3DTV Reviewer – 3DTV Reviews And Buying Guides

Posts Tagged ‘Avatar’

Now that 3DTV’s are becoming available, we’re not limited to 3D gaming using Nvidia’s 3D Vision solution and a PC monitor because PS3′s and XBox360′s can be connected to 3DTV’s, so perhaps it’s time to look again at Avatar The Game from Ubisoft, which can be played in 3D on PS3, XBox and Windows-DVD.

Regarding the game, Amazon say…

Immerse yourself in James Cameron’s world. – Peer deep into the heart of Pandora and see James Cameron’s universe, from your own perspective.
Engage in a massive conflict between two worlds. – Fight for you cause – RDA or Na’vi. Customize more than 60 RDA and Na’vi weapons, combined. Choose your skills: 20 for each clan. Drive all of the vehicles and ride the animals. Expand the battleground in online multiplayer. Develop your character and acquire new skills – Create your very own character and acquire skills as you progress through the game.

Regarding the tech specs, Ubisoft say…

1. Do I need to buy a special version of the game in order to play in 3D?

Absolutely not! Any Avatar: The Game DVD or Blu-Ray is capable of displaying the game on either traditional or 3D-enabled screens. Toggling between traditional and stereoscopic 3D is performed through the Options Screen accessed directly from the Main Menu.

2. Do I need a special TV or computer monitor to play the game in 3D?

Yes. Avatar: The Game has the option of outputting in most standard stereoscopic 3D formats, but a TV or monitor that is “3D-enabled” is necessary to decode and display the game in stereoscopic 3D.

3. What stereoscopic 3D signal formats is the game compatible with?

Avatar: The Game is able to output most 3D signal formats from your Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, including: RealD, Sensio, side-by-side, line-interlaced, and full checkerboard. On the PC version, Avatar: The Game supports all of the previous formats plus the NVIDIA® 3D Vision™, iZ3D and dual head formats.

4. What type of 3D glasses do I need to play the game in 3D?

Since the type of glasses needed to view content in stereoscopic 3D changes depending on the television or computer monitor being used, make sure to check with your hardware manufacturer to determine the right set of glasses to match the TV or monitor you have at home. This is also the reason why 3D glasses are not being bundled with any version of the game.

5. Does my Xbox 360 have to be equipped with an HDMI output in order to play in stereoscopic 3D?

Not necessarily. Displaying the game in stereoscopic 3D depends mostly on the input requirements of your television or computer monitor (hardware). That being said, most of the 3D-enabled televisions tested during production required the use of an HDMI input in order to display any content in stereoscopic 3D.

6. What 3D-enabled TVs are currently on the market? …and are they compatible?

Although we are unable to provide an exhaustive list of all 3D-enabled television hardware that are compatible with the game, here is a sample list of 3D-enabled TVs that can display the game in stereoscopic 3D:

3D-Enabled TVs (*tested during development):

- Mitsubishi: WD-57833, WD-65833, WD-73833, WD-60737, WD-65837, WD-82737, WD-60735*, WD-65735, WD-65736, WD-73735, WD-73736, WD-65737, WD-73737, WD-82737, WD-73837, WD-82837, WD-65835, WD-73835, L65-A90.
- Samsung: HL-T5076S*, HL-T5087S, HL-T7288W, HL-T6189S, HL-61A750, HL-72A650, HL-T5089S, HL-T5676S, HL-T5687S, HL-T5689S, HL-T6176S, HL-T6187S, HL61A750, HL67A750, HL50A650, HL56A650, HL61A650, HL72A650.
- Hyundai: S465D*.
- JVC: 463D10*.

3D-Enabled PC Monitors (for use with PC version only; *tested during development):

- All NVIDIA® 3D Vision™* supported PC monitors and TVs

- Hyundai: W220S, W240S, P240W, S320D.
- Miracube: G240S, G320S, G460X.
- Zalman ZM-M220W.
- iZ3D*: H22OZ1-G01.

DISCLAIMER: List contents are subject to change. Compatibility is based on similar use of technology, and not an outright guarantee of compatibility. Many of the 3D-enabled technologies emerging on the market within the next few years should be compatible with the game (make sure to verify the signal format), but were not available at launch time.

So, when you get your hands on a shiny new 3DTV, don’t forget, you can play 3D games on it too!

To get your copy of Avatar, The Game, for PS3, PC-DVD or Xbox360 visit Avatar at Amazon

According to a Sky News report, Sky consulted with James Cameron, director of Avatar, about the launch of their 3D TV channel here in the UK.

Representatives from Sky recently travelled to America to consult with James Cameron about creating viable viewing experiences in 3D, it has emerged.

