The pitch for 3-D video in the home has yet to be embraced by the majority of consumers, but a Westbury, NY-based innovator believes his technology can jumpstart demand. Gene Dolgoff, CEO of 3-D Vision, developed a way to turn two-dimensional video content into 3-D imagery without the need for new televisions. Though his converter for homes is still in the prototype phase, he says a production model could be ready soon—with enough funding.
“The idea is to make it so people can use equipment they already have to enjoy the 3-D experience at home,” he says.
Consumer electronics giants such as Samsung, LG Electronics, and Panasonic have been lauding 3-D technology as a feature in many of their new televisions and blu-ray players. The problem is the library of 3-D content available on disc remains limited and the choices are even more restrictive on broadcast television. The industry faces a chicken-and-egg dilemma as studios gradually introduce more 3-D material and televisions capable of displaying such visual effects creep into homes. “People don’t want to spend the money on a new TV set,” Dolgoff say. “It’s almost unjustifiable because there is nothing to watch in 3-D.”
3-D Vision’s technology is being positioned as a lower cost alternative to techniques studios currently use to convert two-dimensional video. Dolgoff says he can turn even The Wizard of Oz into a 3-D feature.
Studios dabble with the visual dazzle of 3-D in action movies to make objects such Captain America’s shield seem to fly at the audience but it is hard to imagine a TV show such as Gossip Girl leveraging such technology to add visual depth.
That may change with Dolgoff’s Instant 3-D Converter device currently under development for televisions and computers. His company’s Auto 3D technology was put to work in 2010 converting a special episode of the Rachel Ray Show. The technology allowed the show to be converted without having to put
