3D is back (EDIT: Official MTBS Superbowl ColorCode Thread)

[Jadentheman]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LRmEKSiC9xo

[yuriythebest]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LRmEKSiC9xo

yup, in fact someone posted a youtube clip from that show however it was later removed by NBC. By the way they don't mention it but the technology is actually colorcode 3d - currently trying to aquire some colorcode glasses

[Silversurfer]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LRmEKSiC9xo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LRmEKSiC9xo

yup, in fact someone posted a youtube clip from that show however it was later removed by NBC. By the way they don't mention it but the technology is actually colorcode 3d - currently trying to aquire some colorcode glasses

"Colour Code Power anaglyph" mentioned and he explained in this MTBS newswire RSS feed here.

[Silversurfer]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LRmEKSiC9xo

Nice find Jadentheman

[cybereality]

Its always nice to see mainstream coverage of 3d. 3D is back for sure.

[Okta]

From all accounts, colorcode is an ultimate fail, and if this is what the public are being exposed to as the new 3d, then we are back to the dark old anaglyph days.

[Dowjd]

I agree with Okta. I think this is a giant step backyards for 3D. No matter how well intentioned, it will ultimately turn people off.

But who knows, people do crazy things these days. For all we know, football fans may love it. If there was some way passive polarized could be broadcast, that would be perfect and definitely 3D would take off.

[Freke1]

From all accounts, colorcode is an ultimate fail, and if this is what the public are being exposed to as the new 3d, then we are back to the dark old anaglyph days.

I totally agree.
No colorcode drivers.
No colorcode option in StereoMovie Maker.
No colorcode option in StereoPhoto Maker.
No colorcode option in Stereoscopic Player.

Why do 3D allways have to reinvent itself? It's boring frankly.

[yuriythebest]

From all accounts, colorcode is an ultimate fail, and if this is what the public are being exposed to as the new 3d, then we are back to the dark old anaglyph days.

I totally agree.
No colorcode drivers.
No colorcode option in StereoMovie Maker.
No colorcode option in StereoPhoto Maker.
No colorcode option in Stereoscopic Player.

Why do 3D allways have to reinvent itself? It's boring frankly.

No colorcode option in sView
No colorcode option in iz3d MPC

not sure if stereoscopic player supports it
http://www.3dtv.at/Products/Player/Features_en.aspx" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

says it supports

Half Color Anaglyph Yellow - Blue
Gray Anaglyph Yellow - Blue

those are close to what colorcode means so perhaps that is it.


perhaps in 3 years we will have the new amazing 3d-true-Glance format that will support pink/orange?

[Jadentheman]

Saw the commercials in HD 1080i. I was definetly amazed at the depth and pop out on this system. No eyestain or headache. It would be good as a temp solution until 3d tv set come out later this year. In no way it is an ultimate fail. Just poor because it is patent. Gone are anaglyph 3d. Now I know for sure 3d is back and here to stay.

Edit: Well chuck still needs to get passed but it looked good in the preview except little ghosting here and there mostly pop-out

[BlackShark]

There is also a yellow/blue option in the iZ3D drivers.

I've been working hard since yesterday to convert two of my videos into colorcode to upload to youtube and I've noticed significant increase in number of views just after the superbowl commercial breaks.

Some people seem to be interested in 3D again and they're looking for 3D content for their glasses.
We all know that anaglyph is on the way out but for all the people who don't have a 3DTV, it's their only solution.

[flexy]

ColorCode == CR@P

I got me colorcode glasses just to experiment, its worse than anaglyph.

NOT impressed at all.

G.

[Jadentheman]

I think colorcode is better than red/blue.

But yea it should only be a temp solution for a short amount of time

[flexy]

From all accounts, colorcode is an ultimate fail, and if this is what the public are being exposed to as the new 3d, then we are back to the dark old anaglyph days.

i 100% agree!

This is very BAD since it just leaves a bad taste in the mouth of consumers who see 3D (again) as a gimmick which is totally NON-USEABLE in real life apps.

CC is the worst implementation of anaglyph by far.

