Dolby 3D: The Best 3D Movie Experience

Dolby 3D

Dolby® 3D is a unique digital cinema technology that maintains the pristine quality of projected images precisely as the content creator intended. With thousands of theaters, studios, and special venues equipped worldwide, Dolby 3D is widely recognized as producing a superior 3d movie experience that delivers bright, natural colors to every seat in the house.

Looking for Dolby 3D without glasses? Learn more about glasses-free 3D at home or on the go.

3D Movie Glasses

And with the highly optimized design of Dolby’s reusable 3D glasses, you and your family can enjoy every 3d movie in comfort.

Dolby 3D Benefits

Advanced filter technology guarantees crisp, vivid images while minimizing artifacts and halos

Superior picture quality can be seen clearly no matter where you sit in the theater

Automated filter retraction and white-screen compatibility ensure a superior 3D movie experience without compromising the 2D movie viewing experience

High-quality Dolby 3D glasses deliver pristine 3D movie images in comfort and style

Eco-friendly reusable Dolby 3D glasses are a smart alternative to throwaways

Dolby 3D glasses’ frames fit over 98 percent of prescription glasses

New kid-sized glasses make 3D moviegoing more fun and comfortable for smaller children

How Dolby 3D Works

Dolby® 3D uses a unique full-spectrum color technology that provides extremely crisp, clear images for a superior 3D experience. The Dolby 3D movie system has a rotating color filter wheel that can be automated to insert into a digital projector for 3D movies.

Inside the projector, the wheel filters the light before the image is formed, resulting in an un-altered image with both its color and quality preserved. For 2D movies, the wheel can be automated to retract, avoiding any picture quality issues caused by 3D filters being left in place for 2D shows.

Alongside the projector, the Dolby Filter Controller automatically synchronizes the filter wheel with the 3D digital content as it’s projected.

3D Movies and 3D Glasses

Dolby 3D projects full-color images for the left and right eyes. The projection uses two slightly different sets of primary colors. The audience wears passive 3D glasses with complementary filters precisely tuned to match the filters in the projector, ensuring that each eye sees the correct image.

Compare Dolby 3D Features

Dolby 3D	Other 3D Systems
Dolby 3D ensures that you're seeing the best 3D movies every time without compromising 2D presentations, as the filter wheel can be set to automatically insert for 3D movies and retract for 2D.	Theater projectionists may need to manually remove the 3D filters for 2D movies or risk compromising the quality of a 2D presentation.
Placement of the filter wheel between the lamp and picture element reduces artifacts and image halos, producing a crisper, clearer picture.	Placement of a filter or polarizer in front of the projector lens, or at any point after the image is formed, can degrade the image quality.
Project on any screen: works with white or silver screens.	Other systems require silver screens for projection.
Durable, reusable Dolby 3D glasses are environmentally friendly.	Disposable glasses end up in landfills, producing vast quantities of unnecessary waste per movie.
Dolby 3D glasses are engineered to fit comfortably, even over prescription glasses, for the entire length of the movie.	Low-quality disposable glasses may not be designed for extended wear and are not optimized for use with most prescription eyewear.
Fun, lightweight, brightly-colored kid-sized Dolby 3D glasses make it more enjoyable for smaller children to watch 3D movies.	One-size-fits-all glasses can slip off kids’ faces and make it hard for them to watch 3D movies.

Find Dolby 3D Theaters

To enjoy the incredible 3D movie experience filmmakers intended, see all the latest 3D releases in a Dolby® 3D theatre. Find a Dolby 3D theatre near you in our worldwide map of locations equipped with Dolby 3D.

You can also see a complete list of Dolby Surround 7.1 movies, many of which are shown in Dolby 3D.

Dolby 3D Glasses

Lightweight and reusable, Dolby 3D glasses bring 3D images to life in amazing color and clarity. Our high-quality, eco-friendly glasses deliver the premium Dolby 3D experience audiences expect.

  

Dolby 3D Adult Glasses

Dolby 3D Child Glasses

3D Glasses Features

Available in sizes for adults, youths, and younger children

Comfortable fit over prescription eyewear

Wraparound sides to block extraneous light and stay snug

Modern industrial design with polished and textured surfaces