3D TV is, as the name suggests, a television that can play 3D picture. For the most part, 3D TV are TVs that work in sync with LCD shutter glasses that tell the glasses which eye should be exposed to the image on the screen. While 3D TV has been slow to take off, with more movies beginning to go 3D, there has been an increased demand for 3D TVs and therefore, many of the large television companies — Toshiba, Sony, Panasonic, to name a few — have all expressed their plans to release their own 3D TV by 2010.

How it Works

An individual purchases a TV that has 3D capability. When their cable provider begins offering 3D capability, they'll release a cable box that must sync that television. For example, in the United States, Cablevision was one of the first companies to release 3D channels and their first was the MSG channel. If someone owned a 3D TV as well as the cable box, any sports game that appeared on MSG would appear 3D so long as they were wearing the glasses.3DTV

The way it works is simple. The image comes off of the screen and appears blurry. Because one is wearing the 3D glasses, though, it brings in the light and corrects it so that the image appears to be in your face when in reality, it isn't. However, the 3D glasses make it possible for the brain to interpret that the image is in one's face. How does one create 3D, though? They do it by filming with two cameras at a distance that will create an image that is the same distance apart as what one would see with their pupils. In other words, they use two cameras for filming that gets more of a wider picture. This creates the 3D effect.

The Future of 3D TV

Nearly every company has argued that they will be releasing their own 3D TV. However, only one has been able to create a TV that doesn't require 3D glasses. TCL, a Chinese company, released a 42" TV that doesn't require glasses and uses a lenticular system to display the image. While they might be the first, LG, Sony & Phillips are all working on getting their own 3D TVs out on the market as soon as possible.

The only problem that could appear from this is that standardization could prove difficult. If different companies use different technologies, it might take some time until there is a universal method in which one can create a 3D TV. Overall, though, 3D TV and the ability to watch 3D entertainment from the comfort of one's home is the future of home entertainment.