[yuriythebest]

I have figured out a proof of concept of how to EMULATE anaglyph/colorcode using modern 3d solutions:
http://forum.iz3d.com/viewtopic.php?t=853" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Silversurfer]

I have figured out a proof of concept of how to EMULATE anaglyph/colorcode using modern 3d solutions:
http://forum.iz3d.com/viewtopic.php?t=853" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

works for me cross eyed, thanks a lot

[yuriythebest]

I have figured out a proof of concept of how to EMULATE anaglyph/colorcode using modern 3d solutions:
http://forum.iz3d.com/viewtopic.php?t=853" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

works for me cross eyed, thanks a lot

when viewed using an iz3d the retinal conflict is gone- the yellow-blue somehow cancels each other out. there is ghosting but new glasses will help because crosseyed there's basically no ghosting (and that which is present is because of slightly inaccurate color values for the filters) . the same should work for red/blue.

[Jadentheman]

http://www.kissmein3d.com/

[yuriythebest]

http://www.kissmein3d.com/

need... colorcode... glasses...

[BlackShark]

http://www.kissmein3d.com/

need... colorcode... glasses...

Mines are on their way !

[Jadentheman]

Chuck in 3d sucks!! Irt looks flat most of the time!!!! Should have done heroes in 3d been better. Not even S-3D polarized/shutter can save this show!!~

[Neil]

I would gladly give up these glasses for a better story and some acting. Maybe if I turn the volume down, I will like it better...

Regards,
Neil

[Jadentheman]

anyone know if Sobe and chuck wll get release in real 3d? afterall it was shot by 3ality digital. Maybe the sobe commercial might be an ad in 3d at the theatres. I'd love to see that

[stee1hed]

ColorCode == CR@P

I couldn't have said it any better. I had some extra glasses and passed them on today to a friend with many reserves that i would be tainting their view and their kids view of 3D. I told them not to expect much.

I can only hope that it was my tv and they will have a better experience.

[stee1hed]

need... colorcode... glasses...

don't... waste... your time...

[it_ninja]

I've confirmed that Stereoscopic Player's Anaglyph yellow-blue settings do work with the Colorcode glasses. I can even watch Spy Kids 3D if I *caugh* really wanted to.

There seems to be better out-of-screen depth than red-blue glasses, but the colorcode glasses are just SO dark. The blue is almost purple - like a dark magenta. The reason why the Sobe commercial works at all is because everything's so white. There is less ghosting, but on my XR-10X projector, I had to watch the commercials at night with all the lights turned off to get a good effect. I'm on PST, so still waiting for Chuck. For it's quirks, I still love that show. It takes a few episodes to understand its charm, though.

These glasses are probably going to confuse most audiences. If I was new, I'd think these were going to be used in the theater, and I'd go see the 2D version instead. I'd probably say, "this is OK, but Bolt's glasses were much better."

Mainstream confusion is the last thing we want right now.

[Jadentheman]

No one still has answered my question!!!

[cybereality]

I watched Chuck last night with the glasses. It was meh. There was barely any 3d effects at all it looked pretty flat to me. I really hope people don't get the wrong impression. I'm not sure what they were thinking. If I took the glasses off the show looked normal, so I don't see how there was much 3d going on at all. Overall it was completely underwhelming. On top of all that the show sucks. I think that this promotion has hurt the S3D industry and giving people the wrong idea about S3D. So, yes, the colorcode glasses are an epic failure.

[staticbuddha]

Voltaire Got it Wrong About 3-D TV
By Eric A. Taub

Voltaire’s famous statement that “The perfect is the enemy of the good” doesn’t hold for Sunday night’s Super Bowl ads broadcast in 3D. When contemplating those commercials, I would suggest a variant: “the not very good is the enemy of the much better.”

Watching an ad for the movie Monsters Vs. Aliens, another for SoBe Lifewater and one promo for a TV show, all of which ran in 3D, made me wonder why the companies involved in the project bothered. The 3D effect was weak and the viewing experience unpleasant. For Dreamworks, Intel and NBC, the entire effort could go to waste, turning viewers off to a technology that, done right, can look so much better than what we saw last night (and can see tonight by watching the show, Chuck).

