New stereoscopic tech roundup: Toshiba's new 3D monocle and more!

Today we saw a swarm of new 3D products hitting the market. We're most excited about Toshiba's 3D monocle:



And forget about the Nintendo3DS, ThinkGeek has a handy new viewer for your iPhone: the Super3DBoy!

And for all the haters/cyclopses: De-3D Cinema Glasses!

Youtube Changing The YT3D Tags

***ANOTHER EDIT*** Most of the info below is out of date, since you can now set up YouTube 3D videos without the use of tags.

While uploading, go to the "Advanced Settings" tab, under 3D Video select "This video is already in 3D", and then choose from either side-by-side or top/bottom. I recommend prepping your video as side-by-side squeezed with the left eye on the left. It's more commonly used than all the other options, and given YouTube's multiple reinventions of their 3D player, you might find in a few months that your top/bottom or side-by-side full videos don't work.

***EDIT*** - Despite Youtube posting this info earlier this month, it looks like these tags don't all work yet. Based on our quick test of a side-by-side full left/right video, changing yt3d:aspect=16:9 to yt3d:aspect=1.78:1 fixed the aspect ratio problem. The yt3d:swap tag was also still necessary to get the player to recognize the left eye frame was on the left. No word yet on when the switch to the new tags will be fully implemented, but keep these handy for when it happens. If there's some magic to these new tags that we're missing, please let us know in the comments.

From the help page:


YouTube recommends that you upload video in side-by-side squashed Left/Right. We also currently support the following formats:

• yt3d:enable=LR: Side by side squashed left eye frame on left, right eye on right -recommended
• yt3d:enable=RL: Side by side squashed, right eye frame on left, left eye frame on right - old format but no longer recommended
• yt3d:enable=LonR: Top frame is left eye, bottom frame is right eye
• yt3d:enable=RonL: Top frame is right eye, bottom frame is left eye

Note, we no longer support these tags and they should not be used:

• yt3d:enable=true
• yt3d:swap
• yt3d:left
• yt3d:right
• yt3d:aspect

Those of you posting your own 3D films on Youtube have likely been as frustrated as me by the recent random aspect ratio changes on Youtube 3D videos. It sounds like they're eliminating support for side-by-side full left/right videos.

With the widest user base of any video service delivering 3D content, and the ability for anyone to upload content that can be watched in a dozen different formats, Youtube has done a great service to the 3D community by creating this 3D player, and a disservice by not announcing the changes to their player, or continuing support for early adopters.

Thanks to Greg Penn for sending us this info!

More info on the Sony HDR-TD10 3D HD Handycam

The folks at SGNL have produced another video about the new Sony 3D handycam in response to the many questions people asked about the previous video we posted here.

While the video is very much a Sony sales pitch, it does provide a lot more technical info about the camera, including a planned patch for Sony Vegas Pro 10. The camera also can record to several flavors of SD cards. The interaxial is still TBD, but they said it's "about an inch".

Innovative New Tech Eliminates 3D Glasses Forever

This video has been sent to me a half-dozen times today, so I feel obligated to share it with all of you.



**warning: this is in 2D**

A closer look at the Sony HDR-TD10 3D HD Handycam

The folks at SGNL produced this video at CES 2011 covering the newly-unveiled Sony HDR-TD10 3D HD Handycam. They don't reveal the details we previously blogged about wanting to know, but it does give you a hands-on look at the camera. Looks promising so far as it eliminates the difficulties with 2-camera 3DIY rigs, such as synchronizing recording/focus/exposure and properly aligning two cameras. It's unknown if the footage is compatible with the newest Sony Vegas Pro 10, which offers a lot of 3D editing controls, but they allude to new editing software coming soon that can process the 3D footage. We'll bring you more details on the camera and its compatibility with other 3D editing tools as they become available.

JVC Also Produces World's First Full HD 3D Camcorder Ever: the GS-TD1

This just in: JVC has also produced the world's first full HD 3D Camcorder!

Though most of the specs for the JVC GS-TD1 have not been released yet, it looks similar to the world's first ever full HD 3D camcorder produced by Sony, with 1080i recording on two lenses and two sensors, and 3D glasses-free viewfinder. However, JVC's has auto-parallax control, can shoot 3D time lapse and 3D still images, can record independent left/right videos or one side-by-side for easy 3DTV-viewing, and is $500 more expensive. Hopefully having competing camcorders will help drive down the cost of both. We're excited to see so many new options!

Sony Reveals new 3D Camcorder, the HDR-TD10

Sony's new 3D Camcorder debuts at CES!

Being touted as the first full HD 3D camcorder, Sony's promising HDR-TD10 3D Camcorder was announced at CES. There have been a few 3D HD camcorders trickling out since last year, but unlike Panasonic's HDC-SDT750, which shoots 1 1080i stream with the left right eye squeezed next to each other, this one appears to offer two separate video streams. And unlike Panasonic's consumer model as well as the Panasonic AG-3DA1 camera, Sony's foray has a 3D viewfinder built in! 

Of course, the press release, all the early mentions as well as Sony's website neglect to mention the most important 3D information: the interaxial distance, and if the lenses are parallel or converged.