According to video games site VG247, the upcoming new firmware for the PS3, version 3.20, will enable 3-D video output, presumably for games only. Support for 3-D movies will be added in another upgrade later in the year. Note that you also need a 3-D TV and the required glasses to get the full experience.
The Chosen One 3d without glasses is approx 8-10yrs away according to electronics makers (well good 3d like in theatres) they manged to make a 5 or 10 second image full 3d but takes alot of electricity so will be a while http://crave.cnet.co.uk/televisions/0,39029474,49304707,00.htm
I went to the Sony store yesterday at Tyson's Corner, VA and witnessed 3D TV for myself. It does work and is cool. It does take some getting used to. For one, the main detractor is the glasses. To begin with, I wear glasses, so it's weird having a pair of glasses over another pair of glasses. I didn't find it uncomfortable, just distracting. The picture itself looked very good. Some of the demo had some jerkiness to the picture, but that could be just the demo itself.
I don't know about movies, but where I really see this taking off is in the gaming world. I know my son, who plays alot of games thinks it's incredibly cool.
I'm waiting for the end of the year, when the prices go down a little more to get my 3D tv, I'm not sure wish way should be better, panasonic plasma of samsung LED, I have to see what the reviews said about the best one. Time will tell.
I agree..I have two Kuros and a Sharp 12000U projector. I would only consider upgrading the projector if they had 3D projectors as well. Then it may be worth it but there is no way I would replace my Kuros (151 and 5020). However, my projector has a new buld with 1900 hours remaining....
Have not updated PS3 firmware since 2.80.
After reading repeated firmware posts on the official PS3 blog about optical drives failing and more recently that 3.x updates have reduced video format support I'll probably be staying at 2.80 - certainly at least until Sony finally gives facts about the drive problems (particularly which models are affected & why).
As cool as 3D sounds I'm not taking a chance at bricking my system and have Sony tell me to pony up $150+shipping to have it fixed.
3D sounds cool and all but I dont see the point...I mean we can already watch 3D movies with glasses, now a new 3D tv that needs glasses also. i dont know about you but it kinda sounds like a waste of money. maybe im wrong and someone can school me on why its better but i want to watch tv with out any extra stuff needed.
Max, there are a LOT of little XBOX boys and also paranoid people on the PS3 forums all scrambling to be the first person to scream "firmware ___ broke my PS3!". I'm not saying it's impossible, but it's pretty unlikely. I've done every firmware update, all my friends have done every firmware update, and none of us have ever had the slightest problem.
And I own the Avatar game, it's pretty cool. So it will be extra neat to play it in 3D once I get my 3DTV.
I could care less about 3D. Just a gimmick to get you to replace all of the HDTV's we have bought. 3D once in awhile at the movies..ok..sitting at home and routinely wearing glasses to watch TV.....LOL
Can someone explain to me why my non-3D HD TV will not work with 3D stuff? I thought i just needed the update and the glasses, but i guess it has to do with how the tv is made. It's just weird to me, since (i believe) back in the day companies would release their 3D DVD's and i thought you only needed the glasses for those?
Blu-Curry: Current 3D technology is a long way from the stuff you're used to. Anaglyph (red-cyan) 3D could easily be achieved by a normal television, as the two images could easily be displayed in the same signal (they relied on colour filtering to create image separation). The picture, however, was always garbage...even if you did get a slight sense of depth.
Current technologies are much more advanced and require a lot more from a television set than is standard in LCDs and the like.
Personally, I don't think 3D is going to be a gimmick. I think it's going to be very popular with movies and especially sports and video games. I have a 3 year old Epson 1080 projector and won't replace it with 3D until there is plenty of 3D available and they make a 3D projector in the price range I paid for this projector which was $2699, though I doubt it won't happen at that price for some time.
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Does anyone know if you need 240hz tv to watch 1080p 3D Blu-rays? From what I heard the PS3 will not be 1080p 3D in both eyes but 1080i.., but stand-alone players announced seem reasonable, so I wouldn't have a problem adding a 3D stand-alone player to my system. My problem is that I purchased a $1200 receiver (Denon 3808) and it has HDMI 1.3a, so I am hearing that won't work. So does the PS3 upgrade to 3D work with HDMI 1.3?
About updating the ps3 firmware is a must. I spoke to ps3 customer service and I was told that every time there's a firmware update that you should always keep your system up to date. Why it's important? Some features on the system are updated and loading is better. Blu-ray movies play better pick up is faster. I also heard some people complaining that some of their Blu-ray movies won't play. And all it is is just a firmware update to fix the problem. So to make the story short per customer service from ps3, ALWAYS update your firmware. Whether it's 3d or not. It's 3.15 now.
From what I remember HDMI 1.4 isn't required for 3D, it adds other features not available in 1.3. It'd be stupid if most of us would have to get new components for every part of our home theaters minus the speakers just to get 3D. If that is the case this technology simply will not take off.
Like one of the earlier posters I too have a Pioneer Kuro (non-elite) and I absolutely will not move it elsewhere for a 3D TV with inferior picture quality. My bother does have a 50" 3D Ready DLP rear-projection (67" too) with a PS3 so he should only be needing to wait for the firmwares and the supporting titles to enjoy 3D.
The trick with this highly improved 3D technique and television sets is that one of the reasons that the new 3D image is so prolific and clear is because the image actually has 2 seperate video signals. Vurrent televisions on the market are not able to accept 2 1080p video feeds and manipulating them appropriately to maintain a stable 3D output. That is why there will be new technology added to 3D TVs. That new tech will be able to process and manage the 2 signals properly.
