3D TVs Without The Need To Wear 3D Glasses

So I hear you ask is it possible to get a 3D viewing experience without the need for glassess?....

3D TV Requiring 3D Glasses - The downside:

Well although everyone would agree that current 3D technology requiring special 3d glasess to be worn is exciting, there are some downsides:

1.) 3D glasses used to view the 3D image are expensive, you wouldn't want to damage one.

2.) 3D glassess are usually manufacturer specific and will function on only one manufacturers range / series of TVs.

3) Lose your 3D glasess and you lose your ability to watch 3D content, the images will be displayed mixed and unwatchable.

4) Your 4 friends have come to your home to watch your favourite 3D film, but you only have 1 spare pair of glassees - What do you do?

3D TV Without The Need For Special 3D Glasses

Luckily manufacturers have recognised these disadvantages and are working on 3D TV displays that don't require glasses in order to watch the 3D content. These type of TVs are called Autostereoscopic 3D TVs.

How do Autostereoscopic 3D TVs work (without the need for glasses)?

To understand how Autostereoscopic TVs work, you should

first understand how we view objects in real life:

Your eyes act as 2 separate lenses which register two different angles of an object in front of you. Your brain then blends these two images together to produce a 3 dimensional image.

Autostereoscopic 3D television operates on a similar principle, however two different types of autostereoscopic technologies can be used:

Lenticular Lense Technology

Involves the use of lenticules, these are tiny cylindrical plastic lenses.

How It Works

The lenticules are pasted in an array on a transparent sheet, which is then stuck on the display surface of the LCD screen. When the viewer sees an image, it is magnified by the cylindrical lens. Lenticular lense technology is heavily dependant on where you are sitting. This technology requires the viewer to be in the perfect position in order to get the full 3D effect. Adjusting your postioning slightly could could stop your 3D viweing experience. Lenticular Lense Technology is less preferred by manufacturers.

Parallax Barrier Technology

This technology is very much a consumer-friendly technology with wide interests from manufacturers such as LG and Sharp. This technology quite importantly allows for regular 2D viewing.

How It Works

A fine grating of liquid crystals placed in front of the screen makes the parallax barrier. Slits exist in the screen corresponding to certain columns of pixels of the screen. These positions are carved so as to transmit alternating images to each eye of the viewer. The viewer is required to be seated in the perfect position. This very clever technology provides direct light through its slits from each image slightly differently to the left and right eye, whenever a voltage is applied to the parallax barrier. This creates an illusion of depth and presents a 3D image to the viewer.

The huge bonus with parallax technology as mentioned earlier is its ability to switch from 3D to 2D and back again. In fact manufacturers claim that this could be done with one button on a remote! How convenient would this be? Its easy to imagine watching 2D images one minute then swiftly switching to 3D mode the next when your friend arrives with the latest movie relase in 3D. Just make sure your friend also sits in one of the perfect viewing positions to watch the 3D content!

Is It Worth Buying A Standard 3D Television With Glasses Now?

You should know the answer to this one...with Autostereoscopic TV technology set to rapidly improve, why waste time purchasing extra 3D Glasses to view 3D content. If you wear standard glasses to read or watch tv anyway, then this option is definately for you.

3D Tv - No Glasses required...now thats perfect!

3D Ready HDTVs Available To Buy Now

As we all know, the big shift in the TV world is now 3D HDTV. Manufacturers are falling over themselves to release their new series of 3D Ready TV into 2010.

What If You Can't Wait?

It seems the latest cinema and games releases are being produced in 3D content, so if you cannot wait for the next wave of 3D TVs set to be released in the later half of 2010.

What are the 3D Ready TVs available now?

The below TVs are 3D ready and available to purchase now or in the very short term, however you'll need compatible 3D glasses to be able to watch the 3D content.


Samsung UN55C7000 55-Inch 1080p 240 Hz 3D-Ready LED HDTV

As you can guess from the model number the Samsung UN55C7000 is a 55-inch LED 3D TV with a resolution of 1080p and 240Hz refresh rate.

