YouTube Goes 3D

So you enjoyed the “Cat Falling off the Couch” video, but felt it was missing something. If only the environment around the couch was more immersive then it would be truly entertaining. Your time has come as YouTube will now allow all users to convert the videos they want to watch into 3-D movies and view them with 3-D glasses.

YouTube publishers have been able to convert their videos into 3-D since September 2011; however this significant change will now allow the conversion process to be initiated by the user. YouTube will now automatically convert the video to 3-D images at the click of a button.

Users should not expect James Cameron level effects from this YouTube conversion. It’s a little more complicated to present a movie in Real 3-D™, or even to back engineer a 2-D movie into a 3-D film appropriate for theatrical release. Avatar was not converted to 3-D with the click of a button, but you might get Jaws 3-D quality from YouTube.

The YouTube 3-D conversion process uses many characteristics to create its 3-D images including motion, color, spatial layout, and more. The process is going to actually become better over time as YouTube is learning constantly from the many videos being uploaded to it. Users can expect their 3-D experience to improve dramatically over time.

YouTube is clearly trying to stake a claim in the 3-D TV market. With 3-D TVs increasing their market share it is possible consumers will begin demanding more and more 3-D media products. If YouTube can position itself early enough in this emerging market they have a golden opportunity to dominate a growing segment. So the big question becomes, do users want a 3-D Internet viewing experience?

A major flaw in 3-D technology has always been the fact that users must wear 3-D glasses to enjoy it. These glasses, which are more often than not uncomfortable, can cause headaches in many users and no one truly enjoys wearing them. “Man I can’t wait to put on those 3-D glasses”, is not an internal dialogue any moviegoer has ever had. The effect that they offer is enjoyable, and if the latest slew of 3-D movies are any indication at least Hollywood thinks the technology is important. How important it is to movie viewers however remains in question. I wanted to see Captain America in 2-D but was unable to find a theater in my area that would present it. For me as a consumer the movie had to actually overcome the 3-D experience. Fortunately it was a great movie, but I think it would’ve been better in two dimensions.

Although YouTube and other outlets are presenting this as a technological advance, in reality it is only an advance for YouTube in their offerings. The technology that they’re using to present 3-D images has been used for as long as 3-D video was available. The conversion process itself is innovative but ultimately you’ve got video presented with two overlapping colors that are fed through a pair of 3-D glasses that give an illusion of depth. I like Groucho Marx glasses as much as the next guy but I don’t think I want to settle down and enjoy a short video while wearing them.

Another issue to consider is YouTube viewing habits. I think it’s safe to say that the majority of YouTube viewers take a moment to briefly watch a video and then move on to something else. Although there are viewers that use YouTube as a primary video feed and watch the site in a similar fashion as others use their television, these users are more likely than not in the minority at least for now. So when you sit down to watch the new Avengers trailer do you want to reach into your drawer, pull out your 3-D glasses, watch the 2 1/2 minute video and then take your glasses off? Unless these 3-D glasses are going to actually help me see it is unlikely I would take the time to use them. This doesn’t mean others won’t, but it is likely that they too will be the minority.

What’s frustrating about this is that YouTube is an incredible service. Many people use it for entertainment and information and there are many technological advances that it would benefit from. Faster buffering times, better compression, higher-quality, and on the backend more tools for publishers. These are significant changes that users would certainly enjoy. So until users get sick of 3-D enjoy the video of a champ falling out of a tree in as much immersion as you can muster.