Discover the world of 3D on Blu-ray

01 November 2010

With the release of blockbusting director James Cameron's opus Avatar in December last year, a new golden age of 3D had dawned. Audiences flocked to cinemas to watch the film's ground-breaking visuals, leading the film to smash all previous box office records with takings of nearly $2.8 billion at cinemas globally.

The immersive, computer-generated world of Avatar had been in the making for quite some time. Director James Cameron began work on the film some 12 years earlier, in the wake of the success of Oscar winner Titanic, the previous holder of the record for global box office takings. Previously known for a slew of action hits in the 1980s and 1990s, including Terminator and Terminator 2, Aliens and True Lies, Cameron wanted to take the thrills of the genre to the next level. Avatar broke new ground, incorporating eye-melting 3D visuals courtesy of special effects production house Weta Digital, co-owned by Lord of the Rings director, New Zealander Peter Jackson.

Avatar also pioneered the use of a completely new camera system for shooting 3D - but with all of that technical innovation, budgets climbed and fans were left on tenterhooks as first production and then post-production stretched into years.

The wait for the DVD release of Avatar hasn't been quite so nail-biting. But all the same, once the curtains closed on the cinematic release, fans were keenly anticipating its arrival on 3D Blu-ray.

After a 2D release in April this year, the multi-Oscar winning 3D epic is finally set to be released on 3D Blu-ray on 1st November , exclusively to purchasers of selected Panasonic 3D TVs and 3D Blu-ray players – celebrating Panasonic’s long technology partnership with the director in the making of the movie.

So if you want to see the inhabitants of the planet Pandora crash-landing in your living room this Christmas, there really is only one way to go.

Even in the run-up to Avatar's release, there are a number of titles to enjoy on Full HD 3D Blu-ray, with Monsters Vs Aliens, BAFTA-winning animation Coraline and Ice Age 3: Dawn of the Dinosaurs heading up a list of releases over the last few months.

Aside from cinema blockbusters, 3D Blu-ray helps to bring the natural world to life in documentary titles such as Grand Canyon Adventure: River At Risk, adapted from the original big-screen IMAX release.

Classical music buffs can even enjoy Bach's Goldberg Variations in superbly immersive style, with the combination of 3D HD visuals and the crystal clarity of Dolby TrueHD 5.1 surround sound putting them centre stage with the AIX Records All-Star Band.

Disney, another pioneer of 3D cinema, is set to release a number of titles over the coming months, with its animated Dickens classic A Christmas Carol getting the 3D treatment for a release on 3D Blu-ray, expected in November.

For the best in home entertainment this Christmas, there's never been a better time to go 3D.