Tech Specs:

Mega Dynamic Contrast
4 HDMI (ver 1.3),
HDMI-CEC Component & PC input
2 Connect
3D-ready

Samsung UN46C7000 46-Inch 1080p 240 Hz 3D-Ready LED HDTV (Black)

The Samsung LED 7000. Equipped with Internet@TV connected to the web with customisable widgets offering access to facebook, twitter right on your HDTV and Fully 3D Ready.

Tech Specs:

Display Size: 46 inches
Full 1080p HD:
Motion Rate: 240 Hz
3D-ready



Samsung HLT5076S 50-Inch UltraSlim 1080p DLP HDTV 3D-Ready

Samsung's imopressive HLT range of DLP HDTVs will display whatever 3D content you could wish for. Whether 3D movies or 3D games.

These TVs also include Internet@TV which will let you get connected to the web with downloadable and customizable widgets. The TV is fully capable of 240 Hz technology.

Tech Specs:

1920 x 1080-pixel resolution
10,000:1 Contrast ratio
Connections: 3 HDMI, 2 S-Video, 2 Composite, 2 Component Video
Input, 2 RF input, 1 DVI Audio input, 1 Video Out, 1 USB, 1 PC in
(mini jack)
Two stereo speakers, 10 watts apiece (20 watts total); SRS



Mitsubishi WD65C9 65-Inch 1080p 120Hz HDTV 3D-Ready

This TV is a rear progjection DLP HDTV. Fully 3D ready due to 1080p resolution suitable for games and films and well equipped with 3 HDMI ports.

Tech Specs:

1080p maximum resolution
120Hz refresh rate
3 HDMI ports
3D-ready



Mitsubishi WD-65833 65-Inch Diamond rear projection DLP TV 1080p 3D-Ready


This TV includes Mitsubishi's 6-Color Light Engine processes that will produce images with six different colors instead of the traditional three of most HDTVs. Ultimately this displays a wider range of colors.

Tech Specs:

Full 1080p
120HZ Refresh Rate


Note: All these TVs require specific 3D glasses in order for you to be able to watch the 3D content.


So there you have it. If you are impatient there is no need for you to wait to enjoy 3D content. Expect many more 3D Ready TVs to be released in the near future.

LED TV vs Laser TV – The Technical Specifications Compared

So you’re interested in an LED TV or Laser TV. Before you choose the type of technology you wish to go for, it’s a good idea to take a look at the technical specifications of both LED TV and Laser TV side by side. You will then be able to truly assess your intended HDTV’s capabilities and the great new features the TV has to offer.

If the impressive tech specs aren’t enough to excite you, at the very least you need to check whether your Laser TV or LED TV dimensions are suitable enough for the location you wish to place the TV in.

Take a look at the table below for a comparison of the main technical specifications for the Samsung LED TV UN55B8000 vs the Mitsubishi Laser TV L65-A90.

LED Technical Specs Vs Laser Technical Specs:

SPECS	LED TV	LASER TV
Make	Samsung	Mitsubishi
Model	UN55B8000	L65-A90
DISPLAY:
Screen Size	55 ins	65 ins
Display Type	1080p	1080p DLP
Resolution	1920 x 1080	1920 x 1080
Refresh Rate Capable	120Hz	120Hz
Aspect Ratio	4:3 / 16:9	4:3 / 16:9
3D Ready	No	Yes
AUDIO:
Output Power (RMS)	15 Watts x 2	10 Watts x 2
Woofer	Yes	No
INPUT & OUTPUT:
HDMI Inputs	4	4
Digital Audio	Optical	Coaxial
PC input (D-sub)	Yes	None
Component (Y/Pb/Pr)	1	1
Composite (AV)	1	1
S Video	0	1
Ethernet (LAN)	1	None
RF In	1	2
USB 2.0	2	1
DVI Audio Input	Yes	Yes
DIMENSIONS: (without Stand)
Height (cm)	79.8	101.1
Width (cm)	132.0	146.6
Depth (cm)	30.7	31.8
Weight (kg)	23.2	61.9
EXTRA FEATURES:
Digital TV Tuner	Yes	Yes
Picture In Picture	1 Tuner	No
Game mode	Yes	Yes
Wireless LAN Adaptor Support	Yes	No
PRICE:	Amazon	Amazon

As you would expect, there are some very neat features that are integrated into both LED TV and Laser TV products.

