Setting standards in 3-D glasses

Royal Philips Electronics, Sharp, TCL, and Toshiba have thrown their weight behind a new standardization effort called the “Full HD 3D Glasses Initiative" (Universal City, CA, USA) that plans to standardize active-shutter 3-D glasses, allowing users to wear the same ones whether they are watching 3-D at the theater or at home on a television or personal computer.

Earlier this month saw Panasonic, Samsung Electronics, Sony, and X6D Limited (XPAND 3D) form the initiative with the aim of working together on the development and licensing of Bluetooth-enabled radio frequency (RF) system 3-D active-shutter glasses technology.

The standardization effort will also include several types of infrared (IR) system protocols between 3-D active-shutter glasses and 3-D displays, incorporating the protocols jointly developed by Panasonic and XPAND 3D and the proprietary protocols of Samsung and Sony.

In late September 2011, the license program for the Full HD 3D Glasses Initiative is targeted to commence. When it does, manufacturers of 3-D displays, 3-D synchronization emitters, 3-D active-shutter glasses, or Bluetooth chips can receive a license to begin developing and manufacturing products based on the Full HD 3D Glasses Initiative’s technical specifications.

These specifications include the communication protocol between a 3-D device and 3-D eyewear and the communication protocol between the XPAND cinema system and 3-D eyewear.

In late 2011, the Full HD 3D Glasses Initiative plans to begin officially certifying products manufactured under license. Upon product certification, manufacturers will be allowed to use a distinct logo to identify that their products conform to the protocols, providing users with a way to recognize interoperability among 3-D active shutter products, such as the 3-D TVs and 3-D glasses that bear the logo.

-- Posted by Vision Systems Design