Do you re-use your 3D glasses?

I think there are two different types of 3D being offered in theaters.  In my area, there's RealD 3D at which each customer receives a new, sealed pair of glasses each time. At the end of the film, you can keep the glasses for future use or toss them in the recycle bin in the lobby. Then, I believe, there's Dolby 3D at the other theater which collects all the glasses after each showing, then cleans and reuses them for future shows.

I'm not sure if there's any real difference in the glasses, or whether the glasses for one brand will work for the other.  But there are at least two different types of 3D available so one set of glasses may not work everywhere (if you attend multiple theaters).

Do they charge you less at the ticket counter if you bring your own glasses? If so then it'd be worth it to keep them. Otherwise, there is no good reason I can think of to keep the glasses, instead of giving them back to the theater (not throwing them away!) The theater will always have them when needed for the movies. And they are better at not losing them than I am.

--
H

The non-RealD glasses are meant to be collected and reused, mostly because they are quite expensive relative to the RealD glasses.  The RealD glasses were supposed to be disposible, but there was a stink over that, so they hastily set up recycling bins to collect them.  They claim that they clean and repackage them, but it quite possible that it cheaper to buy new ones than to recycle the old ones, so who knows what happens to the discarded glasses.

I'm not saying that anyone should do it but about the only reason that I can think of would be so you can buy a ticket to another movie and walk into a 3-D and save yourself the $3 extra for a 3-D ticket.

Well then I believe I addressed that in my post (first two sentences.)


Absolutely. Just didn't wanna say it. ;-)

--
H

Malcom is correct in that there are currently two popular "passive" 3D systems in use today.

RealD uses circularly polarized lenses in conjunction with a special "silver" screen to present the alternating perspectives to viewers.  Using circularly polarized lenses enable the viewer to move and tilt their head without losing the 3D effect (which happens with linearly polarized lenses).  The cheap glasses will only work for RealD movies.  The silver screen is essentially a lenticular screen (it has vertical ridges) which are needed to preserve the polarization of the image as it reflects off the screen back to the viewer.  The higher reflectivity of the silver screen also helps increase overall image brightness.

Dolby 3D projects alternating fields that have had their color frequencies shifted ever so slightly.  The glasses, in turn, are precisely tuned to these differences so that each lens only allows its corresponding field to be seen.  The advantage of the Dolby 3D system is that the special silver screen is not required - as there is no polarization that needs to be preserved.  Again, due to the differences in technology, Dolby 3D glasses will only work for Dolby 3D.

There is also XpanD 3D which is an active shutter system (closer to what we are most likely going to see with 3D in the home).  Obviously, these glasses aren't cheap and are collected after each viewing.  Panasonic just unveiled some pricing for their 3D system - each pair of active shutter glasses will set you back $149.95!!!

I just find it interesting that, once again, we apparently have a "format war" of sorts with 3D, having two competing options being offered and installed in theaters. Based on Jason's info, it sounds like there are some pretty significant differences in the delivery system, yet exhibitors must be able to discern some sort of advantages in choosing one format over the other. 

There are currently two theaters offering 3D in my area. The first to upgrade to 3D chose RealD, the second chose Dolby 3D. I wonder if they actually had legitimate reasons for making their choice, or if the second theater purposely chose the other format just to be "different" from the first theater?

I've only seen two 3D movies, both in RealD, and was quite impressed for the most part. Haven't yet seen a film in Dolby 3D to see if there's any noticeable difference between the two.

I don't believe there is any discount offered if you retain and reuse your own glasses (unless you undertake the bait-and-switch approach described above). After all, you're not just paying extra for the glasses, you're also paying a premium for the "3D experience."

From what I understand, converting an existing theater to 3D is cheaper if you go with Dolby 3D as it does not require the expense of replacing the screen.  The potential drawback is a greater likelihood of the image brightness and colors being off a slight bit, but I have no firsthand experience with this format - I've only seen RealD.

I, too, am curious to see if the 3D at home trend results in some sort of format war.  For any LCD, Plasma, or other direct-view 3D option it seems as though active shutter glasses are the only likely solution in the near term.  So it remains to be seen if glasses made for a Samsung TV will work with a Panasonic set and vice versa.

I am also curious to see if there is any likelihood of a RealD or Dolby 3D solution for the home front projector market.  $150 for a pair of active shutter glasses is really pushing it... $600 for a family of 4 to watch a 3D movie... ouch!  No more Superbowl parties at my place!  Now, incorporate the passive systems for front projection, and get $5 glasses, now you're talking!

There is also the IMAX 3D system, which uses two synched projectors projecting linearly polarized images for each eye. The disavantage is that moving and tilting your head can cause you to lose the 3D effect. The advantage is that you don't get the "stutter" effect that you get from RealD (which alternates back and forth between two images circularly polarized at 90 degree angles from one another.)

I musn't be too sensitive to some of this stuff. I never noticed any "stutter" when I saw "Avatar" in RealD. Either that or I don't know what to look for. In that case, I guess ignorance is bliss.

I am almost 99% sure my theater charges the $3 extra even if you bring the glasses.