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3D Dear Ron and Bob: The Future of 3-D on Blu-ray...? (1 Viewer)

Dick

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With the information provided in the Digital Bits link telling us that Samsung and LG are dropping 3-D support on their 2016 t.v.'s, I ask: is this a deterrent for you, Mr. Furmanek, to continue getting 3D Blu-rays out on physical media (I surely hope not)? Are you, Mr. Epstein, with your admirable review support of 3D releases, seeing writing on the wall?

I ask because I own 127 3D titles as of now (an investment of thousands of dollars), with a few more on order, and if my Panny plasma dies (as it inevitably will one day), I hope I'm not going to be shit out of luck. I want to have support from a company that still manufactures these things. I guess I could invest in a 4k just to have the backward compatible 3D option. But are either of you sensing we are getting that close to extremely limited 3D HD TV?

I, like Mr. Epstein, am a dedicated supporter of this niche format. My question is: Should I consider not investing the added expense of these 3D video releases? I realize they usually contain a 2D copy, so I wouldn't be completely screwed if suddenly I was without a 3D monitor. There is no way I will pass up GOG and IT CAME FROM OUTER SPACE and anything else from the 3D Archives, but I can live without most current films in this format if such a day looms in the foreseeable future.

This has been a relatively brief but awesome run for us 3D aficionados, and maybe it will continue. But if t.v. manufacturers are dropping their support, what motive have even the specialty labels for continuing their supply of 3D Blu-ray releases?

Perhaps Europe will become our only option, as 3D Blu-ray appears to be doing well there. That's fine with me, just as long as this beloved format doesn't die after all this quite spectacular momentum.
 

Jesse Skeen

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With all of the bad press 3D continues to get, it would be nice if SOMEBODY started a new marketing campaign to promote 3D. I'd be willing to do it for a very reasonable price. 3D still needs time to grow, while it hasn't been the instant success the industry was hoping for it seems like it's still steadily gaining fans. I don't think Bob Furmanek's outfit could afford to do what it's been doing if they hadn't been selling enough product. We need more in-store demos and more promotion of 3D titles that are out there!
 

bruceames

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With all of the bad press 3D continues to get, it would be nice if SOMEBODY started a new marketing campaign to promote 3D. I'd be willing to do it for a very reasonable price. 3D still needs time to grow, while it hasn't been the instant success the industry was hoping for it seems like it's still steadily gaining fans. I don't think Bob Furmanek's outfit could afford to do what it's been doing if they hadn't been selling enough product. We need more in-store demos and more promotion of 3D titles that are out there!

Wow, this is sad news. LG and Samsung, really? That's a blow. I have my Sony 4K passive 3D set, which I love. I'll have to hope it lasts a long time. Even so, I can't see 3D sets being discontinued entirely. 3D has made enough of a dent, with existing discs out there, to warrant at least a few models to have it (even if they have to be high end).

Hopefully 3D can make a comeback soon, and the best way IMO as for UHD BD to add it to their spec. Otherwise it looks bleak because UHD BD has HDR and 3D won't.
 

WillG

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Wow, this is sad news. LG and Samsung, really? That's a blow. I have my Sony 4K passive 3D set, which I love. I'll have to hope it lasts a long time. Even so, I can't see 3D sets being discontinued entirely. 3D has made enough of a dent, with existing discs out there, to warrant at least a few models to have it (even if they have to be high end).

Hopefully 3D can make a comeback soon, and the best way IMO as for UHD BD to add it to their spec. Otherwise it looks bleak because UHD BD has HDR and 3D won't.

Yep, I really like Samsung TVs (3 out of 4 displays in my home are Samsung) so it's a shame that I am going to have to go to another manufacturer when the time comes to buy a new primary display.

How hard/costly is it really to have 3D support? Maybe back a few years ago it could have been significant, but I have to imagine nowadays the cost has to have gone down considerably. I mean most BD players and PS4 which did not offer 3D support out of the box were made compatible with a simple firmware update.
 

Johnny Angell

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With all of the bad press 3D continues to get, it would be nice if SOMEBODY started a new marketing campaign to promote 3D. I'd be willing to do it for a very reasonable price. 3D still needs time to grow, while it hasn't been the instant success the industry was hoping for it seems like it's still steadily gaining fans. I don't think Bob Furmanek's outfit could afford to do what it's been doing if they hadn't been selling enough product. We need more in-store demos and more promotion of 3D titles that are out there!
"While it hasn't been the instance success..." Well, the industry can only blame themselves, or at least I can. We've got a long thread discussing this, but I'll just mention what I consider the highlights of while 3D is not as popular as expected: 1) Right out of the chute we had those manufacturer exclusives. If you wanted the 3D Killer App (Avatar) you had to buy Panasonic TV. Imbeciles. 2) Not utilizing 3D to it's fullest, very little pop out and too many conversions. 3) High prices which have improved some, but 3D blu rays routinely were over $30. Not to mention the higher theatrical prices. Did they charge more for wide screen or stereophonic sound when they came out?

