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There sure is a lot of confusion out there about 3D home entertainment systems. Chances are that if you visited your local electronics store, they didn't do much to help clear any of it up.
A good friend of mine wanted to set up a 3D home entertainment system for himself. He ventured off to one of the bigger stores in town and started asking questions. He left an hour later completely frustrated and even more confused than when he started. And I can understand why.
Let me give a basic explanation of how it all works.
Here's what you need to enjoy stereoscopic 3D at home:
- Blu Ray 3D player or a PlayStation 3
- A 3D Ready or a 3D Capable TV
- IR Transmitter (depending on whether your TV is " 3D Ready" or "3D Capable")
- Active 3D Glasses
- An HDMI Cable
Let's talk Blu Ray 3D player and disks.
A Blu Ray 3D disk will not play correctly in a standard Blu Ray player. A Blu Ray 3D player will have the phrase "Blu Ray 3D" stamped on it. The same applies to Blu Ray 3D DVDs. A standard Blu Ray disk and a standard Blu Ray player will not have the phrase "Blu Ray 3D" on them.
The big difference between a Blu Ray and Blu Ray 3D is the way the video image is formatted and stored on the disk. There are several ways producers can deliver and encode Blu Ray 3D. In one example, a Blu Ray 3D dvd might be encoded using the Over/Under format in which the left eye and right eye pictures are stacked on top of each other. Your typical 1920 x 1080 HD picture is now 1920 x 2205 (there's a "blanking" distance between the two stacked images).
Without getting into a complex technical discussion, what this all means is that a Blu Ray 3D movie disk won't play in your regular Blu Ray dvd player.
As unfortunate as that may be for those of us who have invested hundreds of dollars in equipping the various rooms in our homes with plain-old-regular Blu Ray players, those of us who have Sony PS3's already have Blu Ray 3D players! Your PlayStation 3 came equipped with the player you need to enjoy the stereoscopic 3D experience. Just remember to update to the latest firmware.
Now what about that TV?
You'll need either a 3D "Ready" or 3D "Capable" TV. Your brand new 60 inch HDTV won't do the trick.
The difference between Ready and Capable is that the 3D Ready TV comes with an IR (InfraRed) transmitter built in. If your TV is 3D Capable, it does not have a built in IR transmitter and you're going to need to buy one. The good news is that you only need one.
You're probably wondering what the IR Transmitter is all about. It provides synchronization between the active glasses and the display. Your left eye needs to see the image designed for the left eye, and your right eye needs to see the image designed for the right eye.
Active glasses alternately shutter out the left and right eye over a hundred times each second in synchronization with the image being projected. If the rate of shuttering is not in sync with your television, the 3D effect will be lost and the picture will be unwatchable. The IR transmitter is the device that ensures synchronicity between the glasses and the television.
You're going to need "Active" glasses. And no, the "passive" glasses you get at the local movie theater won't work. The active glasses are expensive and you're going to need a set of glasses for everyone who wants to watch the movie with you.
Here's a tip...If your TV is 3D Capable (meaning you need to buy an IR Transmitter), Nvidia offers a kit that includes the IR transmitter and one set of glasses. This will shave off a few dollars from your overall purchase.
The last thing you'll need is an HDMI cable to connect your Blu Ray 3D player to your 3D Ready or 3D Capable television. Without the cable, no stereoscopic 3D. |