LED TV features:

Wireless – Ability to display content wirelessly from a PC or portable device.

Widgets – Add web content, photos etc to the TVs display sidebar while watching TV.

Laser TV features:

3D Ready – High quality 3D HD images can be displayed, when the relevant content is available.

Understanding laser TV tech specs vs LED TV tech specs is key to choosing the right type of TV for you. Be sure to take all the above factors into consideration when you decide which type of TV technology you want to buy. The next step is to compare laser TV or LED TV prices….

LED TV - Is It Worth Buying Now?

A new range of LED TVs have hit the market with a big buzz. Samsung have been quick to perfect this latest technology and have released the 7000, 8000 and now 9000 series ranges, boasting LED backlight technology.

LED TVs - A more a advanced form of LCD TV

The term 'LED' stands for Light Emitting Diode, however its important to note that in this case the LEDS are used for the backlight of the TV only and not the display. In fact, it is an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) panel that is used.

Therefore the LED TV is actually an LCD television with LED backlight technology.

Still this is a vast improvement over current TV technology which uses CCFL (Cold Cathode Fluorecent Lamps).

What improvements does LED Backlight Technology Offer?

In the case of the Samsung 7000 & 8000 ranges, the LED lights are placed around the edge of the panel, and are aptly named 'Edge-lit' LEDs. TVs with Edge-lit LEDs make the following improvements:

Picture Quality

Light Emitting Diodes as a light source provide a higher contrast ratio because the LED produces blacker blacks and whiter whites, the key to achieving quality images on screen. As a result the range of colours increases over standard LCD and Plasma.

Environment

LED Technology consumes less power than current backlight tv technology, better for the environment, less costly on your energy.

Thinner Models

Since no provision for a conventional light source is required, LED TVs can be made ultra thin.

The Samsung 9000 Series - Localised Dimming

The Samsung 9000 series is a further advancement in LED backlight technology, the LEDs are now positioned directly behind the screen. This makes for a more superior backlighting as opposed to the Edge-lit method and creates what is known as 'Localised Diming'. The TV industry is currently terming this true LED backlighting.

How does it work?

Specific areas of the screen are adjusted accordingly, totally independent of each other, utilizing more power for producing lighter areas and less for producing dimmer areas. In contrast, standard LCD technology illuminates the whole screen at the same time, which dosen't give it the flexibility between colors that localised dimming can offer.

OLED TV- True LED Display

Compare LCD LED technology to a true LED TV display, such as OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode) and you begin to see a giant step forward in technology. Based on thin sheets of organic materials, placed within the display, with images that are produced from self illuminating organic materials. As a result, no backlight is required for this technology. OLED is the real

deal.

Laser TV- Exciting Technology

Consider Laser TV another emerging technology set to explode on the scene. Utilizing light beams of three differrent wavelengths which project accurately on to the screen, producing brilliant blacks.

Choice Is Yours

LED TV has squeezed its way onto the TV market, in between the gap left by current technologies (Plasma & LCD) and emerging technolgies (OLED and Laser TV). Remember the term 'LED TV' is simply a marketing term for a an LCD TV with an LED back light.

So which technology gets your money?

Want to enhance your HD viewing pleasure?...LED TV can definately offer that right now, what you're seeing is the further development of LCD TV. However OLED and Laser will certainly be blazing a trail in the near future and who knows what boundries will be pushed when these technologies are first established then further developed...

The following video, explains excellently the technology of LED TV and is a essential watch:

Laser TV Versus OLED TV – Which Technology Wins?

Laser TV – What Is It?


There is much hype around this type of TV, yet the technology has been around for a number of years. The term Laser TV refers to the principle of literally firing a laser onto the inside of a TV screen in order to produce an excellent quality image. This process is more efficient in producing an image compared to our current plasma and LCD TVs. When you consider the range of colors that are visible to the a human eye (known as color gamut), plasma
and LCD can only manage to produce 40% of these colors, whereas laser TV technology can produce an excellent 90%.


