Remember when we were reading polls some months back that touted 3D films weren’t making waves in the film industry according to cinema patrons?  Well, it seems that content will be the deciding factor here, as The Lion King 3D is setting marks everywhere.  On opening weekend, the popular Disney classic took its 3D makeover all the way to the top spot, lending credence to the notion that 3D film is going to be tough to beat when the film itself is a quality work.

There are some factors here worth considering, though, besides just the 3D technology.  Remember that The Lion King first hit theatres nearly 17 years ago, and with many of those enamored children now having families of their own, it makes sense that many would take their children to see the Disney classic.  Here’s something to note, however – the film was released in 2D and 3D formats, and 92% of the patrons seeing the film saw it in 3D!  Notice a trend here?

This should perk up the ears of Hollywood directors that have already been preaching the benefits of 3D technology.  When the film is good, the technology adds an extra element that cannot be matched.  The key phrase here:  WHEN THE FILM IS GOOD.  When directors handle filmmaking with the idea that the product must be solid, the 3D element can really bolster interest and sales.  Just ask James Cameron…

Image credit: movies.gearlive.com

There are many that still believe that the 3D craze isn’t going to stick in households across the world, but when you look at the sales figures, there’s an entirely different story being told.  The Dixons Retail group, owner of Currys and PC World, are reporting that 3D TV sales over the last 12 months have skyrocketed 500%!  That’s an incredible number when you consider the economic strife that many are experiencing.  To give you a better idea, they’re saying that one in five TVs sold is 3D capable.  That’s a telling tale for you naysayers out there…

The group is speculating that pricing has a lot to do with the uptick in sales, but availability is also in play here.  Nearly half of the TV offers are 3D-ready, so that may be an important thing to consider.  The technology came out of the gate with incredible price-tags which obviously led to sluggish sales, but as we’re seeing more 3D TVs from various providers, the prices are dropping and people are starting to snap them up. 

These numbers don’t show any signs of slowing, either, as more 3D films are hitting cinemas and sporting events are continuing to experiment with the technology.  Think about it…as more people work on content, the quality will improve.  When prices drop and quality improves, we’ll likely continue to see growth in the 3D market.  This is an interesting time in electronics as many companies remain skeptical.  But, if you wait too long on this one as an electronics firm, you may miss the bus.  It may already be too late.

Image credit: good3dtv.com

James Cameron and his team may be getting all the credit of innovating the 3D high watermark technology, but it is believed that the Nazis had got to the technology way before anyone could even imagine about it. Philippe Mora the ace Australian film maker has stated that he has come across two 3D films which are 30 minutes in length each that were shot in the year 1936 for the Third Reich. This proves that the Nazis had discovered this technology 16 years before the rest of the world came to know about it.

The first film is titled ‘So Real You Can Touch It’. This film features a barbeque with stereoscopic bratwursts on it. ‘Six Girls Roll Into Weekend’ is the second film and it features actors who were considered to be the best during the wartime. Moral also confirmed that the quality of both the film is simply superb. Mora also said that the Nazis seem to be obsessed with video recording of every single event and this also played a major role in enabling them to control the people and the country the way they did.

The films were discovered by Mora while doing some research on how the Nazis made use of films in order to manipulate the Germans. Eventhough the fact that John Norling and Joseph Leventhal won the Oscars in the year 1936 for their short film, stereoscopic films failed to make an impact in Hollywood until the year 1953 when House of Wax was released.

Mora also believes that this discovery states that the Germans were way ahead from the rest of the world when it came to technology. Mora also believes that there would be more such footage hidden in some part of Germany from the Third Reich. Mora has also made a film in the year 1973 titled ‘Swastika’. The film was the colour footage of some of the private home movies that were made in the Bavarian alps by Hitler and Eva Braun who was his partner.

Image credit: ongo.com