Tech Column: 3D Television

Spaced a few inches apart, our eyes work together to combine two slightly different images into one, allowing us to experience depth perception. With the onset of photography around the mid 19th century, inventers were already experimenting with a way to mimic this phenomenon, though the use of stereoscopic images; that is, two similarly positioned images combined into one. This led to the 3-D movie trend of the 1950s, in which viewers donned blue and red glasses, which separated the stereoscopic film images to produce a sense of depth.

Although this method of displaying 3-D video remained the same for decades, all of that is quickly changing. After the success of several recent 3-D movies, especially with director James Cameron's Avatar, many movies are now being advertised as being shown in 3-D, wowing viewers with a much more convincing—and less headache-inducing—effect. But despite the fact that this new wave of 3-D movies is still in its infancy, manufacturers are already hopping on the bandwagon, eager to convince consumers they should ditch their HDTV for one that can bring the experience home. Manufacturers such as Phillips, Samsung, Sony, Panasonic and others are already offering 3D sets, although there is not a universal way of displaying the images.

One method that's proving to be successful is active-shutter technology, in which special shades shutter in sync with a stereoscopic image. "The result is that the left eye sees only the intended left view of the image, and the right eye sees the intended right view, and it happens so fast that your brain blends it together into a single, stereoscopic image," explains wired.com.

Another method, which doesn't require glasses at all, is referred to as autostereoscopy. However, the technology behind it requires that the viewer sit about 13 feet from the unit; any more or less and the image will become distorted. Additionally, the technology is still very new and thus very expensive; don't expect an affordable one to be available for a few years.

Of course, that might not be a bad idea. 3-D television needs time to mature, as well as accumulate enough content to warrant replacing your current set. Consumers are still getting used to high definition; let's not take the next step when it's been less than a year since we switched from broadcast to digital.