Japan’s 1980s 3D Videodiscs

Cool thumbnail change! 👍🏻

This was quite interesting, I had no idea they had this in Japan that early. I don't remember seeing stuff like this in the US until the mid-90s, in particular visiting a Circuit City where they had an early VR headset and a 3D headset. What I found mind blowing many years later was finding out that all those famous photos of the US Civil War were all shot in 3D - and when you view it in a modern VR headset, they look spectacular - really great resolution and clarity. So 3D keeps failing as a format despite going back to the mid-1800s.

At least in the USA around 1995-1996, there was a "Virtual-IO i-glasses" HMD product where even and odd interleaved fields mapped to left and right 320x240 LCDs. As I recall, the LCDs were backlit and fired through optics; the image appeared overlaid through the translucent optics unless the provided (cardboard?) insert was installed to block the outside view. It came with a demo VHS tape; all I can remember from that was some CGI fishes swimming up close. (As you said, near field content was necessary for 3D to be engaging in low resolution.) I guess they hoped for a "Field of Dreams" outcome on 3D content (build it and they will come?). I only know about it because the company that I worked for at the time bought one to evaluate. Anyway, it seemed worth mentioning as one possible "missing link" between 3-D of the 1980s and 2000s.

The current death of 3D is making me a bit sad. I've noticed that local cinemas (Czech Republic) recently stopped offering 3D screenings. And with 3D TVs being long dead, there is no other option. I hope that there will be another comeback, since I really liked that experience. I always picked the 3D option when going to see a movie.

Random Mat... but I was out just now getting take-away food for my Mom (who is laid-up recovering from knee surgery) and I thought you'd appreciate this little Triumph convertible I snapped a photo of: https://ibb.co/LPwM7bN

One of these days I must dig out my PS4 again to try watching my 3D blu-rays with a PSVR. I want to believe it will be a better experience than my old LG passive 3D LCD!

@techmoan about 3D and general viewing experience. Did You check out Viture glasses? I have recently obtained a Lemorele HDMI2USB-C adapter. All in all it is rather a novelty with several drawbacks, but it still works surprisingly well on the 3D (2x1080p) if you have SBS footage.

Just watched the official YouTube release. You really improved the original. I especially liked the added section, (I hope you added it, and not that my senility is catching up to me!), about the differences between the 3D crazes over the years. I was first fascinated by the 1950s 3D movies that I watched in the 1960s, and remember watching House of Wax in the Theater. But, instead of two projectors, they used one and spun a wheel between the film and the lens that alternated the polarizing effect with each alternating frame. 3D was cool, but the stuttering gave me a headache, and led to reports of epileptic seizures of patrons during the showing. I wonder if Apple's new Vision Pro could reignite an interest in 3D... (at $3,500?... nah!)

Thanks for this video, so interesting! I'm so sorry your 3D Oled TV died, this looked like the best way ever to watch and share 3D at home.

What kind of signal is being sent to the glasses? 60hz square wave?

i've been waiting forever for this video!

Tech like this is still fundamentally superior to watching 3D movies on a $500-$4000 VR headset in one important way: there's a credible chance of sharing the experience with a group, thanks to those cheap shutter glasses. The Avatar II demo on Apple's Vision Pro was slick as hell. But the overall experience of watching a movie by yourself is nothing compared with watching it on a basic, commodity-grade TV _with_ a few family members and friends in the living room.

Every 3D experience I have had, most of which are at amusement parks, have all made me nauseous. I have found that VR does very similar so I must be broken.

Very good, Mat. It's always interesting when you delve into the detail of past technologies. I knew none of that before now.

I suspect the fact that "House of Wax" was shot as 3D helped a lot with it being a better 3D presentation. I'm guessing that isn't the same for some of the later films.

