Through the terms of the global licensing agreement, Marchon3D will distribute its RealD-compatible 3D glasses in cinemas, retail locations, e-commerce sites and through electronic equipment manufacturers worldwide. Marchon3D’s parent company, Marchon Eyewear, one of the world’s largest manufacturers and distributors of eyewear and sunwear, will market designer 3D eyewear and a prescription 3D lens directly to eyecare professionals. Marchon Eyewear currently distributes its products in over 100 countries, with regional headquarters in New York, Amsterdam, Tokyo and Hong Kong.

“RealD is committed to providing moviegoers with a premium 3D viewing experience. Marchon3D has developed a new breed of 3D eyewear that raises the bar, allowing moviegoers to experience RealD 3D with glasses in a design and fit all their own,” said Joseph Peixoto, President of Worldwide Cinema at RealD.  “We understand that just as movie selection is a reflection of personal taste, some RealD 3D fans want a choice of 3D eyewear that fits their personal style. Marchon3D has brought a new level of fashion to RealD-branded 3D glasses.”

Marchon3D eyewear features a portfolio of patent-pending circular polarized 3D lens technologies that stand apart from all other premium 3D lenses due to unique, curved lens designs. The lenses are inserted into premium-style frames that offer wearers superior fit, comfort and an outstanding 3D viewing experience. Additionally, the 3D eyewear provides top performance not only in RealD-enabled theaters, but also with compatible passive-system 3D televisions, laptops and monitors. The company has the ability to make passive 3D eyewear for any specification, and is already working with leading cinema, TV, computer and electronics equipment manufacturers globally.  A key feature of the new eyewear is that the lenses also block 100 percent of UVA and UVB rays and can be used as sunglasses.

“Marchon3D has the ability to design and produce advanced eyewear with significant fashion enhancements that together produce the highest quality 3D viewing experience,” said Al Berg, Founder of Marchon Eyewear.

It will be interesting to see if this concept catches on, or if people would rather wear the disposable glasses when they head to the movies.

How to watch 3D with incompatible glasses

No one knows whether this was done to force brand loyalty, or just out of sheer lack of foresight.  My guess is the former.  Luckily, Xpand is smart enough to have created active shutter glasses that will be compatible with pretty much any 3D television, although their glasses are a bit pricey.  Hopefully this doesn’t turn into some strange beta versus VHS war with glasses.  There are already enough 3D options out there with polarized glasses and morons jumping on the bandwagon pushing anaglyph as new technology.  Hopefully this doesn’t hurt the 3D home market too much.

Supported by all six major studios, MasterImage has seen its theatrical
market share rise 1200% during the past 18 months because it offers
superior digital technologies, along with a cost-effective, ownership-based
pricing model. The stylish, reusable glasses do not require batteries and
complement the company’s single-use offering.

“We are mindful of the environmental benefits afforded by reusable glasses
and wanted to offer exhibitors options, so they can select the right
product for their needs,” said MasterImage’s Peter Koplik. “With this new,
market setting offer, Master Image will outfit theaters with multi-use
glasses at less than one-fourth the cost of what competitors are charging
for comparable alternatives.”

MasterImage is exhibiting at the 2010 NAB Show in Las Vegas, in the 3D
Pavilion, booth SL 4514G, April 12-15. There, the company will showcase the
new glasses, along with its pioneering, autostereoscopic mobile display
systems.

About MasterImage 3D, LLC
MasterImage 3D is a stereoscopic 3D technology company that provides
pioneering 3D solutions for theaters, flat panel displays and handheld
devices. With more than 1,400 digital 3D theatre systems installed
worldwide, MasterImage offers audiences the best 3D image experience, while
providing exhibitors with a compelling ownership-based pricing model. The
company’s auto-stereoscopic (glasses-free), 3D LCD technology for mobile
and electronic devices are the first commercial displays of their kind, and
the company’s 3D camera ASIC empowers dual camera-equipped devices that
enable users to create and share 3D content. The company is gearing up to
deploy millions of auto-stereoscopic units with multiple manufactures
worldwide. Founded in 2004, the company was recently acquired and
capitalized by US-based Symphony 3D Holdings and is now headquartered in
Burbank, California.

