What Is a 3D TV?

You may have asked yourself: what is a 3D TV? Well, a 3D TV is a television that uses the technology of 3D presentation to display moving picture on screen. This technology uses a stereoscopic capture, multi-view capture, or 2D plus depth, and a 3D display, which is a special viewing device to project moving picture into a realistic three-dimensional field.

3D TV works by displaying two separate images at slightly different angles, which are merged together at once on screen. Now, just as we as humans have two ears to hear in stereo, we have two eyes to see two different angles of the same image. When viewing moving picture on a 3D TV, we wear special glasses - 3D glasses. The lenses on these glasses block out one of the two images displayed on the screen so each eye is seeing a slightly different angle of the moving picture on the screen. The combination of these images in the viewer's brain leaves him or her perceiving the images as a three dimensional effect.

3D TVs are already on the market, with stickers that read '3D Ready TV', which is similar to the 'HD Ready' stickers when high definition was first introduced on the market. Now, although 3D TVs are considered to be 'the future' and the replacement of HD TVs, the technology is still to make its way into the entertainment centre in the homes of consumers.

Currently, it is quite common for new theatrical movie releases to be in 3D, especially after the success of the movie Avatar. A lot of movie studios are creating new movies and indeed re-releasing old ones to be shown with the 3D technology in cinemas. This of course prepares the way for the 3D technology to be brought to the homes of consumers.

Although you can purchase 3DTVs, for quite a high price at the moment, it is still slightly early to experience 3D viewing in your home. This is because having a television that is able to pick up transmitted 3D content and display 3D images is one aspect of the equation, but having sources that can actually transmit the content in the first place is the other side of the equation. Movie studios can create 3D movies, but television stations currently are not using the technology to broadcast as of yet. There is also quite come controversy over whether consumers will want to wear 3D glasses in their homes when watching television.

If you are considering purchasing a 3DTV, you will be better off waiting a couple of years to do so as the technology for the home is not as stable as it is for the cinemas. Also, although 3DTV will be quite common in the years to come, it certainly will not replace HDTVs as they have replaced conventional televisions. For this reason, it is certainly better for you to purchase a HDTV, which is a technology that is firmly established in the homes of consumers than to opt for the 3D technology that is yet to come.