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http://today3d.blogspot.com/2010/03/3d-glasses-problem-and-solution-forward.html
One of the big obstacles to the adoption of 3D TV at home, I'm convinced, is the fact that to get the 3D effect, you'll need to be wear "active shutter" glasses. No one I've talked to thinks that that's an ideal solution, but there really isn't another technology that makes sense for the home TV market. Even worse, the initial glasses that the TV makers are rolling out with their sets typically only work with their own brands of TVs: Panasonic glasses with Panasonic TVs, Samsung glasses with Samsung TVs, and so own.
That's a big problem because the glasses are expensive -- about $150 a pair. That's a lot of money if you have a 3D TV and want to invite your friends over to watch. In the long run, many executives believe in the "BYOG" (Bring Your Own Glasses) model, but that's not going to happen if each TV maker has their own standard. All the executives of the companies I've talked to agree it's an issue, and all say they hope to have some sort of answer soon. I can't really fault them for shipping now, before it's standardized, but it is a bit of a shame.
In the meantime, though, I talked with Xpand, which seems to have a solution in the form of active shutter glasses that can adapt to work with just about every TV on the market.
Ami Dror, Chief Strategy Officer for Xpand, says the company's X101 glasses are used in most 3D cinemas outside of the U.S. (in the U.S., I believe Real3D has the largest share). These active glasses are designed to work with projectors that cycle at 144 frames per second using a "triple flash" technology where it cycles to each eye three times for a movie frame. Xpand recently announced a deal with Mitsubishi with its X102 glasses, which use a technology called "DLP Link" that puts a tiny flash of white light into a black interstitial frame (that can't be seen by the human eye) to control the shutters. This will work with 20 projectors using TI's DLP technology, as well as DLP TVs.
The next set of glasses planned, called the X103 series, are designed to be universal active shutter glasses, which will periodically search for infrared signals and be able to interpret the signals from all the major sets -- Panasonic, LG, Samsung, Sony, etc.; as well as the signals used in Nvidia 3D Vision glasses. Dror tells me he expects these glasses to be in stores by June, and says they will come in 12 colors -- in adult and kid sizes -- so they can be a "fashion item." I'm not quite sure about the fashion statement they make, but that's not my area. He said final pricing wasn't set yet, but it will probably be in the $125 to $150 range.
Xpand says it is also making glasses on an OEM basis for Phillips (using infrared technology for signaling) and Vizio (using Bluetooth). He says the company made 2 million pairs of glasses for cinema use in 2009; and expects to make about 7 million in 2010 (including 3 million for cinemas, 2 million for DLPs, 2 million X103s, and 1 million OEM glasses). But, because the volume is relatively high already, don't look for a drastic decrease in the price of active glasses.
It won't surprise me at all if other companies create "universal" glasses eventually; and that the TV makers eventually agree on a standard. That solves one issue related to the glasses, though I still worry about the relatively high price, and I wonder how often real consumers will want to put on glasses at home. But it is a step in the right direction.
That's a big problem because the glasses are expensive -- about $150 a pair. That's a lot of money if you have a 3D TV and want to invite your friends over to watch. In the long run, many executives believe in the "BYOG" (Bring Your Own Glasses) model, but that's not going to happen if each TV maker has their own standard. All the executives of the companies I've talked to agree it's an issue, and all say they hope to have some sort of answer soon. I can't really fault them for shipping now, before it's standardized, but it is a bit of a shame.
In the meantime, though, I talked with Xpand, which seems to have a solution in the form of active shutter glasses that can adapt to work with just about every TV on the market.
Ami Dror, Chief Strategy Officer for Xpand, says the company's X101 glasses are used in most 3D cinemas outside of the U.S. (in the U.S., I believe Real3D has the largest share). These active glasses are designed to work with projectors that cycle at 144 frames per second using a "triple flash" technology where it cycles to each eye three times for a movie frame. Xpand recently announced a deal with Mitsubishi with its X102 glasses, which use a technology called "DLP Link" that puts a tiny flash of white light into a black interstitial frame (that can't be seen by the human eye) to control the shutters. This will work with 20 projectors using TI's DLP technology, as well as DLP TVs.
The next set of glasses planned, called the X103 series, are designed to be universal active shutter glasses, which will periodically search for infrared signals and be able to interpret the signals from all the major sets -- Panasonic, LG, Samsung, Sony, etc.; as well as the signals used in Nvidia 3D Vision glasses. Dror tells me he expects these glasses to be in stores by June, and says they will come in 12 colors -- in adult and kid sizes -- so they can be a "fashion item." I'm not quite sure about the fashion statement they make, but that's not my area. He said final pricing wasn't set yet, but it will probably be in the $125 to $150 range.
Xpand says it is also making glasses on an OEM basis for Phillips (using infrared technology for signaling) and Vizio (using Bluetooth). He says the company made 2 million pairs of glasses for cinema use in 2009; and expects to make about 7 million in 2010 (including 3 million for cinemas, 2 million for DLPs, 2 million X103s, and 1 million OEM glasses). But, because the volume is relatively high already, don't look for a drastic decrease in the price of active glasses.
It won't surprise me at all if other companies create "universal" glasses eventually; and that the TV makers eventually agree on a standard. That solves one issue related to the glasses, though I still worry about the relatively high price, and I wonder how often real consumers will want to put on glasses at home. But it is a step in the right direction.
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