If you’re lucky enough to have a 3D TV you may well be feeling disappointed at the dearth of decent Blu-rays available to buy. So are there any true 3D Blu-rays out there?
If you bought a 3D TV you’d know about it. If you somehow missed the shop assistant extolling its benefits, or miraculously didn’t notice the bunting and bows around the display model, you’d have undoubtedly noticed at the till when you parted with a few thousand pounds.
The case isn’t the same for a 3D Blu-ray disc, however. This morning I went to HMV to buy a few 3D Blu-rays. Fortunately I work with TVs and know there are currently only two real 3D Blu-rays available – otherwise I could have come away with all sorts of disappointing purchases.
The shop assistant checked her ‘system’ and recounted around half a dozen 3D titles that they sold, around four of which were in stock. I was surprised and asked to see them.
Don’t fall for freebies
The first title I looked at was Coraline, advertising a few pairs of free 3D glasses. I couldn’t believe such a great offer could be had for just £12, particularly as I’d just bought two pairs of 3D glasses for £140.
The glasses that come with this Blu-ray, however, were the red/cyan anaglyphic type. Those that film studios were trying to wow audiences with 50 years ago. I left the store empty-handed.
What would the average consumer have done in this situation? OK, perhaps they wouldn’t have bought a £3,000 3D TV in the first place, but let’s just say they did. The chances are that they’d then follow up this purchase with a handful of 3D films. And if they’d bought any of these anaglyphic films then they’d have surely been disappointed, and left wondering, more than before, what all the 3D fuss is all about.
Finding real 3D Blu-rays
I did a little desk-based research and found a list of the true 3D Blu-rays that are currently available in the UK, and they are the following:
- Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs
- Monsters vs Aliens
- Monster House – available in October
- Toy Story 3 – available in November
- Coraline and Ice Age 3 are also available but only with certain Panasonic 3D bundles
My advice is to check the packaging of the Blu-ray carefully. If it says Blu-ray 3D clearly at the top of the front cover, then you should be safe. If the only 3D claims are elsewhere on the box, and if free 3D glasses are also included, be wary. It’s just an attempt by the studios to jump on the 3D bandwagon and sell a few extra titles while there’s a lot of 3D confusion (and a dearth of true 3D Blu-ray content) around.
I’ve seen some impressive 3D TV content recently, but this anaglyphic stuff is simply best avoided.
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