Using sky HD+ box for 3-D

[admin_exported]

Speaking to a Sky installer, he said the new box's are geared up for 3-D and can be used straight away (with glasses of course) even without a 3-D TV. Is that True/possible?

Was wondering if it was purely experimental for the time being to lure us in, or something like that ?

 

[Andrew Everard]

Yes, as reported several times on this site, that's the way it's going to happen, via the existing HD box.

 

[digigriffin]

but without a 3D TV?

 

[Andrew Everard]

No, with a 3D TV.

Sky's 3D site says "Sky 3D will be compatible with the 3D ready TVs being launched in the UK and Ireland during 2010 from major manufacturers such as LG, Panasonic, Samsung and Sony.

"3D ready TVs come in two different formats - Active and Passive. Sky 3D works with both. You'll need to wear glasses with both types. All the major TV manufacturers are launching both Active and Passive models so check them both out and choose the one that works best for you."

 

[D.J.KRIME]

So if SKY are transmitting their 3D contentent as a passive signal then why would this image not be displayed in exactly the same way on a 3DTV using the passive system and a non 3D ready TV?

 

[Andrew Everard]

Yes, but as yet we have no way of telling how the image will look on a conventional TV when viewed with polarised glasses. Until transmissions start there is no way of telling.

 

[bigboss]

Transmission of Sky 3D has started, on channel 217.

 

[bigboss]

D.J.KRIME:So if SKY are transmitting their 3D contentent as a passive signal then why would this image not be displayed in exactly the same way on a 3DTV using the passive system and a non 3D ready TV?

The 3D ready TV tells the glasses (active or passive) which eye should be seeing the image exhibited at the moment (at a refresh rate of 120Hz at a minimum), creating a stereoscopic image. Each eye sees the image at a refresh rate of 60Hz.

Existing TVs cannot do that.

 

[Andrew Everard]

Yes, that's my understanding...

 

[Tom Moreno]

This morning I tuned into the Sky 3D channel just to see what would happen and to my surprise it was live with images coming through to my non-3D telly in side-by-side format. Not that this produces any sort of watchable experience, but it is going through my Denon AVR just fine. With a 3D tv in place I imagine that it should display correctly (until the AVR's on-screen graphics pop up when you change the volume) with the tv set to decode the SBS info into its own format. I thought that it wasn't going live for consumers until the fall from what today's blog said.

 

[The_Lhc]

bigboss:D.J.KRIME:So if SKY are transmitting their 3D contentent as a passive signal then why would this image not be displayed in exactly the same way on a 3DTV using the passive system and a non 3D ready TV?
The 3D ready TV tells the glasses (active or passive)

Errr, I thought the whole point of passive glasses was just that, they're passive, they don't actively do anything, and the TV doesn't control them in any way. Otherwise they'd be active.

They're just polarized filters aren't they?

 

[Anonymous]

only the active system requires communication with the glasses , and on active tvs , 2 images rapidly alternate on screen ..

the passive system is totally different , 2 images are on the screen at the same time , ala the cinema , do cinemas need new screens to show that ?? no they dont , the passive system could work on any modern tv ...

 

[The_Lhc]

Yes that's exactly what I thought, not sure why Andrew was agreeing with bigboss.

 

[bigboss]

the_lhc: They're just polarized filters aren't they?

Dunno. Yes, they're meant to be polarized filters. I tried watching a 3D film with my polaroid sunglasses, which are, in effect, polarized filters (just to check). Didn't work.

 

[D.J.KRIME]

the_lhc:Yes that's exactly what I thought, not sure why Andrew was agreeing with bigboss.

Nor am I. Sky will transmit all 3D as a passive signal @1080i/50htz via its standard HD box so in theory any HD TV sholud display the image being transmited in exactly the same way as there is no actual differance to the way your Sky box and TV work to dispaly this passive 3D signal, it just you will see both left and right images on screen at the same time without polorised glasses in exactly the same way as it work at the cinema. If it is then possible to find a pair of polorised glasses that work with older TVs to seperate both images properly for each eye is yet to be seen, but I have a huge collection I have keept from recent cinema visits(includeing a iMAX pair) a will give them a go via the Sky demo channel.

Any idea what time the demo channel is transmitting???

 

[The_Lhc]

bigboss:the_lhc: They're just polarized filters aren't they?
Dunno. Yes, they're meant to be polarized filters. I tried watching a 3D film with my polaroid sunglasses, which are, in effect, polarized filters (just to check). Didn't work.

Yeees, They have to be polarised in two different directions, if you get two pairs and rotate one through 90 degrees and hold it over the lens of the other it goes very dark indeed...

It might work if you had two pairs and turned one pair 90 degrees and held one lens over each eye, go on, try it, try it! For 3 hours. In a public cinema. Go on, you know you want to.

 

[The_Lhc]

D.J.KRIME:the_lhc:Yes that's exactly what I thought, not sure why Andrew was agreeing with bigboss.
Nor am I. Sky will transmit all 3D as a passive signal @1080i/50htz via its standard HD box so in theory any HD TV sholud display the image being transmited in exactly the same way as there is no actual differance to the way your Sky box and TV work to dispaly this passive 3D signal, it just you will see both left and right images on screen at the same time without polorised glasses in exactly the same way as it work at the cinema. If it is then possible to find a pair of polorised glasses that work with older TVs to seperate both images properly for each eye is yet to be seen, but I have a huge collection I have keept from recent cinema visits(includeing a iMAX pair) a will give them a go via the Sky demo channel.

No it won't work, the TV has no polarizing filter, the TV will just show two images but will have no way to distinguish them to your eyes, a normal TV has no method of polarizing the light coming from its screen, hence 3D doesn't work.

 

[Andrew Everard]

I was agreeing with bigboss that existing TVs would not be able to display a 3D image.