Beginners Guide to 3D TV

I’m Emily Davenport and this... is Tech Know. Are you growing bored of your regular old Friday movie night? Does it seem to fall a little FLAT? Today, I’ll tell you how to fix that by going “3D”. It’s easier than you think! First, the basics. Traditional 3D imagery was created using anaglyph technology. That means they take duplicate versions of the same image, shift them left and right offand tint them two different colors –. When viewed through 3D glasses with alternately tinted lenses, an illusion of depth is created. Whoa! Modern 3D, on the other hand, uses a method called “fusing” –take the same scene from two different angles – one each for the right and left eyes – and combine them. It looks blurry and skewed to the naked eye, but when viewed through 3D glasses, the images ‘fuse’ into an image that appears to be 3D. Whoa!! So, what will you need to get started? Well, first you’ll need a 3D-enabled TV. There are many to choose from, but the important distinction is that the all fall into one of two categories: ‘active’ or ‘passive’ 3D technology. ‘Active’ 3D transmits signals from the TV to the viewer’s electronically controlled glasses in order to create the 3D effect, while ‘passive’ 3D simply sends an image that the viewer’s static glasses can decode without electronic control. Active 3D can transmit different images to two different viewers at the same time and are somewhat more advanced than passive 3D, but there is actually debate about which technology is actually better. I recommend that you try your eyes on each and just be sure that you buy the right 3D glasses to match the TV you end up with. Some leading-edge TVs don’t require glasses at all, but it’s a little early to buy one for your living room. This– stay tuned. Once you have your TV and glasses, you’ll need hardware that can play 3D content. This could be a 3D Blu-Ray player, or a gaming console like the Sony PlayStation, capable of 3D playback. Prices can range from about $100 for a basic player, to $250 for a PlayStation 3 that will play both Blu-ray 3D movies and games. You can spend more for additional features, but $100 will get you in the game. Finally, you’ll need 3D content to watch – or play! You can buy or rent movies and games on 3D Blu-ray discs, just look for the distinctive ‘Blu-ray 3D’ logo like this. Personally, I suggest checking out Disney’s “Tangled” on Blu-Ray 3D and a try the 3D-enabled game “Uncharted 3” if you have a PlayStation 3. These titles are getting rave reviews around the web and really take advantage of the 3D technology. A couple words of caution: pace yourself! Viewing simulated 3D content might causesome discomfort, including headaches, nausea and dizziness. Some 3D content is harder to watch than others and especially for those with weak eye muscles. And for a small amount of people 3D just doesn’t work at all. Some people have a condition known as ‘stereo blindness’ and experience monocular vision. Search for an online test, or see your eye doctor to assess your 3D perception. If you’re unable to perceive 3D content, it’s good to know that all 3D TVs can play standard 2D content as well. It just won’t stand out as much. For Tech Know, I’m Emily Davenport. See ya next time.