3D, 3D Blu-ray Format, and 3D Blu-ray Playback

How does 3D works?
3D works by tricking our brains into thinking each eye is watching the same image from a slightly different angle. There are largely two ways 3D has been achieved in motion pictures: anaglyph and polarized glasses.

3d theory
Anaglyph is a fancy way of referring to the red-and-blue glasses we used to wear. By projecting a film in those colors — one in red, one in blue — each eye would get an individual perspective and your brain would put the 3D effect together. Other colors could be used, providing they were distinct enough to be separated on screen. This technique, however, didn’t allow for a full range of color and had a tendency to “ghost,” or have the once-distinct images bleed into one another. Not cool.

3d blu-ray format Much more common is the use of polarized glasses, which take advantage of the fact that light can be polarized, or given different orientations. For example, one image can be projected in a horizontal direction while the second can be projected in a vertical direction. The corresponding glasses would allow horizontal polarization in one eye and vertical polarization in the other. The problem is that this kind of 3D requires you to keep your head still, à la A Clockwork Orange. Tilting your head can distort how the waves get to your eyes, messing with the color and 3D effect. Also not cool.

To counteract this, 3D now uses rotational polarity, meaning the film being projected actually has two different spins to it. The glasses then pick up those opposite rotations — clockwise in one eye, counterclockwise in another eye — to separate the image. Now you can tilt your head or place it on your boy/girlfriend’s shoulder and still be able to watch the movie.

What is 3D Blu-ray?
3d playback Blu-ray 3D is a new movie format developed by the member companies of the Blu-ray Disc Association (BDA) in December of 2009.

The BDA have picked the Multiview Video Coding (MVC) codec, which is based on the ITU-T H.264 Advanced Video Coding (AVC) codec which is currently used by 2D Blu-rays. The difference is that the MVC codec carries two streams of information: one for the base view and another for the dependant view. The base view is a standard 2D H.264 video stream, but the dependant view isn't a standalone video stream. Rather, it can reference information in the base view to save bandwidth, and it contains its own unique differences for the second, separate perspective. Blu-ray 3D discs are backward-compatible with standard Blu-ray players because they can read the base view as an ordinary 2D Blu-ray video stream.

The specification is display-agnostic, so it doesn’t matter if you’re using an LCD or plasma display, or in fact what type of 3D viewing technology you’re employing. The Blu-ray 3D specification is also designed to allow PS3 game consoles to play back Blu-ray 3D content in 3D.

What Will You Need To Watch Blu-ray 3D Movies At Home
To enjoy 3D movies at home you need a:

- 3D HDTV Monitor or Projector (with 3D glasses)

- 3D Blu-ray player (PlayStation 3 supports 3D as of September 2010)

- 3D Blu-ray movies

While convenient, a 3D receiver is not necessary to watch 3D movies as long as you send the audio to the receiver and the video to the 3D HDTV directly from the 3D Blu-ray player.

Play 3D Blu-ray on Computer/PC
Minimum system requirements for enjoying 3D Blu-ray on computer:

- Dual-core CPU

- 2x or faster model Blu-ray Drive

- Nvidia GeForce 3D Vision-Compatible Graphics Card

- 120 Hz 1080p 3D Vision-ready PC display with an HDCP-compliant input

- Blu-ray 3D Playback Software- Cyberlink PowerDVD 12 and Total Media Theater 5 are best-known 3D Blu-ray media players

If you’re building up an up-to-date HTPC for 3D Blu-ray backup and transcode, an acceptable 3D Blu-ray Ripper is also essential.

Tags : 3d theory, 3d blu-ray format, 3d playback