How LCD 3D Glasses Work

LCD 3D Glasses

3D technology was introduced in the fifties as an attempt to draw people away from television and into the movie theaters. Since then, various forms of 3D entertainment have come and gone, but only recently has the technology been available for in home use. With LCD 3D glasses, users can experience real 3D in their homes, without sacrificing picture quality. These glasses are currently on the market for about $100, and if you have an HDTV that is 3D capable, you can watch any DVD in 3D, regardless of whether or not it was actually made that way.

How LCD 3D Glasses Work

In the old days, 3D was done by presenting half the image in blue, and half the image in red. Users would wear red and blue glasses, which would prevent each eye from seeing the other half of the image. The result was a fairly convincing 3D image, but left a lot to be desired when it came to picture quality.

LCD 3D glasses use a different technology altogether. The lenses actually darken and lighten in sync with the refresh rate of the image on the screen. A polarizing filter works in conjunction with the liquid crystal to make this happen. An IR emitter tells the glasses when to perform this change. As the glasses are performing this function, they are essentially hiding a piece of the image from your eyes even while it's on the screen. This creates the 3D illusion. Though it is still just a way to trick your mind into seeing something that isn't there, the LCD glasses produce a much higher quality image than the 3D glasses of old.

Are They Worth It?

Even though LCD glasses are fairly inexpensive for the 3D enthusiast, casual viewers may question whether the investment is worth it for the picture produced. There's no easy answer to the question, but here are some things to consider. LCD glasses are far superior to any other in-home entertainment 3D option. There are no ghosting effects and the color retention is desirable. On the other hand, if you have an LCD television, you aren't going to have a great experience with the glasses. It seems counter-intuitive, but these glasses work much better with a CRT or DLP display, which have refresh rates, as opposed to LCD displays, which simply lighten and darken the image (as is happening within the glasses themselves). Another thing to consider is the fact that while non-3D movies can be watched in 3D, you may not enjoy this as much as a 3D movie that is specially designed that way. 3D movies tend to add a lot of action with the intent of making the most of the 3D technology. Some may find that regular movies aren't really worth the headache.