3-D: SO HOT RIGHT NOW…

I remember visiting Disney World with my family in 1989 and being knocked to the ground with awe after sitting through “Captain Eo,” the 3-D major motion picture starring Michael Jackson. Not only did The King of Pop turn in a Tour de Force in the title role, but my young eyes were now privy to a Third Dimension on screen. Needless to say, I was convinced that the movie-going experience would never be the same.

Flash forward some 20 years, and we are just now seeing the true reach and capability of 3-D technology. It was a long and windy road for 3-D on the Big Screen (See: “Honey, I Shrunk the Audience”), but we have essentially ascended the peak of possibility. I hope you’re sitting down, folks: The highest grossing film of all-time is a 3-D movie.

Despite losing out on “Best Picture” honors last Sunday, James Cameron’s “Avatar” has completely changed the landscape for 3-D and its goofy glasses. The technology that brought us “My Bloody Valentine: 3-D” now needs to be taken seriously by Hollywood.

3-D is slithering into other aspects of our lives, also. Earlier this year, Disney’s ESPN announced it will unveil “the industry’s first 3-D network,” appropriately named ESPN 3-D. Promising at least 85 live sporting events in its first year, ESPN evidently sees this as an area of immense growth. It seems likely that other cable networks will also dabble with 3-D programming in the coming years.

Perhaps it is time for Business to take a second look at 3-D, too. We can’t be too far away from full-scale, 3-D advertising campaigns or 3-D business presentations, can we? Imagine using the power of 3-D to bring life to otherwise pedestrian new business proposals, or reminding staff to bring their 3-D eyeglasses to the conference room, lest they miss the eye-popping profit-sharing presentation.

The truth is … it’s already happening. CBS recently launched an extravagant, outdoor 3-D display in Grand Central Station in New York City earlier this year, begging advertisers to test the waters of 3-D billboard advertising. In television, DreamWorks promoted its blockbuster hit “Monsters vs. Aliens” during Super Bowl XLIII with a nationwide, 3-D commercial in 2009, and I’m sure we will continue to see 3-D commercials popping up (and out) in the future.

And in the office? Look no further than Perspector™, a Microsoft PowerPoint add-in that allows companies to incorporate 3-D into any presentation. My guess is you’ll see more add-ins and applications aimed at enhancing business presentations through 3-D technology sooner than you think.  

Skeptics will point to the aforementioned silly eyeglasses as a deterrent to the growth 3-D technology in business settings. What if you didn’t have to wear those silly glasses? Intel, the leader in all things tech, introduced glasses-free 3-D at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show in January. It may not evoke the level of wonder that traditional 3-D can, but the concept is compelling nevertheless.

Next, the skeptics will mention that only a small percentage of commercial televisions are actually 3-D ready. That changes this year when Sony, Samsung and Panasonic each introduce a line of 3-D television sets for the general public. How long before all conference room projectors can handle 3-D?

Face it: 3-D is going to be part of your business.

And, honestly, why shouldn’t it be? We’re seeing impossible box office numbers from “Avatar.” The Final Four will be offered in 3-D this year, and even The Bible is apparently on board with 3-D technology. Paramount Pictures is reportedly in production for “In The Beginning,” a 3-D telling of the creation story coming to a theatre near you. (I can’t wait to see the pope in those boxy glasses!)

Forgive me for sounding downright giddy about the revival of 3-D; I openly admit that I am sweet on the fantastical technology. But as with any healthy infatuation, my heart pounds a little faster, and my soul churns a little slower when I begin waxing on the Third Dimension.

Am I alone on this? Do you see 3-D finding a role in your business, too?