The problem was the technique used to create the 3D effect. ColorCode 3-D, a Danish company, has created a system that has the benefit of working on all types of displays. Viewers wear inexpensive paper glasses with colored amber and blue filters. Unlike the anaglyph method, which also requires viewers to wear glasses with colored lenses, ColorCode 3-D does a better job of preserving the colors of the image.

But the system doesn’t perform well. Wearing the glasses, the image is dramatically darker; it’s like watching TV with sunglasses on. And while the technology is different from anaglyph, both images are hard to watch–the images glisten and you often get the sense that one eye is suddenly covered over, or not focusing properly.

Studios like Dreamworks are making major commitments to 3D production. Television display manufacturers and other parties are now hashing out video production and transmission standards that could allow the broadcast of much better looking 3D programs by next year. Using this technique as a way to entice consumers to seek out 3-D could ultimately backfire. Because this system is simply not good enough.

[Okta]

Looks like colorcode glasse are very difficult to get, pulled from ebay and most 3d glasses stores. Patent laws enforcement.

[Rothchild]

I think you've all been spoiled. If you have access to polarized or shutter 3D methods at home, ColorCode is horribly weak. I don't have the cash to spend on those technologies, and I think ColorCode is great. If you have an old low quality TV, like I do, the commercials were underwhelming. The ColorCode HD videos I've gotten on the net look spectacular (on both LCD and CRT).

StereoPhoto Maker, StereoMovie Maker, AnaBuilder, iZ3D drivers, etc. all support ColorCode, it's just called yellow/blue because ColorCode's encoding method is patented. I've been having a lot of fun taking pictures with a digital camera and making them 3D, I even played a bit of WoW in 3D. You can't wear the glasses for an extended period of time, but it's better then red/cyan and a lot better then no 3D.

I think the companies really screwed the pooch though. The marketing for the commercials sucked, most I talked to didn't know about the commercials or episode of Chuck so they didn't have the glasses. Also, they should have clearly stated the movie itself would be in RealD instead of ColorCode and informed the general public of the differences. If I see one more person comment that they wore their red/blue or RealD glasses and the 3D sucked, I'll go postal (not refering to this website, refering to comments on NBC news, etc).

I'm probably biased because I grew up with red/blue and thought it was awesome... (and don't have access to a better method at home). I really don't understand all the bad press ColorCode is getting.

EDIT - Here's a really good skydiving video in ColorCode on YouTube. Watch it in HD.

[BlackShark]

I have recieved my colorcode glasses and i am testing al my games with them to see how they are compared to anaglyph.

[BlackShark]

I've spent the evening playing around with the colorcode glasses, tested a few games here is what i noticed.

I won't compare the colorcode glasses to shutters or polarized because they absolutely can't rival any true 3D solution.
I will only compare them to my traditional cardboard anaglyph glasses.


The first thing that you notice is how dark the lenses are ! It's quite frightening, they look like eclipse glasses.

anaglyphcolor.jpg

Well of course i'm exagerating but still they are way darker than the usual red/cyan anaglyph.
An other thing is that the yellow filter appears darker than the blue filter, this will have some consequences on how the 3D looks.

When putting the glasses on and looking at some colorcode content i can see 3D (so they're working) but the scenes look very different from red/cyan.

-1- light output :
The glasses are darker than anaglyph, so it's normal that the screen looses more brightness than using other glasses but there's more light coming from the glasses than i first expected when i unpacked the glasses. So yes, it's darker but not that dark.
dark games like Tomb raider or Left 4 Dead may be an issue though as you cannot see the differences in dark grey shades. You need to increase the brightness of your screen to play these games.

