HDTV Almanac - CES 2010: 3D Broadcasts on the Way

[alfredpoor]

Last summer, European satellite service BSkyB made headlines by announcing plans for an all-3D HDTV channel to begin broadcasting this year. Many people — including me — thought that this is probably premature due to the limited amount of 3D content available. Like the early days of HDTV broadcasts, you were likely to see the [...]

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[ANonemoose]

How does this new technology deal with people who have to wear prescription glasses?

[alfredpoor]

How does this new technology deal with people who have to wear prescription glasses?

All the current major products rely on active glasses (also known as "shutter glasses"). You will not see any autostereoscopic (no glasses) products for the home in the foreseeable future. I won't take the space here to explain why. And you won't see the passive "sunglasses" approach in the home in any significant numbers because that will add cost to a product that is already fighting thin margins and cut-throat competition; any extra cost will have to be in the glasses.

For now, the active glasses will have to fit over your presctription glasses. In a couple years -- once the installed base of 3D sets gets large enough and there's enough content -- there's no reason why you shouldn't be able to get prescription shutter glasses at a reasonable cost.

Alfred

[ANonemoose]

That's what I've been fighting ever since 3D movies first were introduced. Guess it's something I'll have to live without. Thanx.

Rich