3D movies have been around for decades (see here) in some form or another (as an aside, I can still remember seeing Jaws 3 and Friday the 13th Part 3in 3D in theatres and they were as bad as you would imagine) and yet the technology seems to be making a valiant return.  As the technology gets better and more immersive, film-makers will become more comfortable using the medium and audience demand will increase.  While there has been a smattering of 3D releases on DVD to date, the results have been less than game changing at this point (example: Spy Kids 3D was filmed and distributed in normal and 3D versions). 

The 2.35 aspect ratio (essentially this means that there are 2.35 units wide to every unit high) is the standard for almost all movies and yet to date has not been adopted within most home theatres.  Besides a few of the most committed home theatre enthusiasts, most consumers are watching wide-screen that is of the 1.78 or 1.85 variety (1.78 or 1.85 units wide to 1 high).  While that may seem okay for some movies, the viewer is actually either not seeing the whole movie the way the director intended or the movie has been formatted  so that the viewer can see the whole image (which is why, even though you have a wide screen TV, you may still see black bars sometimes).  If you are still confused and looking for a good explanation of aspect ratios, click here.

Does one or both of these concepts together represent a game changing point for home theatre enthusiasts?  Unfortunately, at least in the short term, I would think not.  A recent article by Joel Hruska proposes that 3D technology and media will inevitably become part of the home theatre landscape but that the future is less than bright at this point.  While a recent article by Brent Butterworth explores the possibility of new displays featuring a 2.35 format (currently, the only viable option for a true 2.35 home theatre setup has been front screen projectors).  Although home theatre has enjoyed a massive increase in investment attention from both consumers and industries, it seems that these two technologies are still years away from becoming even remotely mainstream.  While I personally can do without the 3D for now, I would really like to see more displays capable of presenting movies as the director intended.