Hasta La Gadget!

3D television has effectively been a failure, the BBC has conceded, revealing that it plans to take at least a three year break from creating 3D content after a current two-year pilot finishes at the end of 2013. “I have never seen a very big appetite for 3D television in the UK” Kim Shillinglaw, the BBC’s 3D chief, confirmed to the Radio Times, despite the UK broadcaster experimenting with various types of entertainment, sport, natural history, and more in 3D.

According to Shillinglaw, viewing figures for some of the highest-profile 3D content the BBC has broadcast have been middling at best. The Olympics Opening Ceremony, for instance, was expected to be a 3D draw, but in fact only an estimated 750,000 people watched it in the newer format, or around half of 3D TV owners in the UK.

Even that could be considered a success in relation to other failed 3D projects. The broadcast of the 2012 Queen’s Speech on Christmas Day in 3D pulled in under 5-percent of the total potential viewers, the BBC 3D chief admitted.

According to Shillinglaw – whose normal job is head of science and natural history, the department responsible for Walking with Dinosaurs 3D – the issue with 3D TV is that it’s simply too much hassle for too little in the way of rewards.

“Watching 3D is quite a hassly experience in the home. You have got to find your glasses before switching on the TV” she theorized. “I think when people watch TV they concentrate in a different way. When people go to the cinema they go and are used to doing one thing – I think that’s one of the reasons that take up of 3D TV has been disappointing.”

Other UK broadcasters, such as Sky, are yet to comment on their longer-term 3D plans, though Shillinglaw suggests that the overall impact of the recession could have limited the number of TVs in the wild. How that fits in with low viewership figures among even those who have the necessary technology remains unexplained.

3D was, following the “High Definition” gold-rush, the TV industry’s next big call-to-upgrade; however, it has failed to have the same impact as 1080p. Last month, ESPN announced it would be shutting down its 3D channel after a lack of adoption. Next up is Ultra HD, the new buzzword in home entertainment, though manufacturers will have to bring prices of the high-resolution sets down before the mass-market will consider them.

VIA The Next Web

3D failure: BBC abandoning 3D after broadcast trial meets viewer apathy is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
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We see a lot of cool things in the 3D printing world, but this is definitely a first. A software engineer 3D-printed a duck foot that allowed one disabled duck to begin walking properly after the little creature suffered from a backward foot that made getting around painful and difficult. The duck was born with

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So far 3D video hasn’t taken off like high definition did, but that hasn’t stopped entrepreneurs from exploring its potential. But while most 3D-capable gadgets tout their cutting edginess, the inventors of Poppy did the opposite. The gadget, which allows you to shoot and view 3D videos and images using an iPhone or iPod Touch, is a throwback through and through.

If nothing else, I love how it looks. It’s not shiny, streamlined or made of machined aluminum – it’s a freaking plastic box. Even the way it works is low-tech. The Poppy has no moving or electronic parts. It just uses lenses and mirrors to achieve the 3D effect. The only high tech component of course is your iOS device. The Poppy only works with the iPhone 4, 4S and 5 and the 5th generation iPod Touch.

In the end though, the Poppy is up against the same problem that other 3D gadgets have. It promises a see-it-to-believe-it experience that just can’t be demonstrated or previewed. Still, that hasn’t stopped it from blowing through its Kickstarter goal with almost a month left on its fundraiser. Pledge at least $49 (USD) on Kickstarter to get a Poppy as a reward.

Remember the View-Master? We’ve already seen goggles from Hasbro and Sanwa that transform the iPhone into a 3D viewer, but Poppy plans to spice things up by adding 3D photo and video capture to the mix. The device, which contains no electronics, is about the size of medium pair of binoculars and features a slot which accepts an iPhone 5. It’s launching on Kickstarter today for less than $50, along with a matching app. We got the chance to take a prototype for a spin and it worked like a charm. Check out the gallery and campaign link below, then read on after the break.

Filed under: Cellphones, Cameras, Mobile, Apple

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Source: Poppy (Kickstarter)

Samsung told us to expect its 55-inch OLED TV sometime in July, but there’s now a chance that South Koreans will get an early look. Yonhap News Agency hears through tipsters that the premium set could ship to Samsung’s homeland next week, with a price somewhere north of 10 million won ($8,840). It might not be alone, either — those same sources also claim that the company’s curved OLED TV may arrive at the same time. Samsung hasn’t confirmed anything, but such moves would line up with the firm’s tendency to debut products in its home country. Besides, Samsung rarely lets any of LG’s salvos go unanswered.

Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD, Samsung

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Source: Yonhap News Agency