• by Lydia Loizides , Op-Ed Contributor, March 13, 2008

We are going to geek out a bit today -- so skip this if you aren't interested in the wave of the future: 3D.

In case you missed the article in The New York Times today, give it a read -- but it was all about the moves that studios are making toward the next generation of film-making in the third dimension.  And yes, while many people still harbor visions of young Americans with bad crews cuts wearing impossibly silly paper glasses, this generation of technology for television is sleek, sophisticated and positively fantastic (Check out a short list from Engadget http://www.engadget.com/tag/3d/).

So let's begin with the film side. Issues, as always, are conversion costs, production costs and distribution and reach.  And the glasses are a bit clunky, too. Got it.  But methinks that the success of "Hannah Montana" has made believers of many. And the fact that we are anticipating about 10 3D movies to be released in 2009 says that there is movement from the content community (which, for those schooled in the theory of critical mass, we all know is one of the most important legs to the adoption equation).

Looking at television, this is where things start to get interesting as well, since we all know that the film after-market, i.e. DVDs, is still a multibillion dollar industry that is always looking for shift in format to boost sales (at least with the Blu-Ray / HD definition wars coming to end, that should help the cause a bit). Here is what I know: for the price of a good 50" plasma or LCD, you can get a decent 3D monitor for the home.  This nascent technology is quickly moving from its commercial application to the home, and with some very interesting fanfare -- at least overseas -- and the expectation is that the U.S. will soon see a tidal wave of this technology hit the retails shelves.

So what does that mean for the television industry? Much the same way animation migrated from the big screen to the little screen, so will 3D content.  And what excites me even more is that nowadays, the little screen includes the iPod, the computer screen and about a hundred other hand-held devices that are cheaper to manufacture and support from the consumer's perspective. Maybe "Bwana Devil" can be made into the first 3D reality series.  Thoughts?