Very nice updates - I appreciate the history of theatrical 3D you've presented. I'm immensely amused that an R-Rated film rejuvinated the public's interest in 3D. 😅

Great video on an interesting tech I knew nothing about -- thank you. Also, I can certainly see why you wanted to memorialize that epic fannypack in all its 3D glory :)

Thanks for a look at another technological cul-de-sac. I can't help thinking that the preparation needed for this one was out of all proportion to the length of the video. My ideas about 3D and VR have always been tempered by the fact that I've worn glasses since the age of five and tended to assume that the goggles and headsets wouldn't work for me. I always thought the variations of 3D glasses were just slightly silly interim technologies, there until real 3D could be perfected. I imagined that the 3D future would look much more like the early 80s Grundig ad, which shows kids playing a video game inexplicably bursting out of the screen and a couple enjoying a Schubert string quartet played by hologramatic musicians on their coffee table. https://youtu.be/aEWEFWwO7-w

Starchaser was my first theatrical 3D experience so I have fond memories, sad that the BD release was 2D only - what with a 3D lenticular slipcase! I only purchased a projector in 2016, skipped buying a 3D set, but have been collecting 3D discs since (3D Film Archive is doing amazing work in the states). I got a used Sony HDR-TD10 camcorder and Fuji W3S for still photography in 2020, a shame that the "boom" ended before these first generation imagers had time to advance, the video from the Sony on a gimbal is still impressive. I had an epiphany that I could mimic aerial 3D photography just by shooting video with a drone as it is moving sideways then pulling frames for the left and right eye (the more temporal distance, the more pronounced the 3D effect) - to supplement ground-level stills taken with the Fuji camera. Then I had the further realization that I could use a single take of that video, offset it by a few frames and duplicate it for L and R eyes creating 3D aerial video. Very convincing. Right now I am actually working on my first lenticular prints for 3D landscape photos using sideways video as a basis (10 frames worth as opposed to just 2 creates a more immersive experience). In Japan there is a company that will do up to A2 size, but their postcard rates (100 or more in a batch) are not too expensive.

I just noticed the ladybug 🐞 pin you were using with your functional visual representation - doubtful that it means anything other than an available item, but it's adorable.

Just another excellent video, good sir.

The most eye-wrenching 3D effect is with those Pulfrich (I think) glasses, where to get a "good" effect there has to be a lot of continual background movement. There's that terrible Doctor Who/EastEnders crossover special made using it, as well as a Top Of The Pops edition from the same year (recently repeated). And it works well on LCD screens and tablets. I've kept my glasses from 1993!

I was born with a strabism (squint) and by the time this had been corrected with eye patches, I had lost any ability to see stereo vision. I've always felt left out from any 3D tech as it simply doesn't work for me. I had a glimmer of hope in the late 2000s when 3D cinema became popular and thought I might experience some 3D effect. As soon as the audience started oohing and ahing at the exaggerated close-up action scenes, it was obvious my depth of vision was still as flat as a pancake. I guess you don't miss what you never had, eh?

I also discovered 3D as a kid, in my case through viewmaster reels. I've just checked and I currently have 227 three reel packets. But in the late 90s I got into 3D photography with a 1950s Stereo Realist camera, still my favourite film camera. Now though I use a Fuji W3, which produces ok images as long as it's used at 400 iso or less. For viewing in a slide viewer I copy the digital images to film using a Polaroid film recorder, picked up from Ebay for £6.50. It came from York university and they paid £6500 for it in 1997!

I wonder if any fellow Los Angelinos of a certain age remember Elvira "Movie Macabre" having that special 3D presentation back in the early 80s. We had to beg an adult to drive us to 7-11 to get the cheap specs. I don't recall much about the flix but I think I came of age that day watching The Mistress of the Dark doing her little "3DTV" dance!

Mat, do you think the primitive "3D" attempts of the original House Wax release did anything to help with the higher quality of the experience that you noted in the video, or is it just a coincidence and simply down to a better aspect ratio being presented?

Interesting to think that early television experiments were also based on a rotating disc. Vinyl records, CDs, Laser discs, floppy disks. film reels, hard discs, all using the same basic paradigm. I wonder if there is something in the collective unconscious going on... like how even the most advanced energy production systems are essentially steam and a rotating turbine.

