3D TV WITHOUT GLASSES AND HOW IT WORKS

 

Everyone recognises that the need to wear 3D glasses is one of the major barriers to the mass acceptance of 3D TV as an entertainment medium. 3D glasses are expensive, uncomfortable for some, and the need to wear them means you'll need multiple pairs if watching with friends or family. In this article we'll look at developments in technology that will allow you to experience 3D TV without glasses.

The breakthrough technologies that solve this problem of no glasses 3D TV are known as parallax barrier or lenticular lens technology. These methods of delivering 3D TV without glasses are also known as autostereoscopy, and the 3D TVs that deliver them are built using what's termed as 'autostereoscopic screens'. LG's blog post 'A 3D Future Without Glasses' explores the two technologies in more detail.

Recent developments in head tracking 3D technology give us a third solution, where a built in webcam locks on to a viewers eyes and displays the split in images required for that viewer to 'see' in 3D - adjusting the images emitted from the display as the viewer moves.

Further to this the Hungarian technology firm iPont 3D are working on development of the 3D TV Box, a device that promises a fourth and potentially superior method of delivering no glasses 3D TV in a unique way. This solution uses their technology to send an image through the box to an autostereoscopic TV set with reportedly very good quality results.

As of April 2011, none of the methods of delivering no glasses 3D TV have been perfected and picture quality cannot currently rival that of the 3D glasses technologies. The problem is that we need to be able to watch TV content from multiple different positions and still get the 3D effect, and with the no glasses models seen so far there's a requirement to sit at an optimal position (height and distance from the display) or the 3D effect is lost.

But all is not lost. Manufacturers continue on research and development in the search for the holy grail of 3D TV and an autostereoscopic display manufacturer known as 3DFusion have recently demonstrated a significant breakthrough with their 3DFMax 3DTV technology. This allows you to adjust the depth of the 3D images and watch in 3D at the level of your personal preference - without glasses.

I's pretty much guaranteed that the major manufacturers will find a way to give us without glasses 3D TV within the next few years - at a price that's affordable and a quality that makes it all worthwhile. In particular developments in mobile 3D TV might deliver the first truly successful options for watching without glasses.

As you can see it's early days for these no glasses 3D TV models. Their delivery of 3D images is certainly impressive and they could be the first in a long line that come without the unpopular glasses. But they're expensive too, reportedly commanding a $1400 + price for the 12 inch REGZA 12GL1 3D TV which comes with just 466�350 resolution. The REGZA 20 inch steps in with a higher resolution and will cost nearer $2900. Larger screen models are expected to be priced proportionately higher in the early stages of availability.
Aside from the price, one other drawback of the new models is the need to sit close to the screen to get the 3D effect - users need to sit within a 40-degree range directly in front, and must also sit two feet in front of the 12-inch 3D TV and three feet in front of the 20-inch. This issue of positioning became even more apparent during the demos at CES 2011 of Toshiba's larger screen prototypes which have only three 3D viewing angles, though reports suggest that the 3D effect was impressive as long as you were in the right spot to get it (Toshiba had floor positions marked out). There was a problem with general image sharpness, despite the high resolution of the display. Resolution is a problem because the need to show multiple perspectives uses a significant number of  pixels.

These issues can be expected to be ironed out by the time these larger models go on sale, and with Toshiba building in 2D and 3D capability they may gain an early advantage in the market. Clearly though, effective high quality 3D TV without glasses has some way to go. The Taiwanese flat panel TV producer AU Optronics announced in late 2010 that they had developed prototype no glasses 3D displays that can be viewed effectively from any angle, though these are similar to the Toshiba efforts whereby the 3D effects can so far only be delivered on small screens.

With the recent arrival of the Nintendo 3DS portable games console, you can guarantee that throughout 2011 there will be heavy focus on small screen mobile 3D TV technology. The proven capability of small screen units to deliver high quality 3D imaging is likely to place these models at the top of the no glasses tree, and the 3DS could well be the catalyst that opens up mass acceptance of 3D entertainment in general. Nintendo are reportedly already in discussion with a number of the major Hollywood studios to be able to deliver movies such as How To Train Your Dragon and Walt Disney's Tangled.

Of course, successful 3D viewing on a small screen device won't give the immersive experience you get at the cinema or from a high quality big screen TV, but it is almost certain that if the 3DS console turns out to be as successful as initial sales results suggest, then it will have a major impact on driving further focus on development of larger display full no glasses 3D TV models.

LG are already working on a 4.3" 480x900 resolution mobile prototype 3D display that needs no glasses.The unit uses parallax barrier technology, with LG claiming new enhancements that reduce crosstalk, and an improved wider viewing angle.

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