James Cameron has expressed enthusiasm regarding XR headsets as a solution to the limitations posed by conventional 3D glasses.
This past December, Cameron’s venture, Lightstorm Vision, which aims to “make stereoscopic technology prevalent in all visual media by simplifying the creation of stereoscopic 3D content similar to traditional 2D,” announced a multi-year exclusive collaboration with Meta to enhance 3D video offerings on Quest headsets.
Meta indicated that this collaboration will deliver “top-tier 3D entertainment experiences encompassing live sporting events, concerts, feature films, and television series featuring prominent intellectual properties” on its Horizon OS platform.
In a recent discussion with Meta’s CTO Andrew Bosworth, Cameron shared his thoughts on the benefits of headsets compared to older 3D viewing technologies like the 3D glasses utilized in theaters and 3D televisions.
The polarized glasses used in cinemas effectively reduce the resolution by half, while the active shutter glasses in 3D TVs tend to show noticeable flicker, leading to potential eye strain. Furthermore, both technologies significantly decrease the brightness of the viewed image. By 2016, many TV manufacturers had ceased support for 3D.
In contrast, headsets deliver an individual image to each eye, sidestepping flickering and crosstalk problems. Although their brightness and resolution still do not match modern 2D televisions, they are considerably improved compared to 3D TVs.
“Brightness is a significant concern in theaters,” Cameron remarked. “The most disheartening aspect for me is that we have a perfectly calibrated theater for our final grading steps—brightness, color, dynamic range, all of that. It looks fantastic. It’s incredible. We feel so proud of ourselves, then we step into the real world and witness how 99% of viewers are experiencing it—or 99% of theaters, I should clarify. It’s less than a quarter of the light!”
“When you lose that much brightness, you compromise a lot of the dynamic range perception. It doesn’t matter how deep your blacks are; if your highlights are merely 50 nits above, it just appears dim and unexciting. Yes, we’re providing spatial cinema, but we’re diminishing it at the same time.”
After airing his frustrations about the traditional 3D cinema experience, Cameron shared his impressions of watching 3D films on contemporary headsets like the Apple Vision Pro and Quest 3.
“A door opened for me. It was akin to the heavens separating, light shining down, and an angelic chorus singing. It was like, ah! This is how audiences can watch the film as I intended it to be seen!”
“Earlier today, while reviewing some Avatar 3 footage that we’re going to present to some executives later, I thought to myself, ‘wow, this looks fantastic!’
Currently, Meta’s Horizon OS does not provide a direct method for renting or purchasing 3D films on its Quest headsets, whereas Apple’s visionOS allows Vision Pro users to rent or acquire over 250 3D films. However, with Cameron’s partnership and his excitement for the Quest 3, it seems likely that this situation will evolve soon.