Bringing pretty 3-D to TV

With the record-breaking popularity of Avatar 3-D this past winter season, the technology has made its comeback onto the television screens, this time without the retro red-blue glasses that we have so often associated with watching 3-D movies.  Sony, Samsung, and other media giants in content delivery have moved past high-definition technology and embraced the new trend of 3-D (whoo-hoo, new stuff to sell!), which utilizes more sophisticated technology than the old-school method of projecting red and blue/green stereoscopic images to produce fuzzy, mostly black-and-white 3-D images.  The newer technology we have become familiar with in theatres enables us to use polarized glasses to view rich, high-def color images, as each lens has a different polarization that allows only the specific set of images intended for each particular eye.  (I didn't really get it either until I saw the illustration below.  I still kind of don't.)

Image credit: Howstuffworks.com

However, most of the 3-D TVs on the market now use active shutter glasses (see image below), which receive radio or infrared signals from an emitter on the TV that tell the shutter in each lens to open or close in sync with the images projected on screen.  The images are fluid, because the shutters are occurring at a rate of 120 times per second.  Unfortunately, the glasses can be expensive, so good luck if you are planning on 3-D family movie night!  Some 3-D TVs don't require glasses at all, using the principle of a parallax barrier made of liquid crystal.  The barrier is made of tiny holes that allow only certain pixels to reach each respective eye.  The problem with this method is that the full 3-D effect cannot be achieved from all viewing angles around the TV.  A benefit is that you can turn off the feature and revert back to 2-D anytime on these TV sets.

Image credit: Physorg.com

Cable and satellite networks are embracing the technology, starting first with sports.  ESPN recently made a huge push with 3-D broadcasts of World Cup matches. Sony PS3 owners can just update their firmware for the ability to decode the 3-D signals on their Blu-ray discs.   Adobe are also currently updating its Flash player with 3-D capabilities and are preparing to reveal a version this fall.

A note for cheapies: if you can't yet afford a 3-D TV, Vuzix sells glasses that project 3-D images right inside them (convergence!) by plugging them into a media player capable of handling the 3-D signals.  At only $170-250 a pop!