Toshiba Australia will have TV display screens that deliver 3DTV glasses this year, with the possibility that they will deliver a 56 inch TV without the need for 3D glasses by Xmas.At last week’s CES Channel News was shown a 12 inch, 20 inch and 56 inch Toshiba 3D TVs working without glasses. The technology which tunes to a viewer’s eyes is still limited to a very small viewing angle. The Japanese company believes that these early 3D TVs will appeal to gamers.
The new Toshiba 3D TV display technology produces a 3D effect by displaying the image in differing angles which tricks the human eye into adding depth to 2D images.
What makes this Toshiba model different is that it renders all images into a 3D format including free to air TV programs, it also means you don’t have to buy a specially formatted version of your favourite console game to enjoy it in 3D.
While it is still an open question whether developers will stick their necks out on a limb to develop games specifically for this TV, it is probably more likely that developers will wait a little longer until the full battle for 3D TV format dominance finally establishes a winning, and therefore predictable, standard format.
The new glasses-free 3DTV is being demonstrated as something between proof of concept and production. With the Toshiba offering one had to stand on the right spot and images appear to leap out from the screen. While most 3D products on the market currently require glasses, these new models do not.
And with 3D much touted but little bought, manufacturers such as Toshiba are pinning a lot of hope on versions without glasses winning over the mass market.
According to Rob Wilkinson, General Manager of Toshiba Australia’s Information Systems Division (ISD) and their AV Division, this is early day’s technology. “On smaller screens we have the new 3DTV technology working well. The 56″ is a prototype and by the time we get it in the Australian market it will have matured significantly. We anticipate that we may have the 56″ screen by Xmas and the smaller display TV’s earlier”.
Toshiba is also set to launch a new range of budget TV’s as well as several large screen models that are full HD and incorporate 3D TV with glasses.
The range will start appearing in Australia in April with the larger models introduced late in the second half.