According to a report on Sky News, the broadcaster sought to learn from the 3D experience of Cameron, whose blockbuster Avatar recently became the highest-
grossing film release of all time.

“James is a massive evangelist about 3D and he lives, breathes and eats 3D and just wants to see good 3D out there,” revealed Sky Sports director of operations Darren Long.

“For him, it was about how we were going to do it, what equipment we were going to use, what were our filming techniques. He’s all about, ‘Get the message out there, get it out well and to the people properly’.”

(image, wikimedia)

I just got back from seeing Avatar 3D at the local cinema. Wow. What a stunning experience. Before going I was hesitant about the politically correct pretext of the film, but wanted to see it for the 3D experience, and I wasn’t disappointed!

The 3D picture engrossed me from the first minute. The cinema used RealD 3D plastic disposable polarised glasses which I hardly knew I was wearing. The 3D effects were not limited to “gee whizz” moments, but seamlessly enriched the atmosphere of the film, which was laden with stunning visuals. Of course, once in a while there were “stronger” 3D effects such as the plants in the forest and various action sequences, but James Cameron did a great job in blending those moments into the overall storyline.

Ahh, the storyline. I was initially concerned that it was going to be very formulaic and PC, but it was deeper than I expected and threw in some clever twists and turns. Let’s just say I expected little but was pleasantly surprised.

Avatar On 3D Blu Ray?

So, what does this mean for 3D TV? Well, at the moment, all we have is a confirmation that Avatar will be released on Blu Ray in 3D, although it will be after an initial 2D version which will probably have a release date in summer 2010. My guess is that the 3D release date could be around the Christmas buying season.

Technicially, viewing the movie at home in 3D will be a different experience to watching it in RealD 3D at the cinema because the RealD version of 3D uses two projectors and circularly polarised light along with the 3D glasses which let each eye see the image from only one projector. The images are combined by your brain into a 3D perspective. While that works well in the cinema, televisions can’t reproduce the two different polarised light images, so they’ll use the active shutter glasses and a fast refresh rate, enabling images for different eyes to be shown in rapid succession, and the glasses synched to the output of the screen so that each eye sees only the left or right images respectively. So, you’ll need a high-refresh-rate TV (either lcd, plasma or dlp) or projector, along with the active shutter glasses and your 3d Blu Ray playing on a Blu Ray player that can handle 3D.

To get the latest info on Avatar’s Blu Ray release, and upcoming 3D blu ray release, sign up for the newsletter in the box on the right —>

(poster credit: wikimedia, copyright 20th Century Fox)

Sony’s seriously cool micro-site about their view of all things 3D is here. Sony seem to be pushing ahead quickly with HD 3D telly’s and also Blu Ray players. My guess is that after the Avatar film took about a quadrillion dollars in the first three minutes at the cinema, the race is on to get 3D HD TV’s and 3d HD Blu Ray players into the homes of early adopters before the Blu Ray release of Avatar comes out. More to follow on the recent announcement of Sony’s 3D TV’s and Blu Ray players.

Dan Costa is at CES 2010 and reports that 3DTV isn’t massively impressive… yet. After seeing Avatar at an IMAX, he says that the 3D effects were more of a distraction…

“More often than not, the effects distracted from the story instead of enhancing it. There was one scene where some insects buzzing the foreground really caught me, but other than that I think I would have preferred plain old 2D, as long as it included IMAX, Dolby Surround, and a really comfy seat.”

And he doubts that people will watch TV wearing the 3D glasses…

“Wearing 3D glasses is tolerable for an event like Avatar, but are the guys really going to gather around for the Sunday games wearing goggles? Probably not. Definitely not, if the effects are as poor as what I have seen so far at CES.”

OK, so not exactly a glowing review of the technology. Although, Dan does see one niche of early adopters…

“The one place I see 3D catching on faster is with gamers. Nvidia and others are pushing 3D programming into gaming and it works great. Gamers tend to be patient with new technologies, especially if it increases the realism of game play. Can you imagine a bunch of geeks huddled in front of their TVs playing “Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3″ in 3D? Yeah, me too.”

And, Dan does manage to end on a positive note…

“Despite my reservations, I do think there is a future for 3D TV. It just isn’t the near future. In many ways this is akin to the early days of HD, where there were a handful of channels that a pathetically small number of people could actually watch. Who am I to argue with research firms like DisplaySearch, which predicts the 3D TV market will reach $1.1 billion in 2010 and swell to $15.8 billion by 2015. That may be, but Dan Costa Research guessestimates those sets will be showing 2D content 92% of the time they are on.”

So, like all new technology, it needs refining and for the price to drop before critical mass is achieved.

Read Dan’s full article here.