3D TV is one application of 3D technology. 3D has been with us since the beginnings of photography and filmmaking. In fact, the first 3D movie was made in 1903 and the first publicly shown 3D movie was The Power of Love in 1922. However, the first true "Golden Age" of 3D began in 1952 with the film Bwana Devil.
Although there were some classic film titles filmed and presented in 3D during this period, such as Hondo, Creature From The Black Lagoon, It Came From Outer Space, and House of Wax, the difficulty of presenting 3D with the technology available at the time made audiences disappointed in the result.
Although there were some classic film titles filmed and presented in 3D during this period, such as Hondo, Creature From The Black Lagoon, It Came From Outer Space, and House of Wax, the difficulty of presenting 3D with the technology available at the time made audiences disappointed in the result.
3D
is based on the principle of stereoscopy, which creates the illusion of depth in an image. The easiest way to enhance depth perception in the brain is to provide the eyes of the viewer with two different images, representing two perspectives of the same object, with a minor deviation exactly equal to the perspectives that both eyes naturally receive in binocular vision.
is based on the principle of stereoscopy, which creates the illusion of depth in an image. The easiest way to enhance depth perception in the brain is to provide the eyes of the viewer with two different images, representing two perspectives of the same object, with a minor deviation exactly equal to the perspectives that both eyes naturally receive in binocular vision.There are currently three kinds of 3D
technology on the market and each one works differently:- The first one, anaglyph technology, is the most famous one (think red/blue paper glasses) but usually the 3D effects are not so great.
- The second one, polarized (or passive) technology, is the technology you have been exposed to when watching a 3D movie in an IMAX theater (e.g. Avatar 3D, Alice in Wonderland 3D, etc.)
- The third one, active technology, is the most recent one that is quickly becoming the standard in terms of 3D watching at home.
What Do You Need to Get 3D at Home?
Here is what you will need to get a great 3D experience at home:
- A 3D-capable display (High Resolution TV, monitor, or projector)
- A pair of 3D glasses
- A 3D Blu-ray Disc player and Blu-ray 3D discs
- A gaming console and 3D games
- 3D-Capable Laptops And Computer Accessories
A 3D-capable display (High Resolution TV, monitor, or projector)
To watch a program in 3D, you will need to buy a 3D-capable display. There’s no way around it. These displays usually have a higher processing power than older models, as they need to display one image for each eye to create a 3D effect. High Resolution TV manufacturers say that older models will not be capable of displaying 3D technology because of the specs needed to create 3D. You will need to buy a 3D-capable display (High Resolution TV, monitor, or laptop) to enjoy 3D at home.
to enjoy 3D at home.A pair of 3D glasses
You will need a special pair of 3D glasses to experience the 3D effect. There are two kinds of glasses on the market:
Passive Glasses:
The TV broadcasts two overlapping images and the glasses have polarized lenses. Each lens is polarized so that it can see only one of the two overlapping images. The main drawback of this technology is that viewers will need to sit directly in front of the display to get the full 3D effect. If the viewer is sitting on the side, the 3D effects will be less pronounced.
This technology has been adopted by most consumer electronics firms, including LG, Samsung, Panasonic, and more. With this technology, an High Resolution TV will display one image to your left eye and one image to your right eye. Since the effective frame rate is halved, these High Resolution TVs need to have double the refresh rate of High Resolution TVs (60 Hz). This is why you will find that all 3D High Resolution TVs have a minimum frame rate of 120 Hz (most have a frame rate around 240 Hz or even 480 Hz).
Active liquid crystal shutter glasses quickly block each eye in sequence to ensure that each eye only sees the corresponding image on the 3D High Resolution TV. The active shutter glasses are kept in sync with the High Resolution TV using Bluetooth, infrared, or radio technology. These special glasses usually contain liquid crystals that can be made opaque. thus acting as a shutter. These glasses are battery-operated (battery life estimated at around 80 hours or so).
Please note that your active shutter glasses will need to be of the same brand as your 3D-capable High Resolution TV.
A 3D Blu-ray Disc player and Blu-ray 3D discs
Now it gets tricky. As movie studios release 3D movies on Blu-ray 3D discs, you will need a 3D Blu-ray player to read that 3D content and send it to your 3D-capable High Resolution TV. Some newer-model Blu-ray players will be able to do this out of the box. However, you will be able to upgrade some existing Blu-ray disc players to read this 3D format with a firmware upgrade via the Internet.
So you want to watch 3D movies on your 3D High Resolution TV? Be careful--there are two kinds of 3D movies on the market--"old" and "new" (full HD) 3D.
How can you figure out which is which? You need to look for the Blu-ray 3D logo. This logo indicates that this movie will deliver the 3D effects you seek. Note that some "3D" movies are currently available and leverage the polarized or anaglyph technologies--meaning that the 3D effects are not as breathtaking as you would expect.
A gaming console and 3D games
Sony has announced that its PlayStation 3
will be able to read both 3D movies and 3D video games through a firmware update to be available in late summer 2010. It is not known whether this firmware update will be free. Sony demonstrated some 3D games at CES 2010 and we should learn more about its plans around 3D gaming at E3 2010, held in Los Angeles in June 2010.
will be able to read both 3D movies and 3D video games through a firmware update to be available in late summer 2010. It is not known whether this firmware update will be free. Sony demonstrated some 3D games at CES 2010 and we should learn more about its plans around 3D gaming at E3 2010, held in Los Angeles in June 2010.3D-Capable Laptops And Computer Accessories
Now that you have bought a 3D-capable High Resolution TV, you can get some 3D TV content from your cable provider. Most cable providers will offer 3D TV channels to their subscribers. According to providers, if you already have a cable box with an HDMI output (as is the case with most HD cable packages), you will not need a new cable box to get 3D TV content on your TV. A simple firmware upgrade will be needed.
DirecTV, in partnership with Panasonic, has offered three HD 3D TV channels this summer:
1. A 3D TV channel featuring programming such as sports, music, and other content
2. An event channel broadcasting movies, documentaries, and other programming
3. A 3D TV On Demand channel
Comcast has retransmitted the Masters golf tournament in 3D TV and will also announce its plans about 3D TV programming shortly. Sony, IMAX, and Discovery announced in January a partnership to create a 3D TV channel to launch in late 2010 or early 2011.
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