Here are a few interesting facts from the article:

-Dolby glasses will be around $35

-Dolby and Xpand are designed to go into a dishwasher after each use.  Both manufacturers recomend theaters clean them after each wear.

-Dolby and Xpand glasses both contain anti-theft sensors which can set off an alarm at theater doors

-James Cameron endorses RealD but posed for a photo in Japan wearing Xpand glasses.

-And in case anyone cares, we here at Third Magazine prefer shutter glasses because of the multiple uses beyond 3D imagery, i.e. multi-player gaming on the same TV at alternating refresh rates.

We all know how 3D works, and if you aren’t sure, hop over to Gizmodo and check out their explanation.  Outside of the technical jargon, 3D is no different than the way we see everyday images.  The only thing that 3D media does is add virtual depth to a two dimensional image.  That’s it.  No more, and no less.  What the creator of the media chooses to do with it, has nothing to do with the media itself.  I cannot stress this enough.

3D is only a gimmick if the creator of the content chooses to use it as a gimmick.

I had to put that in bold because it seems to be the key misunderstanding.  Depth is one more aspect of media that can be used in many ways.  It can be used for artistic purposes.  A great real world example would be a painting versus a sculpture.  I can’t imagine anyone calling a Rodan sculpture a gimmick because it utilizes three dimensions.  So a filmmaker or artist can incorporate 3D imagery beautifully into their work, if they choose.

Depth can be used for educational purposes as well.  We posted an article months ago about a surgery that used dual 4k Red cameras and created 3D imagery of a surgery as a learning tool.  It also allows exploration into the natural world in ways that most people will never have access too.  Seeing animals in their natural habitat in full depth.  If you think this is useless, next time you are at a zoo, start complaining that you would rather see a picture of a tiger in the cage rather than a real tiger walking around in three dimensions.  See what sort of looks you get from bystanders.

Interactive technology has limitless possibilities using depth and motion control.  Honestly, I cannot even wrap my mind around the applications.  I can only dream up what could be done with physics, or drafting, or modeling machinery.

So when you hear people start complaining and whining about the 3D gimmick, just remember that these are the people who didn’t want radio or moving pictures or color pictures or stereo sound or computers or internet.  People are scared of change, especially if they don’t understand it.  This ancient technology called 3D is merely adding one more dimension to the media forms we all love.  And that one extra dimension, depth, can open up a world of possibilities in an infinite cross section of genres and industries.  We could all use a little more depth in our lives.

So the only thing stopping you from viewing 3D right now may be a pair of glasses and actual 3D content.  Don’t believe all the hype about insane costs.  Manufacturers make poor business decisions at times, but creating a popular market that the average consumer cannot enjoy isn’t likely.

 JVC’s 3D LCDs will use circular polarized passive glasses (like in RealD theaters).  Samsung is looking to focus on both active shutter LCD and passive eyewear models.

Source: PRNewswire, PRNewswire

Company’s active shutter glasses have electronics built in that cause each lens in turn to darken to solid black, then lighten again, many times a second, so the viewer only sees out of lens at a time (a.k.a. “frame sequential”). The glasses pick up a signal from the projector to stay in sync with the screen. Imax 3D led the S3D revival in the 1990s with a similar active-glasses system.

Because there’s tech in the glasses, active-glasses systems require less tech in the projector or screen — and that is the key to Xpand’s play for the home space.

Coming at CES is the announcement of “DLP Link,” a new way of syncing active glasses with the screen. DLP Link will be built into all home-theater projectors with the Texas Instruments DLP chip. Xpand will support DLP Link with new glasses.

What the Variety story neglects to mention is that Nvidia already has its 3D Vision kit out on the market. Both products can work with most displays that have a refresh rate of at least 120 hz. Although it can work with other refresh rates in some cases, it is not suggested.

So as Xpand, RealD and other Theater and film based companies race to get hardware into the home they are going to read smack into the gaming world, and compete with the likes of Nvidia/Intel, AMD/ATI, Logitech, Sony and others.
Start looking for Xpand and RealD to partner up with companies like Logitech and Sony, to get their names somewhere on the consumer / home products. The battle for active shutter glasses and active shutter systems with headphones and microphones for console and pc gaming are just around the corner. We’ll be following this story every step of the way.