes, so you should update it now. Among the more interesting new features is the addition of support for MXF files of Digital Cinema Packages and the JPEG2000 video decoder, along with support for 3D Vision Surround mode. Of course when in 3D Vision Surround mode the video gets played on the center screen only and not stretched to all screens, unless maybe if it is with wide enough resolution, however this is better than the player just crashing as it did in the older versions when using Surround setups. You can see the full lists of changes in the new 3D Vision Video Player version 1.6.2 on the official download page linked below.

- To download the latest Nvidia 3D Vision Video Player version 1.6.2…

Roxio Creator 2011 With Support for Stereo 3D Multimedia Content

Bloody — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 14:08:58 +0000

Roxio has released their Creator 2011 software suite claiming it to be the world’s first digital media suite to offer a comprehensive feature set for capturing, editing, creating, and sharing personal 3D photos and 3D videos. Of course the software is targeted to non-professional users that just want to quickly and easily create 3D videos from existing 2D or new 3D photos and videos they’ve shot themselves and is not intended as a replacement for a full-fledged professional solution for working with 3D content.

Roxio Creator 2011 makes it easier for enthusiasts and beginners to immediately add a dynamic new dimension to family memories by allowing users to convert standard 2D digital photos and home videos into 3D content (2D to 3D conversion for photos and video), so they may generate immersive, personalized 3D multimedia productions from their existing 2D digital media libraries. Roxio Creator 2011 also supports emerging 3D formats such as side-by-side, over-under, anaglyph, and dual stream as well as 3D-enabled capture devices, computers, HDTVs, and accessories. Consumers may import stereoscopic content directly from 3D cameras such as the Fuji W1 and other capture devices and then create personalized 3D productions complete with transitions, titles, effects, and a sound track that can be viewed on the PC, enjoyed on a 3D-enabled HDTV, or posted and shared via YouTube.

You will be able to begin experimenting with the 3D capabilities of the software out-of-the-box by even using using your existing 2D content, standard computer system and monitor, along with the anaglyph red-cyan glasses that included in the retail package. Roxio has also collaborated with leading technology firms driving 3D such as ATI to offer ATI Stream support, NVIDIA for CUDA GPU acceleration, and RealD and others in order to ensure Creator 2011 is fully compatible with the latest 3D-enabled cameras, systems, displays, technologies, and formats, as well as a full-range of accessories including 3D glasses. And for those seeking more information about working with 3D content the built-in Learning Center includes dozens of video tutorials and step-by-step instructional guides, including detailed information on how to get the best results when working with 3D content.

Unfortunately at this point you will not be able to use 3D Vision to preview the video in stereo 3D format while editing, but you can do pretty well using the anaglyph format and then just export the finished video file into a suitable format that you can open with the 3D Vision Video player for example Side by Side and you can enjoy it with best quality. The 3D video input formats supported ate: over/under full and half height, side-by-side full and half width, anaglyph red/cyan, RealD and Fuji FinePix REAL 3D’s dual stream and the 3D video output formats supported are: anaglyph red/cyan, side-by-side and full and half-width, over/under full and half height and RealD. You will also be able to export the 3D videos to a some sort of 3D-capable optical discs, but as mentioned already no Blu-ray 3D authoring is available even in the Pro version.

Roxio Creator 2011 is already available as a digital download for $99.99 USD and will be introduced early next month in retail stores worldwide. Roxio Creator 2011 Pro, priced at $129.99 USD, also includes the Blu-ray Disc authoring capability plus some additional applications (not Blu-ray 3D however) on top of the features available in the standard version of the software. Now when is that Blu-ray 3D video player coming out…?

- For more information about Roxio Creator 2011 with stereoscopic 3D support…

Getting Ready To Play Mafia II in Stereoscopic 3D Mode

Bloody — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 19:48:58 +0000

While waiting for the game Mafia II to arrive very soon I took the time to make sure that the Green Reactor 3D Test PC using water cooling for the processor and the video card(s) is ready to take on the challenge head on. The system now has two GTX 480 video cards working together in SLI, of course water cooled as well as the CPU in order to ensure quiet operation and very high performance… plus some overclocking of course. The good news is that the two 480s are enough to handle the game in 1920×1080 resolution, with maximum details, AA enabled, PhysX set to High and in stereo 3D mode on top of all that with an average framerate of a bit over 30 fps at any time according to the benchmark available in the demo. That is of course with the Core i5 750 CPU running on default frequency along with the two GTX 480s also running on default frequencies, and with a bit of overclocking for all of them like 4 GHz for the CPU and 840 MHz for the GPU and 4468 MHz for the GPU things are looking much better with an average framerate of almost 40 fps. And hopefully the final game will be even more optimized and perform even better than the heavy benchmark built inside the recently released game demo, and I’m not going to have to wait much longer in order to be able to confirm that. Meanwhile, are you ready for the Mafia II challenge on your hardware in order to play it with max details, PhysX and in stereo 3D mode with 3D Vision of course… did anyone actually get a dedicated video card for the PhysX?

3D Vision Blog

Sony With a Consumer 1080p 3D Projector and 3D Laptops in 2011

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HP ENVY 17 3D a 3D-capable Multimedia Laptop by the End of the Year

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Asus G51JX-3DE Laptop With Integrated IR Transmitter for 3D Vision

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iZ3D Will Stop Producing 3D Hardware and Focus on the 3D Software

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Panasonic DMC-GH1 Custom Stereoscopic 3D Rig Collaboration Effort

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Exxxtacy Chicago 2010 Coverage with Stereo 3D Photos and Videos (18+)

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StarCraft II Patch 1.1 to Bring 3D Vision Support in Mid-September

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The 3D Vision Video Player Just Got Updated to version 1.6.2

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Roxio Creator 2011 With Support for Stereo 3D Multimedia Content

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Getting Ready To Play Mafia II in Stereoscopic 3D Mode

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