3D Ability to view 3D, my eyes can't always see it? (1 Viewer)

[Nelson Au]

Guys,I'm curious, ever since 3D came out, I've not been able to really see the effect most of the time. I think it's due to my eyes not converging the image properly, so I wrote it off. But then last year I got a new plasma that is 3D capable and only within the last 6 months, I got a new Oppo blu ray player and I am able to finally see all the 3D blu rays I had collected. I always got the copy that included the 3D version just in case.So then something interesting happened. I noticed if I sit closer to the TV, I can see the effect. This was for Promethius when I figured that out. In the theater, I could not see the 3D effect! At home I could if I sat closer. Dial M for Murder worked better surprisingly.I tried Star Trek Into Darkness which I did see in IMAX and I could see the effect on the screen in the theater. So the blu rays mostly works for me, when I recalled the effects that worked in the theater. However, the big realization hit when I saw Gravity in the theater. The 3D really worked for me and I could see most of it if not all of it. Then last night I saw the 3D blu ray of Pacific Rim, a film I did not see in the theater. That film was terrific and the 3D for the most part was working!So this made me wonder, it seems all the movies from Warner are the ones that work better for me in 3D. How can that be when the systems I see them on in the theater is the same as other films ? At home I have the new Oppo 105 player ans a Panasonic VT30. I even got up and walked around the room and got farther away from the screen and illusion of 3D was still working on Pacific Rim. I suppose I could try some setting changes to see if that helps on the TV for other films. But on the whole, it's neat to finally see the effect when it works. My normal viewing distance is 11 feet and the screen is 65". I tried moving closer between 12 and 15 inches which made it work better for the non Warner films. I'll do more experimenting now that I've found a solution of sorts. Could be also my brain is adapting. The ashes floating in the air or water droplets on the screen are very subtle and works great when it works. Thanks for any insights.

 

[Nelson Au]

BTW, I still have Life of PI and Titanic to try in 3D. Plus Iron Man 3 and Creature From The Black Lagoon.

 

[FoxyMulder]

Try sitting 8 feet from your screen.

 

[schan1269]

11 feet is too far for 65" screen.I sit 9' from 110".

 

[FoxyMulder]

11 feet is too far for 65" screen.I sit 9' from 110".

I'm roughly 8.5 from 104 inch screen although i am changing my room about in order to make the audio better and have more leg space, it will soon be 7 feet from an 82 inch screen, much smaller but i cannot do anything about that and 82 inch is still good, i sit 7.2 feet from my 60 inch plasma and the 3D is first class, just checked out a bit of A Turtles Tale 2, just some scenes and not the whole film, the 3D is very good, lots of depth and great pop out, currently waiting on House Of Wax to be delivered.

 

[Mike Ballew]

Nelson Au,

Not to alarm you in any way, but by any chance have you discussed your situation with your eye doctor?

I know that Julian Gunzburg, one of the leading lights in stereoscopic cinema in the 1950s, felt that 3-D movies might have a side benefit of helping people recognize previously undiagnosed vision issues.

It may even be that viewing more and more 3-D footage is having a therapeutic effect on your eyes.

I want to underscore the fact that I myself am not a medical professional, so what I am saying is only friendly speculation. But a conversation with your eye doctor may provide useful insight into what you are experiencing. As your fellow 3-D buff and well-wisher, I encourage you to do that.

 

[Nelson Au]

I already know that my eyes did not properly converge, about 10 years ago the eye doctor told me that and it was too late in the opinion of that eye doctor to do anything for me. From recent experiences in seeing 3D films, I realized that my inability to see the effect was likely caused by that.So I did some research and that doctor was wrong, it's not too late. But it requires a lot of effort. I'm only beginning to experiment myself with ways to fix the convergence.I also discovered by accident that the closer I sat to the TV, the effect or illusion of depth came alive for me. But forgetting the distance aspect from the screen, I really am wondering if other have a similar issue at the theaters and also if certain studios have got the 3D thing working better then others?My experience at an IMAX theater for Star Trek Into Darkness is that I was able to see the illusion of depth much better. When I saw Avatar and Promethius in the regular 3D theaters, it mostly didn't work for me. I only saw one panel stick out when in Avatar, Sigourney Weaver is setting up the machine for the guy's first time. But when I saw Gravity in a regular movie theater, I saw everything with depth. Was it because I sat slightly closer? Maybe. But it's a Warner film and I discovered yesterday that Pacific Rim is a Warner blu ray and it had a ton of depth I could easily see! It was great. Of course the reviews of its 3D is very high, maybe that's the reason. Or maybe my brain is adjusting to it. Whatever the reason, it's been an interesting experience to fool around with this. I'll be playing around with more of my 3d discs and I will be really looking forward to the Gravity blu ray.

 

[schan1269]

I saw Gravity twice. Once up close and in the 25% split of the theater(was with a differently-abled friend who is currently wheelchair bound).

Went to the same theater a 2nd time by myself. Sat in the perfect spot.

Totally different movie when viewed correctly.

 

[Nelson Au]

So are you saying there is a sweet spot for watching 3D material? When you were up close, at the 25% split, was the experience not working?Where is the sweet spot for you when you saw Gravity! When I saw gravity, I'd say I was a tad closer to the screen then the center point of the theater front to back. In other words, if there is a center to the theater from the rear wall to the front screen, I was a bit ahead of the center point. The 3D worked there for me.At home last night, I moved my seating position closer to the screen so my eye point to the screen is about 10 feet. I can try going closer as you guys have too and you have larger screens!

 

[schan1269]

My 25% meant to the side. The person(s) Who designed the theater needs shot for where wheelchairs go.On my own I was dead center of the screen. Didn't pay attention to depth.

 

[Nelson Au]

I discovered a setting on my Oppo blu-ray player that I didn't know about. For 3D, there is a place you tell the player how big the display screen is. It was default for 42, and I set it to my display's 65".Then I tried a few discs. I was surprised at the difference. For a movie like Pacific Rim, it was even better there before when I was able to see the depth very well. After that adjustment, the depth of the 3D was working even better. Then for Star Trek Into Darkness, that movie finally works more fully when I watched it. I just sampled a couple of shots from Prometheus and I didn't see an improvement there, but I'll try again. I recharged the glasses today. That movie seemed to keep the 3D more subtle, it was working when Weyland was doing his video intro. I also watched a little bit of the 3D edition of Titanic. Wow! They really did a fabulous job there on that conversion of movie to 3D and I only watched about the first 1/2 hour or 45 minutes. Up until Jack teaches Rose how to spit. The areas they really added depth well were the shots of people and objects in the foreground and background in the restaurant scenes. Plus the section where Rose was going to jump off the stern, the 3D really was nice there. I'm sure when the Titanic is sinking, it should be pretty spectacular.I can see why Ron has become such an addict to 3D! . I saw Ron's list of top 3D movies, I didn't know about the Wizard of Oz conversion. While not a super duper fan of that movie, I did grow up with it and I'm curious how that one looks. Now I have to see if I can find setting for my set to see if I can increase brightness of the image, but not at the cost of proper and contrast levels. I guess it's just the way it is with 3D, a darker image.

 

[TonyD]

I sit about 9.5 from my 80 inch tv, feels about right.Have noticed that sitting in the 25-30 front section split rows that 3D looks much better at the movies.