Dimensions have always been a big topic at CES. Questions like “How wide is this flat screen?” or “How thin is that phone?” are common, but at CES 2010 another dimension has become more important. TV manufacturers, no longer satisfied with the standard upgrades to their lines of flat screens, have added the third dimension to displays. They have done this by simulating depth perception with a technique called Stereoscopic 3D.
Depth perception is a result of our minds ability to interpret what we see in each of our eyes as a single 3D image. Stereoscopic 3D works by putting two videos (one for the right eye and one for the left) on the same screen, and directing the correct video to the correct eye (this is done with special 3D glasses). The technologies used to do this were originally very simple (e.g. Red and blue glasses), and provided an experience that was gimmicky and inconsistent. Personally I hadn’t had a satisfying 3D experience until this year’s CES. I had always been annoyed by the sacrifices in quality made for the sake of 3D.
Luckily, the TV manufacturers have more or less come to the right consensus about 3D. The consensus landed on active rather than passive 3D glasses. Active glasses are now being used by Sony, Panasonic, LG Electronics, Sharp, Samsung, and Nvidia (for PC gaming). These glasses are able to sync with a 3D enabled television so they can block one eye while the other eye’s frame is displayed. The LCD lenses that do this alternate between opaque and transparent approximately 60 times per second. This makes for a consistent 3D experience.
The benefit of the active glasses were very noticeable . Unlike some of the passive glasses, active glasses didn’t sacrifice a crystal clear picture for the sake of 3D. Also, with active glasses the 3D helped immerse me into what I was watching rather than distract me from the plot. All in all the experience felt just as consistent as 2D with the benefits of 3D. I’m still not sure what the future of 3D is, but right now active 3D glasses are the way to go.
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