Dedicated 3-D-ophiles are making their productions with homemade 3-D rigs consisting of two cameras side by side.

For less advanced consumers who would rather not have to use a 3-D rig for their productions, Panasonic just released a 3-D consumer camcorder, the HDC-ST750, a $1,399 model that looks like a typical small handycam, but with a twist. It has a dual-lens accessory that attaches to the front of the camera, enabling 3-D images.

What if you want to edit the footage and make a real movie? That’s a problem.

You can edit it onto a DVD, but it won’t play back in 3-D unless it’s in a 3-D Blu-ray player. (For crisper, high-definition results, you’ll do better burning onto a Blu-ray disc.) Or you could try this workaround: Edit the video in a number of programs that let you save to a 3-D format, then export back to an SD card. Insert the card into the camera, and plug it into the TV.

Sound like fun, huh?

“The industry is having a hard time grasping how to make this all simple,” acknowledges Chris Rice, a senior product manager for Panasonic. “It will get better.”

For folks who want to make 3-D videos without as much hassle, Roxio has its $129.99 Creator software, which has been updated this year with 3-D conversion for photos and video.

In the program, you import your pictures and video, click a button, then save it for 3-D.

However, Roxio Executive Vice President Matt DiMaria acknowledges you won’t see Imax-style 3-D from his software. It’s a more limited style of 3-D. “What we’re trying to do is bring some life to our personal photos and videos,” he says. “This is an anaglyph technology, a very mass-market approach to 3-D.”

What, exactly, is anaglyph?

It’s the official term for the stereo dual-images of 3-D, where two images are viewed with different color (red and blue) lenses.

That’s the 3-D format used for movies, Blu-ray and videos on the YouTube 3-D channel.

By Jefferson Graham

original post: http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/money/20101027/3d27_va.art.htm