3D at Home Without the Glasses?

Television is about to become glasses-free 3-D, thanks to Sony Corp. In the race for this new technology in home entertainment with competitor Toshiba, both companies have attempted to overcome cost and technological obstacles. Decisions have not yet been made regarding when they will go on sale.

3-D television sets are currently already on sale courtesy of Panasonic and Sony, though they require glasses. Glasses-free 3-D screens are available, but predominantly intended for store displays. The viewer of these screens must stand in specific areas in order to see the three-dimensional effect. Also, the image quality of such screens is much lower than that of the screens which require glasses.

So why the race to create a non-glasses 3-D experience? According to Sony senior Vice-President Yoshihisa Ishida, “seeing 3-D without glasses is more convenient.”

“But we must take account of pricing before we can think about when to start offering them,” he added.

Sony’s latest 3-D products for the Japanese market, including flat-panel TVs and Blu-ray recorders, were showcased at a launch for the product at Sony’s Japanese headquarters.

Sony’s goal is to be number one in the Japanese market for 3-D TVs and 3-D players and recorders, using their upper-hand as one of the electronics manufacturers with a movie studio.

Two films and two music videos in 3-D will begin selling in Japan as of next month, along with home software of 3-D theatre releases.

According to Barron’s online, Sony said demand was better-than-expected in some markets, but below expectations in others, including the U.S.