-2- colour :
Colour representation good, i can clearly see that colour reproduction is way better than red/cyan. I tested Devil may Cry 4, Left 4 dead and Mirror's edge.
The image still looks very washed out but there's no missing colour, and honnestly : after spending so much time on red/cyan it's so good to see the red colour in 3D again.
If the traditional weakcolour of red/cyan anaglyph glasses is the RED colour, using the same logic as the red/cyan, the weak colour of colorcode should be pure blue, the colorcode glasses don't miss BLUE, you can see plenty of it.
My guess about it is that pure blue is quite rarely used (which is why it's used in blue screens for chroma keying ?), but lighter blues like cyan are much more used, which is why i can still clearly see light blue objects through the colorcode like for example the sky and water.
Even when playing Mirror's edge (which is a torture when watched in non-optimized colour anaglyph) was still bearable through colorcode. I don't say Mirror's edge was very pleasant in colorcode, just that is was not really bad like red/cyan anaglyph.
But there's an issue with white (see the eye rivalry part).

-3- ghosting :
Anaglyph ghosting depends mainly on the perfect matching of the colours between your screen and your glasses. If your screen is well calibrated it will look good, if it isn't you will get ghosting. So i used the same color and brightness settings for both.

When watching through the colorcode glasses i usually saw less ghosting than through red/cyan anaglyph. But there's a trick : the glasses are darker !
When increasing the brightness of my screen i could clearly see that ghosting was present and not just a little. I also noticed that green was bleeding a lot through the blue filter. If i had to compare fairly to Red/Cyan, i'd say that for the same amount of light reaching your eyes, you should get roughly as much ghosting as traditional anaglyph. (i was quite expecting this)


-4- eye rivalry :
We reach here the weak spot of the colorcode glasses, so let me be straight : it's massive.
When using Red/cyan glasses, there is much more light coming through the cyan filter. So the cyan eye becomes dominant, the brain takes all the color of the cyan eye and only uses the red eye for depth. I only start to see eye rivalry when there is a very important amount of bright red or orange in a scene.

So i was expecting the colorcode glasses to behave the same way, the yellow eye becoming dominant over the blue eye.
That was without counting on the yellow filter being so dark !
With the colorcode glasses, both eyes get about the same amount of light. This means that you don't get a dominant eye over the other.
When a scene is more blue, the blue eye becomes dominant and you see the blue colour. When a scene is more yellow, the yellow eye becomes dominant.
The dark yellow (brown) filter is the key to allowing a good colour reproduction.
The weakness is : when a scene is colour neutral (white balanced) your brain does not know which eye to choose. And you get eye rivalry.
All the bright white areas begin to flicker Yellow/blue/yellow/blue/yellow/blue. It make you loose track of which colour white is looking like and it causes a significant amount of eyestrain and makes the colorcode difficult to use over long periods.

-5- depth perception :
Depth perception is most of the time just as good (or as bad) as Red/Cyan. The only issue is the darkness making dark objects completely disappear.
So as long as i increased the brightness of my screen I could get good depth and pop-out in most of the scenes but eye rivalry often breaks the charm and reduces the 3D effect.

------------------------------------

Conclusion :
Colorcode glasses are no better or worse than Red/Cyan. The have advanteges and drawbacks.

pros :
-no missing color, still washed out but significantly better than red/cyan.

cons :
-Very dark (both eyes) darker than red/cyan
-eye rivalry in bright white scenes
-cannot use iZ3D left/right shift mode (dominant eye changes all the time)

edit : just played half life 2 : where the crosshair is orange : you can aim quite well but since the lenses are dark, it's easy to loose track of the crossair.

Personnal preference : None : colorcode looks better but the inability to have a permanent dominant eye makes it impossible to aim in first person shooters. (i use the iZ3D one-eye shift mode to aim, i don't like lasersight). So i have to use red/cyan for FPS.

[Okta]

Great review Blackshark thanks.

[Freke1]

Great review Blackshark!

There is very much difference between anaglyph glasses. I took a picture of my 2 best ones, the Anaglyph Pro X Glasses (good color) and the HT026-bright red and HT141-bright blue film glasses (very little ghosting):


red/cyan is better than red/blue I think, and the colorcode glasses looks too dark.
I think colorcode is just another form of anaglyph but I would highly recommend people who use anaglyph or colorcode to try the 2 glasses I show in the picture or some with similar colors.

Again the 2 anaglyph glasses I'm holding are a lot better than f.ex. http://www.3dstereo.com/viewmaster/gla-ana.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; or http://www.3dstereo.com/viewmaster/gla-mir.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;. However strange that may sound...