Current 3D effects are generated with colour correction techniques that are made to the video encode itself before it gets burned to disc. The player and TV don't have any work to do beyond what every other disc requires. The 3D has been generated before the disc is printed. The current tech just handles a video feed as it always has. New 3D will require that the player do work in sending 2 seperate video feeds and TVs to manage those 2 feeds.
I wish sony could release accessories that connected to ps3 and can control active shutter 3D glasses. In this approach, no new tv is required (presumably you still need 120Hz for game play back, and 60hz for movie play back).
I would prefer SCE to improve and polish the features that already exist on the PS3 (online gaming, PSN store, Home, user interface, etc.) rather than blowing smoke up our collective rears over 3D which is, at this point in time, really just a novelty.
nycomet and ranma: Your TV can't just be 120 Hz, it has to accept 120 Hz input. Not every TV does, because with the exception of PCs, nothing in your home can output more than 60 Hz. Early 120 Hz TVs which just take 60 Hz and interpolate.
Everyone who complains about the glasses: Next time you're at a movie theater, look back at the other people who are watching the movie. You'll notice that a lot of them have glasses. Hundreds of millions of people already wear glasses to watch movies. Get over it. 3D tech without glasses is pretty much only practical for single-person computer usage or advertising. You walk by the store window and suddenly one of the images looks 3D to you. Suddenly, because it only works from certain angles. Which is why you won't see it in the home any time soon.
Everyone who complains that 3D is a gimmick: No, it is not. A gimmick by definition cannot add function or value. The effect of making a movie or game 3D is that of added immersion, turning an otherwise flat viewing experience into one which expands beyond the screen. It's the exact same thing as surround sound, which does for sound what 3D does for video. So unless you're also going to throw a fit every time a movie, player, or firmware update related to >2.1 sound is released, shut it with the "it's a gimmick" thing. You might not place much value on 3D images, or large displays, or color, or video period. Perhaps you're completely blind. That doesn't mean that those things are gimmicks and don't have value to other people.
Back to the MATTER AT HAND, which is NOT 3D in movies, but 3D in games. 3D in games is awesome. It completely blows 3D movies out of the water. Part of it is that you can adjust the level of depth to find a compromise between what's comfortable and what looks good to you, and part of it is because you're controlling the camera (in most games) which even with a 2D display gives you some idea of spatial placement and depth for things in the game. On the adjustable level of depth, I think this is an important thing to point out to people--in 3D movies, the camera separation is fixed, and the cameras are usually too close together, which gives the whole image a squashed feel compared to real life... so if you had a perfect sphere in the movie, it would appear to have the same height and width, but depth into the image would be less than an actual sphere should. That's because the more depth there is, the more uncomfortable it can be for people who aren't accustomed to 3D--and even for those who are, starting out with 100% real world depth can be jarring and simply result in the appearance of two images which don't merge into one with depth. In games, the cameras are virtual and can be as close or far from each other as you want. As you get used to the 3D effect, you're able to turn the level of depth up gradually, which improves the feeling of depth/speed. The end result is a very powerful 3D experience, and anyone who hasn't tried a proper 3D gaming setup in the home really should do so. Anyone in Orlando is welcome to stop by and try mine out. I've only got a 22" monitor right now, but when money permits it, I'll totally be moving up to 1 or three 1080p monitors, and some day, 1080p projectors making a massively widescreen, seamless 3D image that completely fills the viewer's visual field. Which, I might add, is another benefit of 3D gaming over 3D movies (although not for the PS3, which I expect will barely be able to push 80-120 fps @ sub-720p for mid-range games)--the aspect ratio and resolution can be adjusted to reduce the visibility of screen edges/bezels, which can break the 3D effect if things seem to come out of the monitor and then start to disappear when they run into the edge of the screen.
Just wait though. When volumetric 3D projection technology for the home is perfected, like Star Trek's holodeck without the tactile element, people are going to be shouting "Gimmick! Gimmick! There's absolutely no value in being surrounded by objects which look real and you can move around between. I'll stick with my 15" black and white CRT."
Fix: "Early 120 Hz TVs which just take 60 Hz and interpolate." --> "Early 120 Hz TVs just took 60 Hz and interpolated to smooth motion. Only newer displays, designed with 3D in mind (hence the 3D ready keywords), will take and display 120 images a second.
Ignoring complaints is not good PR. If they told us which models are most likely affected (and why!)... Or stated they've attempted to replicate the problems (to a reasonable degree) and can honestly say, "the update isn't the problem, it's more likely X", I would know where I stand.
I enjoy my PS3, but I'm not in the position to pay $150 for repairs (price claimed by other users when they call PS3 support with an optical drive that has stopped working) nor about to shell out for a replacement system.
So, until SONY publicly addresses the firmware/drive issues, firmware updates, 3D or not, will be absent from my To Do list.
I was not happy with Avatar in 3D and do not want to watch another film this way again. I had to take my glasses off several times to give my eyes a break. I will give 3D another try with games, perhaps a racing game, it just might work for me there.
According to video games site VG247, the upcoming new firmware for the PS3, version 3.20, will enable 3-D video output, presumably for games only. Support for 3-D movies will be added in another upgrade later in the year. Note that you also need a 3-D TV and the required glasses to get the full experience. 
