THE 3D

All of the 2010 3D TV models – both LCD and Plasma – required Active Shutter Glasses, which have high-speed LCD shutters for each eye that are electronically synchronized to the sequential right and left images generated by the TV every 1/120th of a second. 2011 has resulted in a lot more available 3D content and two important developments in 3D technology:  a new generation of 3D TVs with Active Shutter Glasses, and a new 3D TV technology called Film Pattern Retarder (FPR) that uses very light weight and inexpensive Passive Glasses that are similar to ordinary polarized sunglasses, and identical to the 3D glasses used in most 3D movie theaters. The FPR 3D TV technology doesn’t need high-speed electronic shutters because it uses circularly polarized light filters to keep the right and left images separate for each eye.

3D TV technology is still relatively new so it’s not surprising that most consumers (and many reviewers) are still trying to sort out all of the manufacturer’s claims, figure out what they mean, and what they should do next. There are some conflicting and unsubstantiated statements about 3D TV technologies that are being made in a badgering manner just like in the classic tale of The Emperor’s New Clothes. The object of this article is to provide detailed objective test results that will let you decide what is really there, or not there… But the most important issue of all is whether either of these technologies is able to provide an enjoyable and convincing 3D viewing experience – we’ll answer that below, but first we’ll back it up with lots of objective evidence.

There are a number of very interesting (and frequently misunderstood) 3D imaging and visualization issues that need to be examined for both of these 3D TV technologies in order to straighten out the incorrect and confusing information about them. This article will provide an objective in-depth analysis of both 3D technologies. We have plenty of measurement data, which provides lots of good objective evidence, but the most interesting and important part in evaluating 3D is the actual 3D imaging and visualization itself, and that only happens inside the brain, so instruments cannot help with that part of the evaluation. We used lots of high quality 3D content including 3D movies, photos, images and test patterns. We will describe a series of quantifiable 3D visual tests that anyone can duplicate at home to verify our results and conclusions on 3D TV imaging for themselves.