During CES 2010.
RealD managed to slide its 3D glasses in with most of the new televisions coming our way this year, but
XpanD is continuing its
promise to work with any IR-enabled set from any manufacturer (Samsung has already stated its glasses will only work with its TVs, Panasonic couldn't confirm cross compatibility with other brands when we asked) with the X103 series. XpanD is claiming compatibility with "virtually any monitor capable of displaying 3D content". Even with plans for 12 different colors and sizes for kids or adults it's more likely you'll end up in a
caption contest than a look book rocking
these, but as long as they get the job done they seem like a natural go to for additional pairs when they launch in June. The main problem? Pricing isn't final but Chief Strategy Officer Ami Dror told
PC Mag he expects them to run $125 - $150 -- even if the local cinema uses active shutter technology, that's a lot of 3D flicks before you recoup the cost and makes it nearly out of the question to grab a few spares for friends to watch.
posted March 17th 2010 12:58AM
BEING COOL
you're doing it wrong.
Get some designer brands to help with these designs and you've got yourself a new market.
........at least until glass-less3D is perfected
@abedinthehouse I'm doing pretty well in my life with glassless 3D already.
god i hope 3d just turns out to be a fad.
@BrianH same here. i really couldn't care less about 3D.
@kojo87
Why do you comment on 3D stuff if you don't care about it?
To me this is just a transition for when the glasses-free 3D TVs come out. They'll sell these to make money in order to make those TVs. They'll probably come out by the end of this decade.
@Meekermoloko
when did i say i didn't care about it.
I do care, but that doesn't mean i like it, it could also mean i don't want it shoved into the price of every damn TV i buy in the future. I don't feel like paying a premium for headache inducing "entertainment"
@BrianH
It was directed @kojo87.
Anyone can comment whether they like something or not, it can lead to a good discussion on what works and what doesn't or what they like or what they don't like.
I just see so many people who repeat their comments on how much they don't care about 3D at all and yet they keep clicking on the 3D articles to comment on how they don't care about 3D.
@Meekermoloko i meant it in the sense that i don't care about 3D so i don't want to be forced to pay for it. not that i don't care about the technology in general. hope that made more sense.
@BrianH
It's an attempt to lobby the rising up against a gimmick hoisted on the consumer in a lame attempt to speed up the TV buying cycle.
Give us glasses free, independent viewer adjustable focal depth 3D, not this piddly effort.
The next bit will be a re-release of old movies and games NOW with 3D (faked) for even more than you paid 2 years ago for the same thing. Yah!
@BrianH
speaking of remaking old movies, do you know that titanic is slated for a 3d release next year?
and something more ridiculous? apparantly Avatar is supposed to be re-edited and re-released this year!
I could buy a TV at that price!
It wouldn't be a 3D TV but who the f*ck cares about a damn fad.
I dont think 3D is a fad if its used properly. It brings a little more immersion to television viewing if done well and in a more subtle manner for things like depth perception in a baseball game when focusing on the pitcher/batter and so forth. Alot of "fads" become trends. Trends drive industries.
@CoreyMac More immersion? Do we need people to watch more TV?!
@BigD145
Yeah you're right lets just keep reality distorted. Lets also stop game immersion advancements too and go back to the Atari. People are gonna sit or not sit on the couch all day regardless of technology. That depends on the person. I personally don't want tech stunted because of fat lazy americans. Bring on more immersion.
BYOG
Bring Your Own Glasses. All my friends better bring their own 3D glasses cause I'm buying one pair.
UGLY....this alone will prevent 3D TV's from getting popular
@AER0
Didnt stop millions of people from making fools of themselves by purchasing Wii's. People don't care what they look like in the comfort of their own homes....especially if everyone else in the room is wearing them too.
Give it a little time and prices on these will drop pretty fast!
@JBDragon
This stuff has been around since I was a kid and cost under 50 bucks then. The high costs are all from marketing and price fixing.