The surprise of discovery derived from this video sits alongside ancient Greek steam power, Roman coin-operated machines, The Antikythera Mechanism, and 18th century FAX machines in the 1850s. And I am only exaggerating a little! I associate proper 3D video with the 21st century (and I still don't think they are that great) so seeing what these Japanese engineers were up to in the 80s is one of those lovely shocks to the imagination!

I used to wear polarized sunglasses at the gym so I couldn't see the TVs. I kinda felt like Roddy Piper in They Live

I liked the fact that in the 80s, the Japanese were experimenting with consumer technology and trying to push the boundaries. While this 3d tech may not have been a success, it did lay the groundwork for future versions. As a side note, I wonder why 3d just died away? I remember when 3d was everywhere and it seemed to be on the verge of becoming standard.

I bought the exact product in the early 2000s you mentioned in the video with the the three movies because I was so into 3D. Was a very bad 3D experience. But I am still a 3D fan and even more so since bluray 3d. I own over 200 3D-films and enjoy wathing them on a quite big screen via a projector. Some films like "the passenger" from 2016 are so good with the 3D it makes the whole experince of the film so much better. Sad that home consumer 3D is dead right now but it might come back with better VR glasses in the future. Watching the latest Avatar film in 3d in an IMAX theater was one of the best movie experince from a technical standpoint in my life. Avatar 2 might be the last 3D Bluray you can buy. If 3D comes back it centainly will not be on bluray.

Nice video! If you do a little chart/infographic like that again, consider two more colorblind friendly colors like dark blue/bright yellow. Can't win for everyone, but red/green is a pretty common color deficiency. You explained things enough so I could follow, but it'd be nice to make it easier to follow.

Talking to camera AND putting a VHD into its case. I can only dream of that level of multitasking!

Very cool. I did not realize VHD offered 3d, VHD was just something I read about in a magazine. I was familiar with the Pioneer LaserActive 3d stuff but that was early 90s and wicked expensive as I recall. 3d tech never sticks around for various reasons; maybe why its so fascinating.

Also… I have an LG 24” 3D monitor sitting here not being used Mat. It’s been sitting here not being used for a very long time, so if you want to watch your 3D Bluray’s in a small but almost adequate number of inches, it’s yours.

Two different 3D planes sounds right. Original IMAX 3D had four planes, RealD had 12 or 16 I think. One thing I’d note is that the red and green isn’t very clear to those of us with colour blindness. The graphic is clear, but the paper version isn’t. I’m not suggesting you should re-shoot obviously, I’d just like you to be aware for the future :)

I’m another one of those rare specimens who really likes 3D. After wanting it back in the day, a few years ago I finally bought the Fuji FinePix Real 3D W3 camera, and while the image quality is terrible, some of those photos I took of travel and my kids when they were young are still some of the most engrossing, “realistic” photos I have, so I’m very sad that 3D never took off. With Apple reintroducing 3D photography with the Apple Vision Pro I’m hoping it makes a comeback (even if I can’t afford it)

Excellent. The spinning paper diagram made me realise that Mat is the Tomorrow's World presenter we never got to see. Does anyone remember the Imax 3D animation sponsored by Intel. Of all the iMax films I saw that really impressed me at the time. A real 3D puzzle was the large Glasses Free 3D display I saw in 2006. It was at West Quay shopping centre for the launch of the Toyota Auris. Obviously Toyota have a much larger budget than most home users but I still wonder how it worked.

I went to see Jaws 3d at the cinema last year looked amazing but it was more about depth then effects. They did ET and Titanic in 3d as well as part of a special anniversary. Titanic 3d with no breaks really hurts your eyes. I also remember seeing jaws 4 (I think) in 3d when it came out originally. Great video

3D was so futuristic… Excellent vid.

When I was a child I was a little obsessed with 3D. It seemed to me like the 1980s was full of it. 3D stickers, 3D magazines (supplied with some crappy cardboard 3D glasses), 3D at the cinema....I think my child brain dealt with 3D better than my adult brain as I can clearly remember talking with friends at school and saying that Jaws was literally inches from my face at the cinema! Anyway I found this fascinating, its good to look back at this old tech and its good to hear personal stories from the past, although it does always make me want to go back in time and do it all again.