The Technology Behind Laser TV

Lets take a simple look at the principle behind the technology, to truly understand how it works.

Current TV technology produces red, green and blue light (RGB). In principle it is possible to combine these three colors to produce a complete full range of visible colors, however in reality, visual displays are only capable of displaying a limited range of these colors. However, in a Laser TV, three distinct wavelengths are used, these are simply light beams which project accurately and brightly onto the screen, producing brilliant blacks.

The whole technology is based around the principle of projection, with this in mind Laser TVs are a perfect improvement on our current rear projection TVs, these are TVs whose images are projected from the rear of the TV on to the back of the screen. A typical rear projection display tends to measure from 50 inchs to 100 inches and are regularly used in public spaces. It is the ultra High Performance Lamp (UHP) which is the basis for the technology, however laser technology essentially replaces this and as a result very much suits the larger screen size.


What Laser TVs Are Available To Buy?

Mitsubishi became the first manufacturer ever to make a commercial Laser TV available to consumers in stores in November 2008. Aptly named Laservue, this TV was priced at around $7,000. A little pricey for today’s market. The Laservue is available in 65 inch or 73 inch versions and is also 3D ready and as you would expect these days it is perfect for wall mounting.

Rumors of Toshiba entering the market are spreading rapidly. Whether many other manufacturers wish to enter the race remains to be seen.

LASER TV vs. OLED – How They Stack Up?

To be honest, as the two technologies stand at the moment, Laser TV is suited to one end of the TV market and OLED the other. Laser TV technology currently suits the large display market and at present OLED technology suits the smaller display market, of course this will change as both develop over time. The two technologies are not yet going head to head in the TV market.

Take a look at the features of each:

LASER TV:
- Wider range of colors displayed (roughly doubling standard HDTV’s)
- The intensity of the laser is maintained for the lifespan of the TV, meaning a high
quality image is maintained throughout the life of the TV, unlike current HDTV
technology

- Laser TVs utilize roughly a quarter of power used by current TV technology

- Laser TVs tend to be half the weight of current HDTV’s

- First TV commercially available in 65 and 73 inch versions


OLED TV:
- Excellent image quality at 1000000:1 contrast ratio
- Better image quality means wider viewing angle of 180 degrees
- Ultra thin screens measuring 3mm thin
- Power consumption is less that current technology since no backlight is required

- First TV commercially available in 11inchs

So What Are The Disadvantages?

There always seems to be a worry around any laser technology, scare mongers will raise issues around potential eye damage from a laser should a Laser TV become damaged. These concerns are yet to be proven. However it is suggested that special filters can be fitted within the TV to remove this potential fret.

Another concern is the speckle effect. Laser TV technology can produce an effect on the human eye which resembles speckling, this is caused by a number of waves joining together to produce a wave with varying intensity. This issue is being addressed by manufacturers, expect this to be overcome in near future.

Which Technology Wins? - Laser Or OLED

Laser TVs are on sale now and available to all….well to most, if your bank balance can support it and your home is large enough. If this suits your circumstance then laser TV is a possibility for you at this time. OLED TV is cheaper by comparison, but not at the prices the average consumer would be happy with and screen sizes do not reflect what we have become used to for our homes.

As yet, laser technology has a way to develop, as more manufacturers take up the challenge. Prices should decrease and so will screen sizes. Likewise OLED screen sizes are set to increase. There does seem to be more of a buzz and excitement in the industry around OLED. Image wise these two technologies are truly head and shoulders above the rest and once these TVs truly develop and become TVs we can afford and want in our homes then there could be more of a head to head battle.

Which technology is better you ask? Considering all other factors, at this stage, it is just too early to tell.

OLED TV - What Is All The Fuss?

Yet another new TV technology!......It's a real headache having to choose whether to go for an LCD or Plasma flatscreen, then along comes another.......OLED.

So what's so good about OLED, why is it worth our attention and eventually our money?



Back to Basics.... What's OLED?

