Those of us old enough to remember going to Jaws 3D in 1983 know that there is a huge difference between 3D then and 3D now. While you may still get a pair of the old-school red and blue glasses packaged with a special "3D" DVD, modern films made for a 3D viewing experience in the theater are leaps and bounds above the older technology and will soon become commonplace in not only big-screen cinema productions, but also with television and home theaters.

3D imagery is based on a stereoscopic process, during which two cameras are used at slightly different positions beside each other to simulate the human left eye and the human right eye working together. While the positioning of two human eyes is not the sole reason as to why our brains interpret modern day life as being in 3D, it is certainly a large factor involved. And the use of stereoscopy with photography and filmmaking goes a long way towards creating the illusion of depth. Modern stereoscopic filmmaking results in the projection of two superimposed, slightly different images from two slightly different perspectives. Each of these images is passed through different polarizing filters and the glasses you are given also have different polarizing filters. The filters in each eye block out the other image going to the screen through a different filter, and vice versa with the other eye. This is what allows each eye to see the two slightly different images at the same time and with the feeling of depth and natural 3D vision.

Over the last several years, it seems just about every animated movie is offered in 3D at one theater or another. But now, with the releases of Avatar and Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland, it seems that live action blockbusters will soon be following. Even moreso, it will be moving into our homes and onto our televisions, computers, and gaming platforms. In fact, Nintendo will be releasing the Nintendo 3DS in 2011, a gaming device which utilizes autostereoscopy (the ability to display in image in 3D without the need for special headgear or glasses). Currently, autostereoscopy is somewhat limited in its applications and ability to work without having to be seated in a specific viewing position from the device or screen. But rest assured that everything from gaming systems to cell phones to laptops to televisions will soon be offering versions of their products that utilize autostereoscopic technology.

Currently, you are probably seeing all the advertisements for 3D televisions coming onto the market. This is just another sign of the times for how much 3D viewing will be integrated into our lives and homes on a regular basis. Of course, just like any new technology, there are going to be various competing brands' items using slightly different technology, each one boasting it has the better product and the one that will have the success of longevity. So "buyer beware" while this technology is still so new. You may end up with an item that's obsolete only a few years from now. And at a price tag starting at two-grand (not to mention a couple hundred bucks for every pair of battery-operated glasses beyond the two pairs included with most 3D televisions), it's an investment you'll want to think long and hard about.

Whether it's home entertainment or watching the next summer blockbuster on the big screen, 3D is quickly becoming the new "norm" and you will be hard-pressed in the near future to find any major cinematic productions not being offered in one form of 3D or another. Who knows, maybe someday we'll be able to present Fliprag Magazine to you in 3D.