Movie theater 3D glasses are becoming more and more popular, allowing viewers to experience movies in an entirely new way. These glasses are different from the standard, two-dimensional glasses that most people are used to. They create an illusion of depth, providing a much more immersive viewing experience.
The technology behind these glasses is quite simple and relies on the same principle as the old red and blue 3D movies of yesteryear. The movie is filmed with two separate cameras, each taking a slightly different perspective of the same scene.
Then, each frame is projected onto a screen using two different projectors. One projector will project one image for the left eye and one for the right eye.
The 3D glasses that viewers wear contain special lenses that filter out certain wavelengths of light. The left lens filters out the image projected for the right eye, and vice versa. This allows each eye to see only its intended image on the screen, creating a stereoscopic effect.
At Home
These same principles can be used to view 3D movies at home as well. However, instead of using two projectors and special glasses as in movie theaters, home viewers can use a single projector with polarized lenses instead. This is made possible by a special film or disc that contains both images (one for each eye) encoded on it.
When viewed through polarized lenses, these images appear slightly shifted from one another. This creates an illusion of depth when viewed through the correct glasses.
Conclusion
Movie theater 3D glasses work by filtering out certain wavelengths of light so that each eye sees only its intended image on the screen.
This creates an illusion of depth in order to provide an immersive viewing experience. At home, this same effect can be achieved using a single projector with polarized lenses and special film or discs that contain both images encoded on them.