The Zigbee Alliance has begun work on its ninth standard, that is set to improve 3D viewing and automatically support 2D/3D content for gaming and 3D HDTV.The ZigBee 3D Sync standard, announced at CES last week, will be used by multiple vendor organisations creating wireless solutions that can be used in a range of consumer applications, and is expected to create more flexible and efficient 3D connections between 3D HDTVs and 3D glasses.
The new standard will replace 30 year-old infrared (IR) technology that is currently used in today’s 3D products by providing a robust radio frequency (RF) solution.
It will allow consumers greater freedom of movement while wearing 3D glasses for use in gaming or 3D HDTV viewing. It will also eliminate interference due to ambient light sources.
Manufacturers of products using the new ZigBee 3D Sync will be able to incorporate innovative two-way communications between 3D glasses and equipment, allowing them to switch automatically between 2D and 3D video feeds. The new 3D glasses built using ZigBee 3D will also use energy more efficiently, giving consumers more hours of 3D entertainment per charge.
The standard will deliver smarter functionality for 3D devices, allowing interoperability between 3D glasses from multiple vendors, programmability of display frame rates and shutter open/close times, multi user experience modes which means users will be able to switch seamlessly between 3D and 2D, multi player full screen 2D and 3D gaming enabling each player to receive a separate 2D or 3D image and enable frequency agility to prevent interference.
Bob Heile, chairman of the ZigBee Alliance said the new standard would will help CE manufacturers deliver the best possible 3D experience for consumers. “ZigBee 3D Sync is the latest CE-oriented standard we are developing to replace outdated IR technology that no longer delivers the great experience consumers want and expect.”
ZigBee 3D Sync can be used simultaneously with the ZigBee Input Device and ZigBee Remote Control standards introduced last year for CE devices in response to strong interest from CE manufacturers. All three standards utilise the ZigBee RF4CE specification that was specifically designed to replace IR technology and give manufacturers the capability to deliver exceptional performance along with new features and conveniences not before possible.
