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The Ultimate 3-D Collection (Haunted Castle / Alien Adventure / Encounter in the Third Dimension) (Large Format) (Includes H3D Viewing System)

The Ultimate 3-D Collection (Haunted Castle / Alien Adventure / Encounter in the Third Dimension) (Large Format) (Includes H3D Viewing System)

List Price: $99.99
Your Price: $89.99
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 4 stars
Summary: 3D or not 3D that is the question
Review: I first saw "Encounters..." at the local Imax 18 months ago and was so impressed by the 3D that I swore that "one day I would have this at home". Now I have and (apart from not having a 3 storey high TV) am thoroughly satisfied. It is a bonus that the kit works with more than the supplied DVDs :)

The movies are little more than a showcase of the talents of a 3D ride company - which is openly acknowledged in the extras. Accepting the nature of the software, you can't fail to be impressed by the quality of the mainly CGI images rendered in screen popping 3D.

But where is the scene with the owl and the police car from the Imax "encounters..."?

One tip I will offer...

Most people sit quite close to the screen to get a more immersive feel - after all exceeding your field of vision is the whole idea of the Imax originals.

Everyone I've shown this to has agreed that the 3D improves with distance. So get a headphone extension lead, dim the lights and sit further back. Yeah the picture is smaller, but it's also deeper ;)

Six to Eight Foot (two to three metres) works brilliantly on my 28" TV.

Incidentally, one addendum to the review by megadume and the comment on the official site of the glasses that shutter glasses Don't work with 100hz and/or digital TVs.

I own a Sony KV-28WSU 100hz Digital Plus TV (it says so on the front) and the 3D works brilliantly - the above comment delayed my purchase by a few weeks until I had checked it out.

A brilliant pack, a brilliant price, now we need more films!

P.S. There is another.... Ultimate Gs is the fourth 3D DVD

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: 3-D That Actually Works!!! You Won't Believe Your Eyes!
Review: I've always been fascinated with the idea of 3-D movies. I remember my first experience was when a TV station broadcast one of the red/green 3-D films when I was a child, and I convinced my folks to go get the silly cardboard glasses at the store that was promoting it. With great anticipation, I sat down at the appointed time, put the glasses on over my own, and squinted at the TV.

Didn't work. Not at all.

Still, I couldn't get away from the idea. Some folks have eyes that are more easily fooled by this sort of 3-D, but I don't.

Then one day many years later, I saw that IMAX was advertising a 3-D movie, and I thought I'd try again. This time, I was handed special glasses that had LCDs that alternately blocked out the vision of either eye, to ensure that only the correct images got through.

Wow! It worked!!! I was finally able to experience the true 3-D effect, and it was great.

Believe it or not, this product actually includes two pairs of glasses (that my own glasses comfortably fit over) with the same LCD technology, a simple box that connects between the Video Out of your DVD player and the Video In of your TV (using the simple RCA jack connections) to synchronize your glasses to the DVDs, and three different DVDs to get you started (Encounter In The Third Dimension, Alien Adventure, and Haunted Castle). The DVDs even have director's commentary tracks! In addition, the first of these three titles provides a fun introduction to the history of 3-D in still photography and film.

If you have any interest at all in 3-D, you have to own this. The people at Slingshot Entertainment have managed to put this product together and make it work in your home, and I have to say that I have NEVER been happier with any DVD purchase I have ever made (and I've made a few.)

This would be a wonderful gift for anyone that loves DVDs, 3-D, the technology of film, or all of the above. There's nothing even remotely like it. Buy it--you won't be sorry.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: A quality product
Review: The first thing you should understand about this package is that it's not a set of videos of cheezy 3d movies using red/blue 3d glasses. The package includes a pair of LCD shutter glasses which enable you to view full color 3D on your TV, and a synchronization box which connects the glasses to your DVD player. The glasses are attached by wire. (The wires were nicely long and an extension was included in my pack.) You may find that things look a bit darker than usual while viewing through the glasses... increasing the brightness of your TV and turning down the lights should make things look normally bright again.

The 3D effect is excellent. The enclosed three DVDs were essentially designed to show off the 3D more than anything else. "Encounter in the Third Dimension" is a pseudo-documentary about 3D technology. It's not very interesting, but has nice visuals. "Alien Adventure" is strictly an excuse to have lots of nice 3D animated scenes of an amusement park. "Haunted Castle" has a frame story to make an excuse to have a long stream of animated scenes of a haunted house. Of the three, Haunted Castle is the best, with superb animation and excellent 3D effects.

This set is a great way to get started with 3D video. I found the hardware to be a quality product as well. I liked it enough that I sent a set to my cousins for christmas.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Nothing Else Like It!!!!
Review: Turn out the lights, don your 3-d glasses, and get ready for an AMAZING experience that is unlike anything you have ever seen in your living room! Let me start out by saying the glasses are top-notch technology...complete shutter 3-d glasses...no old-fashioned red and blue cardboard here! And for those of you that are amusement-park goers, darkride fanatics, and basically fans of blockbuster entertainment...you will LOVE this box set!! Start off with the introduction to 3-d with "Through the 3rd Dimension" and let your eyes relax and start focusing on how 3-d brings the illusion to reality! Although it's got some corny dialog and b-movie acting, you'll be treated to oldtime movies and clips from when 3-d was invented, some clips from theme park attractions like T2 and Mine Cart, and a whole simulator ride that lasts for a few minutes!! Next you've got "Haunted Castle", a 3-d visual darkride! Now ignore the pointless story and look at the incredible visuals because this is an adventure that truely brings you INTO the scene...once you step through the door after hearing the "devil" give you his offer of fame and fortune GET READY for breathtaking graphics, loud 5.1 surround sound, and twists and turns that take you through everywhere from haunted churches, spooky caves, and dungeons filled with 3-d realistic skeletons that are locked in cages that actually LOOK like actual cages...the depth is there and everything!! Over 25 minutes of dropdead 3-d visuals and maybe 10 minutes of lame filler...still an AMAZING RIDE!! And then last but not least is "Alien Adventure" where once again the story is stupid but the actual simulator rides are INCREDIBLE! You are treated to 4 different rides at this new high-tech amusement park...an Artic ride that shoots you down a crazy tobaggan ride through the snow...a Magic Carpet ride that takes you through a magical journey inside of dark tunnels and Indiana Jones-type passageways complete with incredible 3-d effects and splendid music...a simulator ride on a kid's roller coaster that he built in his room complete with toys, loops, MASSIVE details, and lift hills with realistic inclines and stomach churning drops...and finally an underwater ride that is complete amusement park real! Starting in an actual amusement park complete with lights, a ferris wheel, carousel music, and signs on both sides of the car! After dropping into the water you'll experience a trip through a pirate ship, bubbles that can FEEL, a tiki island with a roller-coaster-like hill, and 3-d DETAILS that bring you into the scene...there is so much amazing visuals on these dvds that you can watch them over and over and see different little details you missed before!! PLUS all in computer-generated 3-d theme park style!! It's quite an amazing journey and the glasses just make it even better...if you lift them during one of the rides and take a look at the screen you'll see just how flat the regular tv screen looks! This is a 3-d adventure that everyone out there should experience and it's somewhat pricey but the visuals you'll watch more than make up for it!!! Pick this up and get ready for an INCREDIBLE 3-D RIDE EXPERIENCE!!!!


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