Third Magazine

Old 3D – Things haven’t changed too much

Posted on 17. Nov, 2009 by The James in Glasses, Vintage 3D

Today over at Gizmodo there is a short write up on a very old school 3D projector, the Stereo Realist Model 81 3-D Slide Projector.  Don’t worry though, UK’s Channel 4 and Virgin Media aren’t attempting to pass this off as a new home theater system, even though their new 20 year old technology is now available on demand (in case your cardboard glasses fell apart before you were able to catch the Miley Cyrus Concert).  This old slide projector was manufactured in 1950, looking a little like Darth Vadar and weighing about as much as a young grizzly bear, it boasted stereo imagery.

Although this projector may look ancient compared to modern projection methods, conceptually, things haven’t changed a whole lot when it comes to how we view 3D.  This allows for a perfect opportunity to present a quick refresher on 3D.  It’s really pretty simple. If each of our eyes sees the same image from a slightly different perspective, our brains will create the illusion of depth.  This concept still applies to modern 3D methods and was the basis of the giant old style projector above.  The only thing that has really changed over the years is how we isolate the images to be viewed separately by each eye, and even that hasn’t changed drastically.  The old Stereo Realist used red and blue glasses to cancel out opposing images.  This method is still common today (we are talking about you Channel 4).  But modern technology has allowed other methods that can optimize the image including polarization and shutter style glasses.  So 3D imagery is actually a pretty archaic concept, but with modern viewing methods the future applications are becoming quite interesting.