3D video for your business

At some point over the past few years, most of us have gone into a theater, put on the silly glasses and watched a 3D movie.  Whether it was the world-famous Avatar or one of the many animated 3D videos, a great percentage of us were pretty impressed.  I remember 3D from the 80’s-- with the blue and red glasses-- and it was pretty bad.    Times have changed, and changed for the best when it comes to 3D, that is for certain.  Unlike the 3D booms in the past, this time around 3D is not going away.  It is here to stay; the major consumer equipment manufacturers are going to make sure of that.  After all, once you have bought your 1080P High Definition television for your home, you are set right?  Not if you want to stay current and up to date on the latest and greatest.   I am not telling you to run out and buy a 3D television….. not yet anyway.  Suffice it to say that technology is finally where it needs to be to make 3D viable for the home….and for your business.

I am not here to push 3D technology for consumer use-- I will leave that up to Panasonic and Sony.  I’m talking about 3D video for business purposes.  Are you one of the many people that have seen 3D and thought about how you could put it to work for your business?  If you are, you were probably thinking that it is way too expensive and complex for anyone except a Hollywood film studio.  Well, if that is your thought, then I have news for you.  3D technology is accessible and affordable, and can be very effective for your business or organization.   In fact, recent industry testing has shown that using 3D video for training can increase retention by close to 30%.  Those who work in the training field know that’s not a small increase.  Plain and simple, a 3D video can attract attention to you and to your business.

When talking about 3D for business purposes, the key point to remember is that you must control the viewing experience.  When I say “control the viewing experience,” I mean that you must provide your viewer with a 3D monitor and the 3D glasses.  You can’t simply make a 3D video and send it out hoping that your audience will have a 3D television.  This requirement will, of course, limit the usage for 3D in business applications for the short term, but those that can take advantage will see a huge benefit with 3D video.    

Keeping in mind that we need to control the viewing experience, what sort of businesses can take advantage of 3D video?  I would say that a big one is any that exhibits at tradeshows.  If you are running a 3D video in your booth (and promoting it), you are guaranteed to see a huge increase in traffic.  Timeshares sales or resorts could also benefit by using 3D tours of the properties they are representing.  You head off to get some paperwork, and leave your prospect to watch the 3D video.   Like all technology, 3D is moving pretty fast and delivery/viewing options are increasing almost every day.

Bottom line is that producing a 3D video for your company or organization is not out of reach.  Sure, it is a bit more expensive than producing a standard video, but the benefits far outweigh the added costs.    Since the technology is so new, the tricky part will be to find a company that is able and willing to produce a 3D video that will work for your budget.   3D video production skill is in fairly high demand right now and you can pay a premium because of that demand.  My advice is to start locally and see what resources are around.  Most importantly, find someone that has done 3D already, not someone who thinks they can learn.  3D requires a special set of skills, the kind that are not learned overnight. 

Good luck if you decide to explore the 3D world, and don’t worry-- the glasses won’t be around forever.


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