3D TV (3DTV): What is It?: BigPictureBigSound

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Published: 2010-03-18 - 12:35:18
Home Theater : Ask The Expert

3D TV (3DTV): What is It?

By Rachel Cericola

Question:

Dear Big Picture Big Sound,

I've been hearing and reading a lot about 3D TV in the papers and on my plain old flat (2D) TV. Do you still need those red and blue paper glasses to watch 3D TV? Because those are uncomfortable and I don't want to wear them all the time. And what is there to watch in 3-d anyway?

Thanks,

-Dimensionally Challenged in DC

Answer:

Dear Mr. (or Ms.) Challenged,

This is the year of must-see 3D, so it's a pretty hot topic. More movies are starting to pop up (and out) in 3D. Films like Avatar and Alice in Wonderland are blowing up box-office receipts and actually getting people to go back to theaters again.

Of course, many readers prefer the comfort of their couch for the movie experience, and that's ok, too. This will be their year, the year that 3DTV will hit the mainstream -- and maybe even your living room.

3D: A History Lesson

First, you should know that 3D has been around since before your grandma was born. Also, there are actually four types of 3D technology: Anaglyphic 3D, Polarization 3D, Alternate Image, and Autostereoscopic. The first three all need some type of glasses; Autostereoscopic does not, but it's not that well developed yet, nor available in consumer products. So the short answer is: YES, you do still need glasses -- but they're a lot better than those old paper things!

A Clear Vision of 3D

Anaglyphic 3D uses two images, which are offset but presented simultaneously on the screen, to create 3D. The glasses have two different colored lenses. Normally one lens is red and one is cyan, though there are some variations. If you've seen pictures from the '50s of people staring at big-screen 3D images with paper colored glasses, you've seen people staring at Anaglyphic 3D. Many DVD and Blu-ray releases have used this format. And if you haven't noticed, it's not all that pretty. Colors are a little off and some the images can be fuzzy. Also, those paper glasses can be itchy and cause headaches after prolonged use.

Polarization 3D displays images on the screen with the light polarized in different directions for each eye. Matching passive polarized glasses separate the right and left eye images on the screen, so your brain can combine them into a single 3D image. Polarization is typically used in projection systems with a dedicated projector used for each eye however new less expensive digital projection systems have been developed which can project both left and and right eye images from a single projector by alternativing the images very quickly on screen. This has lowered the cost of entry for movie theaters and has helped usher along a new resurgence of interest in 3D movies.

Alternate-frame sequencing uses a single strip of film (or a single data stream in the case of digital media), alternating images for the left and right eyes in very fast succession. To allow your left and right eyes to see the correct half of the 3D image, alternate frame sequencing 3D uses uses battery-powered glasses with active shutters that open and close in rapid succession -- typically 60 times per second per eye for consumer gear in the US. Again, your brain is able to take these two different images and put together a single 3D image much the same way that it does in real life. Both Polarization and Alternate Frame Sequencing 3D are used in mainstream 3D presentations, at the theater and even at some theme parks.

Autostereoscopic 3D does not use 3D glasses, however it's also not available for your home. It's more for advertising purposes, is currently limited in its viewing range and applications and is prohibitively expensive, so don't torture yourself about that. For now, 3D at home does require glasses, but it's so much better than the old anaglyph technology that it really must be seen to be believed.

3D@Home

Like 3D technology in general, 3D TV in the home has been through its changes. Aside from the paper glasses and anaglyph images on your normal TV, manufacturers have actually been producing 3D HDTVs for a while now. In 2007, both Samsung and Mitsubishi came out with their own 3D-enabled DLP high-def TVs. Both would display PC content, via an external transmitter box and LCD shutter glasses.

In 2007, Samsung and Mitsubishi used DLP, a transmitter box and LCD shutter glasses to transmit 3D images.

The new 3DTV sets that are out now and coming over the course of the year all use alternate frame sequencing technology with active shutter glasses to produce 3D effects from both movies and TV broadcasts. However, these will feature higher frame rates (120Hz), which will deliver the full HD (1080p) experience to each eye. Some 3DTVs will include one pair of glasses, while others are selling them separately. We are hoping to see a few perks for early adopters, such as Samsung's 3D starter kit, which throws in two pairs of active shutter glasses and a Blu-ray 3D movie for those that purchase Samsung Full HD 3DTV models along with a Blu-ray 3D player.

Before you get that 3DTV, we should tell you that there's very little 3D content available today. Blu-ray 3D players are coming this month, but titles won't start popping up until later this spring. Sony Pictures, Disney, 20th Century Fox and Dreamworks have all made announcements, and you should expect the first Blu-ray 3D titles to include Monsters vs. Aliens, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs and Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs.

Many new 3DTVs have the technology built in, but still use active shutter glasses.

ESPN 3D will kick off broadcasting 3-D content in June with the 2010 FIFA World Cup. In partnership with Panasonic, DIRECTV will launch three different 3D channels that same month, with an upgrade to be provided to customers' existing set-top boxes to allow 3D output to compatible TVs. Discovery, Sony and Imax are teaming up for a 3D network in 2011. Other networks and providers will surely follow, as well as more Blu-ray 3D titles. For now, you will just have to enjoy, well... a big, new beautiful HDTV that may not have much 3D content.

Just because the content isn't quite there yet, doesn't mean that you can't enjoy a 3D-enabled TV. In fact, they make quite excellent 2D TVs. Both Samsung and Panasonic, for instance, have new 3D TVs that feature high frame rates and faster panel response rates that help in such areas as motion reproduction and overall image clarity. Panasonic developed a new short stroke plasma phosphor technology which helps to make their latest plasma TVs even better than last year's top of the line models in watching traditional 2D content. Also, Samsung offers a real-time 2D-to-3D conversion feature, which gives a nice 3D boost to the typical 2D content. That should keep you very entertained until more 3D content comes along.

Hope that helps! You can also get yourself to a Sony Style store or a Best Buy (one with a Magnolia Home Theater department) to check out some of these new Full HD 3D HDTVs in person. A few Sony and Samsung models can be ordered already online. The Panasonic Full HD 3DTVs are currently only available in Best Buy stores, and will be making their way to other Brick & Mortar stores later this spring.

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