"It seems like it's still steadily gaining fans." Is this a gut feel or do you have figures to support this. I've not read anything here on HTF to indicate 3D is gaining at all. It's more gloom and doom.

This really sucks that Samsung is dropping 3D. That means I won't buy Samsung (my default preference) when I go 4K.
 

Jonathan Perregaux

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Manufacturer exclusives indeed. You can add "Getting jerked around" to that list.

I bought a 65" 3-D Panasonic plasma and when I noticed a copy of Avatar was nowhere in sight, I asked about it. I was told that my T.V. package didn't qualify for a copy. This went all the way up from Best Buy to Panasonic. I could have been James Cameron himself and gotten no traction with the drones I dealt with. It was total bullshit.

I unfurled both middle fingers but that got me nowhere. I bought a copy of the 3-D Blu-ray when the exclusives ended.

Nowadays I have to buy Disney 3-D Blu-rays from the U.K. and make sure they are not region-locked. Not exactly an impulse buy scenario.
 
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aPhil

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I will say that LG's 65" OLED w/ passive 3D looks pretty good. Maybe in a couple years the price will come down to affordable (5G's at the moment)
 

WillG

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It really is shocking that manufactures never learn. Beta vs. VHS, Blu-Ray vs HD-DVD, SACD vs DVD-Audio, 3D manufacturer exclusives.

A 5 year old could run a new technology initiative better. How they hell is not realized in this day and age?
 

TheBat

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With the information provided in the Digital Bits link telling us that Samsung and LG are dropping 3-D support on their 2016 t.v.'s, I ask: is this a deterrent for you, Mr. Furmanek, to continue getting 3D Blu-rays out on physical media (I surely hope not)? Are you, Mr. Epstein, with your admirable review support of 3D releases, seeing writing on the wall?

I ask because I own 127 3D titles as of now (an investment of thousands of dollars), with a few more on order, and if my Panny plasma dies (as it inevitably will one day), I hope I'm not going to be shit out of luck. I want to have support from a company that still manufactures these things. I guess I could invest in a 4k just to have the backward compatible 3D option. But are either of you sensing we are getting that close to extremely limited 3D HD TV?

I, like Mr. Epstein, am a dedicated supporter of this niche format. My question is: Should I consider not investing the added expense of these 3D video releases? I realize they usually contain a 2D copy, so I wouldn't be completely screwed if suddenly I was without a 3D monitor. There is no way I will pass up GOG and IT CAME FROM OUTER SPACE and anything else from the 3D Archives, but I can live without most current films in this format if such a day looms in the foreseeable future.

This has been a relatively brief but awesome run for us 3D aficionados, and maybe it will continue. But if t.v. manufacturers are dropping their support, what motive have even the specialty labels for continuing their supply of 3D Blu-ray releases?

Perhaps Europe will become our only option, as 3D Blu-ray appears to be doing well there. That's fine with me, just as long as this beloved format doesn't die after all this quite spectacular momentum.

if you still want 3d, I would invest with a projector. I got the gt1080 Optoma and it plays 3d better then the plasma.

Jacob
 

Bob Cashill

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Absolutely. If you can swing it, forget TVs and get a projector with 3D capability. My Epson offers fantastic 3D quality on a big screen.
 

Robert Crawford

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What if they stop making 3-D projectors too? It's not out of the question as the industry abandons this format.
 

Keith Cobby

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With the prices of 3D 1080P projectors at sub-$500 these days, I future-proof my 3D library with a couple of backups for my Optoma HD141X projector ;)

My 2010 Panny plasma hasn't got 3-D capability so instead of buying another television I bought the Optoma HD141X. It's the best thing I have ever bought.
 

Johnny Angell

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Manufacturer exclusives indeed. You can add "Getting jerked around" to that list.

I bought a 65" 3-D Panasonic plasma and when I noticed a copy of Avatar was nowhere in sight, I asked about it. I was told that my T.V. package didn't qualify for a copy. This went all the way up from Best Buy to Panasonic. I could have been James Cameron himself and gotten no traction with the drones I dealt with. It was total bullshit.

I unfurled both middle fingers but that got me nowhere. I bought a copy of the 3-D Blu-ray when the exclusives ended.

Nowadays I have to buy Disney 3-D Blu-rays from the U.K. and make sure they are not region-locked. Not exactly an impulse buy scenario.
The contempt that American companies treat their customers with is appalling.
 

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