Whilst 3D televisions have actually become extinct (at least to the general public), there’s more than just one way for you to watch 3D movies at home. And in fact, you don’t need to have a television to do this.
But if you’re trying to watch TV at home, what exactly do you need then? Well, there’s a few different items that you need for you to watch movies at home in 3D. Let’s look at what itinerary you need to put together to enjoy 3D movies in the comfort of your own home.
What you need to watch 3D movies at home
If you want to watch 3D movies at your home, then all you’re going to need for this is the right equipment. The main thing that you’ll need is a projector or television that is compatible and capable of playing 3D movies. In addition to this, you’ll also need 3D glasses too.
Though they aren’t that popular nowadays, some people still want the ability to watch 3D in their own home theater. And if you set up your home theater properly, then it can enable you to have a better viewing experience.
But glasses and the right TV or projector are only the basics that you’ll need for watching 3D movies at home. Let’s look at all the things you’ll need in a little more detail.
A 3D TV
Though they have been discontinued and aren’t generally sold in the modern day, the likelihood is that you have one of these already. If you don’t, then you can check out the secondhand market to see if there’s one that you can pick up for a reasonable price.
Essentially, a 3D TV will work by portraying two different images, and sending them to each of your eyes separately. This is why polarized glasses are needed if you want to get a 3D setup in your own home.
Setting up your home theater to play 3D Blu-ray films is definitely worth doing for those that like this style of cinema. So though a 3D TV can be pretty hard to find, they can be worth the extra effort in some cases.
Ironically, just as 4K televisions were becoming popular, 3D television had already started its decline. This lead to many saying that effectively 4K was a replacement for the 3D TV, though they obviously work in completely different ways.
The real nail in the coffin for 3D was a lack of support in new 4K televisions moving forward. Despite this, there are some televisions from 2013 that can support both 4K and 3D resolution. One that springs to mind is the LG UB9800, which was actually pretty well received at the time.
A good 3D compatible projector
If you’re not going to use a television to watch movies in 3D, then it’s a good idea for you to invest in a good quality projector instead. This way, you can be sure that you’re going to have a good experience when you’re watching.
But, you need to make sure that you get the right projector to do this, as not all projectors have the ability to play movies in 3D. So whilst a 3D projector can play films in 2D, a 2D projector cannot play films in 3D.
This is because 2D projectors just don’t have the hardware for playing 3D. So, make sure that you get a projector that is 3D compatible, and if you already have one, check you can use it for 3D.
3D Glasses
Although you might think that 3D glasses are just a gimmick, they’re a necessity for watching films in 3D. If you don’t use glasses, then you’ll just see everything doubled up.
If you’re going to watch 3D through your projector, then a normal set of passive glasses won’t do. You’ll need to get a set of active shutter glasses, which are battery powered. This works by actually syncing up the shutter of your glasses with the display rate of the screen.
Content/Movies to Watch
Aside from the physical things that you’ll need to play and watch your 3D content on, you’ll actually need to figure out a way to get the content itself. Netflix and other streaming services don’t have many 3D options, so it’s up to you to source it yourself.
But where can you find 3D content for you to watch nowadays? Well, here’s the best places for you to find 3D films to watch.
Is 3D TV dead, and if so, why?
As mentioned above, we no longer sell 3D televisions first hand and they’ve declined massive in popularity, primarily due to the increase of use in 4K. Though currently we’re still selling 4K as a premium option, in a few years it’ll become the norm (and 8K will take its place as premium, no doubt).
Actually, 3D televisions rise in popularity was pretty short lived. It was really the release of Avatar in 2009 that started the whole 3D trend, with all of the movie companies competing to find the best 3D hit they could. Whilst at the time it was a spectacle in the cinema, the experience never really translated to TV that well.
Whilst you can still get TVs and video projectors that are capable of it, they’re not popular, and are pretty much dead for the most part.
Conclusion
In many cases, nowadays it can actually be more hassle than it’s worth setting up your home cinema to be able to view 3D movies at your own leisure.
Whilst it is definitely possible, many people prefer to instead look at getting a 4K screen. This doesn’t make things three dimensional by any means, but it does produce a high quality movie.
But if you’re intent on setting up your home to watch 3D movies, then it’s definitely possible! You just need to get the right TV or projector and the right 3D glasses and you should be good to go.