I am going to be really angry when I graduate college and want to buy a flat screen since this dumb gimmick is going to add an extra 1k to the price tag.
@mercnet
that's the reason i hate 3d now, your going to have to pay for it when it becomes standard.
@BrianH: So you're saying you're worried that EVERY TV sold in the future will be with a pair of 3D glasses and you don't want to pay for it since it'll be the ONLY kind of TV you can buy? Is that like how absolutely every TV these days are LED lit or how every HDTV has a 240Hz refresh rate? It's just another option that you can pay extra for or not pay extra for. Unless Obama gets his hands on it they won't start fining you if you don't buy one OK?
All these anti-3D arguments are absolutely ridiculous. People care about how they look in these glasses at home? How many people pay extra money to go to an IMAX theater and wear those stylish things in PUBLIC? Also, when you're watching a movie do you watch the movie or watch yourself in a mirror?
What do mean, "--even if the local cinema uses active shutter technology, that's a lot of 3D flicks before you recoup the cost."?
Do you really believe the theater is going to give you a ticket discount because you brought your own glasses? HA!
Parents of children are not going to allow their kids to wear $150 3D glasses ... and as we all know ... most 3D movies are aimed at kids.
what?!!?
did i read that right?
u mean that glasses from one TV can't be used with another?
@liquidmonkey No, Panasonic said that their 3-D glasses (as far as they know) will not work on other TVs other then their own.
I'd hazard a guess that there are different types of 3-D visual effects if they don't know if their glasses will be compatible with another TV.
@zero1221 it's not about a difference in effect, hence these glasses that work with all, it's about being able to communicate with the IR sync adapter. At it's core it is the same technology. Panasonic told me that they don't know if their glasses will work with other TVs or vice versa. From what I've heard from manufacturers I'd liken the situation to Rock Band/Guitar Hero instruments, at first not all were compatible, some went to all but not in the other direction, then eventually they all work with all.
@RichardLawler
well, either way it sounds like a good reason to not dive into this 3D stuff.
i'm quite amazed at the amount of attention 3D is actually getting!
Hear that? It's 3d flopping!
Your local cinema uses a completely different 3D technology, and you should know this! IMAX briefly flirted with active 3D glasses but has since moved on to the circular polorized passive glasses, as are the Real3D theaters showing 3D on normal theater screens. These glasses WILL NOT WORK at a movie theater.
Also, $125-150 is a fair for active shutter glasses, especially since manufacturers are going to throw in a pair or two in free with the purchase of a compatible TV or TV and Blu-Ray player.
Finally, for those that think 3D is a gimmick and will fade...wake UP! People have been asking for this for YEARS! Avatar, and more recently, Alice in Wonderland, as well as a dozen others over the past couple of years has shown that people are not only willing to wear silly glasses (in PUBLIC!!!), but they are willing to pay a premium ticket price over the 2D presentation, and in RECORD NUMBERS!
The biggest problem now is not the technology, or the glasses, but the lack of quality 3D movies. For every "Avatar", there will be a dozen "Clash of the Titans", where instead of being shot and composed for viewing in 3D, you get a rushed "conversion" from 2D to 3D.
Personally, I see 3D gaming as being the driving force behind 3D in the home. Gamers are all over this, and once the PS3 brings 3D to its games, you are going to see a lot of geeky glasses being worn!
@jnemesh Actually what I do know is there are 3D cinemas that use this exact technology from XpanD. RealD has more of their passive setups in the U.S., but there are some that use these, and many more worldwide.
@jnemesh : Don't forget the porn... oh there will be some porn all right.
This is cool but that price is steep. I am all for the upcoming advanced 3d experience, and the real reason for the push ( 3D helps against the fight of unauthorized copying). I enjoy great entertainment and don't mind the premium if the content is worth it. Please bring the price down in a timely fashion (the holidays) and/or reasonable t.v. bundles.
Nice