Just Say No to the 3rd Dimension

America was built on progress. We invent, we discover, we innovate. Our economy is based on new ideas being brought forward and we as a country, embracing it. This process creates new jobs, changes our quality of life and gives us a new way of thinking. Unfortunately, this process is not always perfect. In several instances the changes don't work and they are rejected. Nowhere is this more true then in technology and more specifically entertainment technology. There are landfills filled with abandoned technology like betamax, zip discs and mini discs. Technology that may have made our lives easier that we as a society have rejected.

With each of these failed technologies there was a push to incorporate them into our lives. Over the past year the entertainment industry has been trying to push one of these down our throats. That technology is 3D films and television. Before I continue, let me stress that 3D has it's place. It can enhance film or television, but we are not ready for it and it is being abused.

Every time I go to the theater now to see the latest big budget feature I have to prepare myself to wear a pair of plastic uncomfortable glasses over the glasses I normally have to wear. I also have to bring extra money for me and my date since the movie theater charges extra so that I can wear these glasses. Glasses, which I am asked not to keep, but to recycle into a box so that they can be cleaned so that someone else can pay money to wear them. Technology is being developed that will allow us to watch 3D without the glasses, is it necessary for us to watch movies in 3D now when we could wait and demand that we have 3D when 3D is ready?

This isn't the only area were we are being forced to accept 3D as the norm though. Over the past year, television manufacturers have been pushing us to buy 3D televisions, when many of us have just recently upgraded to a new flat screen HDTV. These 3D TV's are currently a waste of money. There are a handful of channels that offer 3D part of the time and as for those movies we watched in the theater do you know how many of those are available in 3D? Two. That's it. And the big 3D movie, "Avatar," you can't even buy it in 3D yet. And when it does come out in 3D the only way you will be able to get it is if you have a Panasonic 3D television. But wait there's more. Those plastic glasses from the movie theaters that we use don't work with 3D televisions, instead you need $100 dollar a pair glasses for your entire family to enjoy the 3D experience. These glasses are not even standardized yet, meaning that if you have two different brands of televisions, the glasses from one television won't work on the other television.

I wish I could say that technology was the only problem, but it isn't. The actual 3D content is also a problem. Except for cartoons and "Avatar" all of the other 3D films released this year have been shot using a 2D camera and then converted to 3D after. This technique is just a scam to get an extra couple of bucks from all the people going to see the movie so that their box office is a little higher. And this practice is increasing over the next year, the Harry Potter films, Green Lantern, Captain America and Thor will all come out in the next year, all were filmed in 2D and all will be converted to 3D. In addition to this, earlier this week George Lucas announced that he will be converting the Star Wars films into 3D. These films weren't meant to be in 3D. But now George is going to milk his cash cow for a little more money.

I'm not anti-3D, I'm very excited about the new 3D Nintendo DS that will be released next year, a 3D system that doesn't require glasses. I just don't think that the movie industry and the television industry is ready to support the move to 3D. There is something that we can do to show them this. Don't buy into it. When you go see a movie that was not shot in 3D, go see it in 2D. Don't buy the 3D television until it's ready and standardized. We as consumers have the ability to control this. Vote with your dollars and say no to the 3rd dimension.