Help us see the world in 3D!

February 7, 2009 9:12 AM

My girlfriend and I saw Coraline last night in 3D. Now we have a pair of these nifty 3D glasses. What now?

These aren't the old school red/blue ones so those youtube videos are out of the question. Are there videos online or anywhere else that will let us utilize these trendy new additions to our wardrobes?

posted by Geppp to media & arts (19 answers total)

3D glasses these days tend to work using polarised light. Each lens polarised differently, to individually view two images projected onto the screen using polarised light in the cinema.

I'm afraid I don't think there's much around other than specially projected films like Coraline that you'll be able to see anything interesting with.
posted by lucidium at 9:33 AM on February 7, 2009

If the lenses look gray, then they're polaroid filters, turned ninety degrees apart from one another. They're not useful for anything else, really. They can't be used on computer displays, for example.
posted by Chocolate Pickle at 9:35 AM on February 7, 2009

They're not anaglyph glasses...they're Real D, right? Do they look like this?

I threw an anaglyph party once, so I have way too many suggestion for the red-blue glasses, but for Real D glasses all I can suggest is a list of other movies you can watch.
posted by Juliet Banana at 9:37 AM on February 7, 2009 [1 favorite]

There was probably a recycling bin for those in the lobby that you missed, I'm afraid. I believe they get shipped back to the company, inspected for damage, and sanitized and repackaged.

I'd recommend you call the theater back and ask if they have one so you can drop them off. Those glasses won't do anything for you.
posted by middleclasstool at 9:37 AM on February 7, 2009

To paraphrase, using the words of the bard:

"Ze goggles, zey do noszink!"
posted by Aquaman at 9:40 AM on February 7, 2009

Here's the Wikipedia article on the Real D system used for Coraline and most other modern 3D movies. They use circular polarization and a single DLP projector that alternates between showing the left and right eye images six times per second. Unfortunately, a projector capable of displaying a Real D film costs between $90,000 and $250,000 as they're all aimed at commercial theaters.

Anyway, about the most interesting thing you can do with the glasses is play with the left and right polarizations. For example, if you line up the left lenses of two pairs then things should look normal, if slightly dim. If you look through the left lens of one and the right lens of the other, then it should turn black. Neat, eh?
posted by jedicus at 9:46 AM on February 7, 2009

I recently came into possession of a pair of these glasses. A friend gave me them knowing I love all things optical.

A cool, quick trick to see how the polarizers work is to look at yourself in the mirror with the glasses on and close one eye. Notice that opposite eye is dark? The polarized light coming from that eye is block by the second polarizor covering the eye you have open.

This is the same trick jedicus mentions, just using a mirror instead of two pairs of glasses.

Also, since liquid crystal displays use polarized light, you can have fun with them too. Put one of the lenses over a pocket calculator screen and rotate it. Notice how the display of the calculator disappears and reappears.

If you have a laser pointer, you can shine it through one of the lenses and see a similar effect. As you rotate the lens (or the laser), it should dim since the laser is most likely linearly polarized.

If you do have two pairs or are willing to break your current pair, there are some nifty things you can do with crossed polarizors, like looking at stress birefringence.
posted by toftflin at 10:06 AM on February 7, 2009

I really enjoy the new 3D process. But, yeah, unlike the old red and blue ones, they are pretty useless outside of the theater.

There was probably a recycling bin for those in the lobby that you missed, I'm afraid.

Just be sure you are recycling the 3D glasses. Not your sunglasses. Don't ask.
posted by Fuzzy Skinner at 10:13 AM on February 7, 2009

Chuck in 3D? Not sure what it's about, but I saw it was on the other day and it looked like something you would need 3D glasses for.
posted by KateHasQuestions at 10:25 AM on February 7, 2009

These guys who say there's nothing worth keeping these for? Well, if they're polarized, they're wrong. Bring them to the fireworks show on the 4th of July and watch every point of light in every little explosion burst into tiny little North/South/East/West rainbows.

Yes, I've done this stoned. Yes, it was totally fucking awesome.
posted by GamblingBlues at 10:25 AM on February 7, 2009

You might be able to go outside and cover one eye or the other and see if you can detect the polarization of the sky. Sky Polarization(google)
posted by zengargoyle at 10:40 AM on February 7, 2009

GamblingBlues, are you maybe thinking of holographic glasses? I haven't seen how lights refract in polarized glasses, so you might be right, but your description sounds like holographic glasses for me.

Try looking at Christmas lights with them on. Yes, I've done this on acid and ecstasy. Yes, it was totally fucking awesome.
posted by Juliet Banana at 10:43 AM on February 7, 2009

Try looking at Christmas lights with them on. Yes, I've done this on acid and ecstasy. Yes, it was totally fucking awesome.

The glasses were gilding the lily, then.
posted by Astro Zombie at 10:52 AM on February 7, 2009

This is America, Astro Zombie: we don't just gild the lily, we deep-fry it in bacon grease first. Yum.

You can note all kinds of strange things with them: you can see the stress on the plastic faces of various ATM displays. You can see the stress patterns in how sun-screening films have been applied to cars. Reflections off of water are interesting. Also, asphalt during the summer will surprise you at the slight color shifts.

If these are polarized lenses and you can three lenses together, do the following:

Take two lenses and sandwich them together, then slowly turn one until you can see no light through them. Nice, opaque black.

Take a third lens and carefully insert between the first two. You'll get some light through.

Sit and ponder for a second how the heck that can happen. Welcome to the counter-intuitive world of QM. Haven't tried this with circularly polarized filters yet, though.
posted by adipocere at 11:36 AM on February 7, 2009

Watch Bjork's "Wanderlust" video. You're welcome.
posted by AwkwardPause at 1:01 PM on February 7, 2009

Hmmm... may not work with those glasses. Sorry - got too excited about the 3D thing.
posted by AwkwardPause at 1:03 PM on February 7, 2009

GamblingBlues, are you maybe thinking of holographic glasses? I haven't seen how lights refract in polarized glasses, so you might be right, but your description sounds like holographic glasses for me.

Try looking at Christmas lights with them on. Yes, I've done this on acid and ecstasy. Yes, it was totally fucking awesome.

Awesome . . . I think these are what I got at the Pink Floyd Laser Light Show. I was saving them, but I wasn't sure what they'd be good for . . . but now I guess I am saving them for the 4th of July!
posted by lblair at 2:37 PM on February 7, 2009

As far as I can tell, there's no reason that any digital display capable of a 120Hz or higher refresh rate can't display 3D. You do however need some software that understands your data and can either extract 3D information or best guess it.

IZ3D makes 3D capable LCD displays and ships software that extracts 3D information from quite a few video games. These displays use polarized glasses - and you should be able to use the glasses you got from the movie with this display.

Additionally, LightSpeed makes affordable 3d digital projectors that operate on exactly the same principal.
posted by terpia at 5:15 PM on February 7, 2009

I have a pair of polarized sun glasses. I'm quite astonished at how different they
make ordinary things all over. For example, the windows of automobiles often blend
from transparent to opaque as they curve away from you. It's very creepy and cool.
Also, my watch has a big invisible crack down the middle. That is to say, it's invisible
without the polarized lenses.
posted by vilcxjo_BLANKA at 1:16 PM on February 9, 2009