House of Wax is still my fave 3d film (sorry Mr. Cameron). Pretty crazy that it was directed by a guy blind in one eye who couldn't see the 3d effects! Of course finding a rep house that can still project the old 35mm prints is a bit of challenge now, at least here in Canada.

I've got one of the last 3D TV sets produced, Panasonic 4K model from 2017, everyone else has stopped producing them the year before and out of the blue they announced this one last hurrah. I'd had a 3D plasma prior to that and had been putting off upgrading to 4K, the last 3D OLED's were in short supply and I was looking at having to fork out about a grand for one even though they were the last year's models; with the Panasonic announcement I waited until they started getting heavily discounted towards the end of the year, jumped in at the first major price cut and then saw prices sky rocket when people realised that stock was running out and this was their last chance. The thing that I don't get: newer models usually have really high refresh rate screens and pretty powerful processors built into them, they could easily drive 3D playback and only have to include the transmitter, for active shutter glasses, as the extra expense to still support it. Just seems ludicrous to completely ditch the format when it could be so easily supported.

I was all about the 3D Bluray format. Bought a PlayStation 3D display that still works (I think?), but yeah haven't kept full track of the battery powered glasses it needs. Did pick up some extras when they dropped in price. And broke one too.. I ended up switching to buy 3D Blurays from the UK as a last bastion of the format (>5 years ago. I assume there are no new titles available these days). Mainly just Pixar anyway though. Oh and Nightmare Before Christmas that had developed a skip in the disc somehow... I guess I need to prepare for the idea that they will just stop working. 4K took over as the feature to drive consumer upselling and I don't think it adds as much as 3D did? I only bought into that last year and had some years where I had to end discretionary spending so been out of habit buying discs so kind of a big gap of content now.. Physical media itself is going away anyway too so... Have to prepare for that future too :P

Jaws 3D: but the shark still looks fake :-P. Clearly too far ahead of its time, but always good for a Techmoan episode! I guess I would have completely digged into this as a child, although, it took me a while before realising the 3D effect in the ViewMaster...

• It's very nice to get a revisit of the VHD technologies. • The inclusion of your personal story, and your fondness for 3D, makes this video all the better. I could even go out on a limb and say that 13:14 - 17:19 is the best part (or at least my favorite part) of the entire video. • That's a very handsome young gentleman in the lenticular photo - and it's so 80's/90's that it makes my nostalgia ache. • My only experience with 3D was in the movie theater. The first film I watched in 3D was Beowulf; okay for the 3D, I guess. My big pain was always struggling to get a proper (non-smugged) eyeglass and 3D glasses experience. • This is a particularly difficult topic to demonstrate and make a video about. We can't see the full 3D impact, but it is clear that the technology wasn't advanced enough to create an optimal experience. I appreciate all your efforts. • I sort of wish we had another cheesy VHD promo about 3D to look at. 😁 Take Care 🤍

Very Interesting video. My favourite 3D tech purchase is my Fujifilm FinePix Real3D W3 digital stills camera. It's not perfect of course, photos of close up objects become a headache inducing mess but some photos work well and the 3D effect of the inbuilt display screen without any glasses needed is quite something.

I wanted this SO badly when I was a kid. I don’t even remember how I learned about it, but I was very aware of this format circa 1987? I was a bit enamored with 3D after attending great 3D festivals at the Film Forum in NYC. I upgraded my Blu-ray player last year to multi-region UHD 4K and one of the first thing I checked after making sure it worked properly playing multi-region discs was that the 3D also worked. I’m also super bummed that whenever it’s time to buy a new TV, it’s not going to be 3D compatible. Nothing beats “House Of Wax” in 35mm if you ever get the chance!

Hmm, does the PSVR support 3D blu-ray? Not that it would be particularly comfortable watching an entire movie with the headset on your bonce...

Quite enjoyed seeing the picture of Mat during his Phil Collins phase.

Now I'm curious about that DVD set! Have you tried using the Victor VHD goggles to view the DVDs, or the glasses that came with the DVD set on the VHDs?