Lets start with the basics, OLED stands for: Organic Light Emitting Diodes. LEDs surround us in every day life these days, you'll find LEDs used in a number of ways, in many of your devices in your home, for example they exist in digital clocks, forming the digits to indicate the time and also provide a way of visually indicating whether your electrical devices are powered on or in standby. The difference here is the O in OLED, which refers to the use of organic materials, these materials make up a thin film and when an electric charge is applied they then create light....Hence OLED.


How OLED Technology Is Used Within The Television.

Now for the techy part...... We've established that OLED is based on paper thin sheets of organic materials. These sheets, typically polymer plastic, are placed within the display. Images are then produced from these organic materials which illuminate as a result of the small electric charge being applied.

OK great, but what does this mean to the average consumer?....Well, here's the interesting part...

Each pixel (Pixel = digital picture element) has its own light source, without a need for a backlight. If you consider that traditionally the rear of a TV would contain the backlight, with OLED there is no need. This now means that we can have truly ultra thin TVs, with OLED we are talking millimeter thinness!


What about picture quality?

The picture quality is where these TVs truly separate themselves from the technologies we've become accustomed to. When choosing a TV and assessing a good display you should focus on the contrast level, since the target for manufacturers is to achieve the blackest contrast level possible and at the other end of the scale the whitest (lightest), this then creates a wider contrast of colors in between. Above all else black levels are very important. An LCD TV possess good black levels but utilizes a white backlight behind the display which manufacturers work pretty hard to hide. Your old widescreen TV, which probably weighed more than your body weight, would have had black levels deeper than current LCD screens, however space saving flatscreens and the option of high definition make the LCD an attractive advance in technology.

OLED provides black levels far more advanced than your old, weighty widescreen. It does this by completely turning off individual pixels when producing black, since each pixel has its own light source. The pixels completely turn off in different areas of the picture, improving image quality and as a result consuming less power.

For those of you who enjoy figures, OLED technology gives an astounding display with a contrast ratio of 1,000,000 :1, consider this against the best LCD screens whose contrast levels are of 50,000 :1 you can begin to see that we are dealing with a whole different ball game! With superior picture quality, crisper and brighter displays you get a very wide viewing angle of 180 degrees through which the picture does not degrade or distort, this means you can be very flexible where we place the TV in the home and how you tilt the display.

What are the other advantages of OLED over LCD and plasma?

- OLED TVs are more light weight and cost less to manufacture due to the technology being less complicated than LCD or plasma.
- As touched on before OLED TV will save on your energy bills due to the way they operate.


The Concern

All these great points make OLED seem the perfect TV technology, however there is currently a downside. A concern with the life span of OLED TVs is present. Reports suggest that the picture can fade severely after a few thousand hours of watching. Currently Kodak claim that they have solved this issue with an OLED TV that has a lifespan of around 65,000 viewing hours. This technology is still being perfected by manufacturers so expect this challenge to be overcome in the near future.


Sony XEL-1 - The First OLED TV On Sale

Sony is the first manufacturer to release this type of TV, which is now on sale for around $2500 Dollars currently. The Sony XEL-1 is a world first with a screen measuring 11 inches, it is impressively thin at 3mm and weighs just 1.9kg. Although the screen size isn't exactly large enough to be the centre piece of our homes, we can expect that as the technology develops larger screens will inevitably appear. Samsung are reported to be manufacturing a 40 inch shortly.



The Future

So The future of OLED TV is bright (excuse the pun), however OLED technology is not just limited to TV, it is essentially a light source and its uses can be expansive and exciting. Imagine the end to the light bulb as we know it. Talk of OLED technology replacing the light bulb filament is real. It is possible that the traditional light bulb could be replaced by a thin sheet of polymer, offering full dimming capabilities and great efficiency. Imagine screens which bend, curve and fold for handheld devices and large displays, add to this see through screens for heads up displays in cars, its all possible with OLED.

Take a look at the video below for an insight into this exciting technology:



Want One?.... What You Should Do Now

Are you excited now? You probably are, its a fantastic technology, however the key here is to allow the manufacturers to battle amongst themselves to produce the products to a standard we demand. We can only sit back and wait for this technology to truly develop. One day your LCD or Plasma WILL be replaced by an OLED TV.