3D TV for Glasses Wearers

[harveymt]

I take it that the new 3D TV stuff requires glasses to be worn. As a glasses wearer does that mean I'll have to wear them over my glasses, or buy a prescription pair of 3D viewers?

I had a go at the Journey To The Centre Of The Earth Blu-Ray which came with glasses which I tried to balance over mine but it just ended up a kinda of green tinged blur.

In a relatedd note, would current TVs and blu-ray players be able to do 3D or are we going to have to upgrade all our equipment when the new films come out?

 

[kena]

Yup I can see (In 3D) the Specsaver ads now.. Current blu ray players will show 3D discs tho with the cellophane glasses supplied tho the experience is not quite the same as the cinema , and the cinema supplied glasses don't work on the Blu-ray ..

 

[harveymt]

So my PS3 should play them?

Will my current TV work?

I'll need one pair of glasses then for home 3D and another for the cinema? Specsavers it is.

 

[kena]

Yes your PS3 will play current 3D movies on your TV however 3DTV which is being developed is different and this Will need a new TV.

Maybe Andrew or someone will be able to explain what's technically different between current 3D movie releases and what the manufacturers/Sky are developing that means they are incompatible.

 

[Andrew Everard]

Once the standard has been set, will be happy to, but in basic terms the systems demonstrated to date have used polarisation or glasses with LCD shuttering to create the effect, rather than the more basic overlaid images with colour filters.

The technology now being worked up will allow a 3D image to look 'right' but 2D when viewed without the special specs, and should also allow off-axis viewing. It could also be used to create systems able to show two different images to two viewers, rather like the split-screen systems just beginning to appear in some cars, which can for example present satnav and instruments to the driver and TV to the passenger, all from a single screen.

 

[Anonymous]

I don't wear glasses, but used the official pair of 3-D specs to watch the 3-D episode of Chuck the other week Virgin 1 and I was very disappointed, the images didn't come out of screen and I was left with eye strain at the end, if this is the standard of 3-D we can expect it's a waste of time IMO.

Chuck is a great show though.

 

[ElectroMan]

I think Chuck (didn't see it) used red/blue glasses, or similar?

The new 3-D systems should be far more sophisticated. Although, as I keep saying, wearing any kind of 3-D glasses gets tiring after an hour or two!

Besides convincing people they need to upgrade their TV yet again, I think the necessity of wearing glasses to see the 3-D effect is going to be a difficult selling point.

 

[harveymt]

Andrew Everard:

The technology now being worked up will allow a 3D image to look 'right' but 2D when viewed without the special specs,

So if you wear the specs it'll be in 3D, if you don't 2D. Therefore I could be wearing the specs and seeing it 3D, my other half sitting beside me, not wearing any, and seeing it 2D?

Will cinema releases be able to be shown using existing equipment? I think Avatar should be the first big release in this new improved 3D. But then if cinema uses a different method than the home surely that will will lead to more confusion for consumers? (ie, me, having to get to pairs of glasses!)

 

[Andrew Everard]

No, AFAICS the intention is to make it possible to transfer the current cinema releases over to the home environment with the new system. And yes, that's my understanding about the 2D/3D thing.

 

[Anonymous]

Andrew (or anyone else who has seen tvs displaying 3d),

From what you've seen of 3d tv, how (un)impressive is it when viewing content on a 42-50" screen? Surely the whole "immersive" experience is greatly reduced, if not lost.

Have the likes of Sony, Panasonic etc commented on the size of tvs in which they are planning to incorporate this technology, and have they thought of 3d projectors for home use?

Purely out of interest, as I'm not particularly excited at the prospect of 3d. (I wouldn't want my interest in the technology to be interpreted as any sort of indication that I'm looking forward to it, or want it, in any way.)

 

[Andrew Everard]

Looks OK on smaller screens, provided you're sufficiently close for the image to fill your field of vision, or are viewing in a relatively dimly lit room. But understandably, most of the dems tend to be on big screens - Panasonic is fond of using its 103in and 150in monsters for this kind of thing.

Looking forward to seeing how things have moved on at the CEATEC Show in Japan in two or three weeks' time, and then seeing where the Chinese manufacturers are at at the Hong Kong Electronics Fair the following week. Watch this space for news and bloggage...

 

[Anonymous]

When you say "fill your field of vision" does that mean that someone sitting 8-9ft from a 42" screen, would need to sit, say 2-3ft for it to look OK.

I can't imagine too many 103in and 150in tvs being sold given that:

a) they cost close to £100,000 (or more)

b) most people couldn't fit them in their rooms or get it through a door (could they?)

I understand that they're using those screens to promote it, but that realistically it would be sold on tvs of 50-60".

I take it then, that tv is the big focus of manufacturers, and not projectors.

 

[Andrew Everard]

Yes, something like that. Problem is that IME the eye gets distracted if there are real 3D objects visible around the TV, and the illusion of 3D tends to get a bit shaky. Dimming down the lights so there are less distractions is a help, however.

And no, I don't think many 103in screens will be sold into 'normal' homes, let alone 105in ones, but the trend in screen sizes is definitely upward - in the manufacturers' ranges, if not always in actual sales. And of course there's also the option of doing all this using projection, rather than panel displays.

The third way is a TV able to show 3D images without the need for special glasses, as I reported from LG's research labs at the end of last year. Trouble is, the TVs I've seen are critical when it comes to viewing distance and precise viewing position - a few centimetres back or forward, or to left or right, and things go horribly pear-shaped.

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the info. I expect that, as with all new technology, it will be a few generations before they get it right anyway. I'd be surprised if there was a significant uptake in the next year or two, but I would assume manufacturers will release these to showcase their technology and attract consumers to their brand, rather than produce these mass market, given the lack of existing content and cost. I wonder if they take a hit financially (which presumably they will intially) whether or not they'll continue to push the technology. I guess it depends how much they're investing in it.