Look Dear, No More Glasses!

So, it’s true that almost every movie that has been released at the theatres – post Avatar – now comes with a “3D” tag. Money-making venture for the movie makers? Or value-added entertainment for the movie buffs? Well, what seems certain is that 3D technology has since spread its tentacles onto  home-based TV entertainment as well. Samsung, Sony, Panasonic and other pioneers in the electronics industry have rolled out their own versions of the new generation 3D TV.

Remember the LCD HD TV you first bought to replace the chunky, wooden, 27-inch console TV? How about the built-in HD DVD-player plus TV after that? We can’t really complain, can we? Technology changes because of innovation to feed this perpetual cycle of development and replacement. And before you’ve grown accustomed to the 3D TV you bought just six months ago, there is now another new challenger to this emerging market of 3D viewing pleasure for the home.

Immersive experience of movies in one’s home, that’s the promise of home entertainment. As you watch your favourite animation Shrek 3D and are having such a good time laughing out loud, you realise that something just don’t feel right. And that is when you finally notice the pair of 3D glasses sitting on your nose bridge. And you feel a strong compulsion to adjust it all the while.

Now, before you start to complain about having to tolerate discomfort for the sake of enjoying some other pleasure brought by technology, here is some good news.

Toshiba has announced the world’s first 3D television – minus the glasses. That’s right. The company has engineered a 3D system where rays of light emitted from an array of “projectors” will intersect at various angles so that viewers can see stereoscopic images without wearing glasses. The result is some akin to seeing a hologram with moving pictures. Three models of the television will be released before Christmas this year, says Toshiba. As for price, that’s not announced yet, but it can’t be prohibitively high.

So, go ahead and sit anywhere in the comfort of your living room. We are sure you will like your pair of invisible Ray Ban anytime.