When I upgraded my home theater to 3D a few months ago, I originally predicted that about 90% of my viewing would remain in traditional 2D format. The reality has turned out to be closer to 99%. Nonetheless, I’ve watched a fair amount of 3D content on Blu-ray, cable and videogames. After struggling for a while to find the best settings and calibration, I think that I’ve achieved a pretty good sense of “looking through a window” 3D depth. However, what I have rarely if ever seen are the so-called “pop-out” effects where objects are supposed to jump forward from the screen. Does anyone else have this problem?
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I have two 3D displays: a JVC projector (with active shutter 3D glasses) and a Vizio LCD TV (with passive glasses). My experience in this regard has been basically the same on both screens. When I watch 3D content, the surface of the screen is like a window that everything extends backwards from. I have almost never seen 3D imagery that protrudes forward from the surface of the screen. In fact, it may well be that nothing<\/em> ever has.<\/p>\n Now, I have<\/em> seen pop-out imagery in theaters when watching 3D movies, quite often in fact. So I don’t think there’s anything wrong with my ocular perception that prevents me from seeing 3D correctly. And, as I said, the sense of depth going back from the screen looks perfectly fine. I also understand that ever since ‘Avatar’, most forms of 3D have tended to emphasize immersive depth over gimmicky pop-outs. Even so, I feel like I should see this every once in a while, at least.<\/p>\n Some movies, like ‘Resident Evil: Afterlife<\/a>‘ and ‘Drive Angry<\/a>‘, have scenes that really appear to be designed to take advantage of gimmicky “Comin’ at ya!”<\/em> gags. The opening scenes of ‘Resident Evil’ feature numerous shots of bullets, ninja throwing stars and other objects flying towards the camera.<\/p>\n I’ve heard from some 3D viewers, including some of our own review staff, who tell me that they do see pop-out effects on their 3D displays. But even when they give me specific scenes to look for, my experience doesn’t change. Nothing ever breaks forward from the surface of the screen.<\/p>\n Just about the only time that I was convinced that I had finally gotten a pop-out effect was during the PS3 game ‘Super Stardust HD’ (which looks fantastic in 3D, by the way). When your character dies, your spaceship explodes in a tremendous burst that blasts toward the viewer. However, playing this game for a while and experiencing this more often, I think that my perception of the effect was colored by the startling nature of it. Watching again and scrutinizing closely, it appears that none of the ship’s debris extends beyond the screen after all.<\/p>\n