3D movies have a long history, the first 3D movie was viewed by the public in the year nineteen twenty two (The Power of Love). The technology behind 3D is called stereoscopic, and was invented by a Brit, William Friese-Greene, way back in the year 1890. It was only by the 1950's that 3D motion pictures became mainstream. However, it's popularity in the 50's was shortlived. The release of the movie Avatar in 2009, is the first time since the 50's that 3D became mainstream again.

A simple explanation behind the stereoscopic technology, is that it works by using a camera that has two lens separated by nearly two inches. To someone without 3D glasses this will appear as a blurred image. But with specifically designed glasses, which use polarizing filters, one glasses lens red, the other blue, creates a different image for each eye. The result is a three dimensional image for the viewer.

However, the above description of the 3D is basic to the extreme. There has been numerous 3D techniques developed by the motion picture industry. Recently, the electrical manufacturer, Sharp, have developed a autostereoscopic system, which creates a 3D image without the use of 3D glasses.

Since Avatar in 2009, there has been some notable 3D movie releases by Hollywood, such as,

• Year 2010
  • Alice in Wonderland
  • How to Train Your Dragon
  • Clash of the Titans
  • Shrek Forever After

There are plans by Hollywood studios to release over twenty 3D movies in 2011. The technology used by these movies includes IMAX 3D, Real D, Dolby 3D, and MasterImage 3D.

Home cinema aficionados may be wondering if they can replicate the 3D experience at home. The answer is to the affirmative. Electrical manufacturer have been quick to develop 3DTV, and Bluray discs which support 3D. As of 2010, to play 3D, you'll need a 3DTV, a 3D Bluray player, Active Shutter glasses and a 3D Bluray movie disc. At the moment the above setup is not cheap, but expect the price to lower during 2011-12.