If you have been in the market for a new camcorder recently, you've likely noticed a new option to add to your decision-making dilemma. As if the various HD formats weren't confusing enough, now there is 3D to add to the mix. 3D is the stuff that fads are made of. During the 1950s 3D was wildly popular at drive-ins. Then competing formats of the era such as Cinemascope combined with the difficulty of properly calibrating projectors, squashed the format - seemingly for good.

There was a mere smattering of 3D movies during the 1960s and 1970s, then during the early 80s, movies such as Jaws 3D briefly revived the format, but it was short-lived. Recently, digital 3D formats such as Real D and Dolby 3D lowered costs for movie theaters and big name directors such as Steven Spielberg saw the potential.

Movies such as Avatar and Monsters vs Aliens have once again breathed new life into the dying 3D format. Only this time around it seems 3D is here to stay (more on that in a minute). Now there is a new 3D movie released practically every other week. Hollywood wants to give consumers every possible reason to leave their comfortable, flat screen equipped living rooms and head out to the theaters. 3D provides that reason.

If you look back at the evolution of entertainment technology there is an interesting pattern. With almost every technical milestone (silent to sound movies, black and white to color, 4:3 aspect ratio to 16:9 (widescreen) it has taken just a few short years, at the most a decade, for the technology to reach the home consumer base. Of course decades ago this represented a small number of consumers. There weren't that many people who owned Super 8 movie cameras and even fewer who owned the souped up Super 8 models that could record sound - but the technology was available. The one exception to that has been 3D. Until now.

Flat screen sales have leveled out and there hasn't been a new camcorder format for consumers to thrill about since HD which is now an everyday offering. So it wasn't long before electronics manufacturers took a cue from Hollywood and began to add 3D to their line-up. Sony has their Bloggie 3D and lesser known companies such as Aiptek also have new models such as the 3D HD.

And so the cycle goes. It will take a several years until a home theater system will be able to compete with the 3D of a movie theater, but it will happen. Now that users can record their own content, we will become more accustomed to 3D and find new ways to enjoy it.

When sound movies first arrived, there were some who said it was a gimmick that wouldn't last. 3D has struggled for much longer to venture beyond fad status but if the history of electronics milestones is an accurate gauge (and I believe it is) this time it is here to stay.

Michael Sean Kaminsky is a writer and documentary filmmaker. He is the author of the book "Naked Lens: Video Blogging & Video Journaling to Reclaim the YOU in YouTube." The book offers a unique series of exercises that guides readers toward a new experience of video, journaling and life. Visit http://www.videoregeneration.com/ for a free sample chapter and other helpful resources to create your own video journal or video blog.

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