Finding the Best 3DTV

3D technology – at least in a very primitive form – has been around for some time, with the first 3D movies being shown in cinemas as far back as the 1950’s.  Requiring the use of red and blue 3D glasses, the limitations of the first 3D cinema efforts – which included reports of nausea and headache from the audience – relegated this technique to the category of gimmick.

Years later, the development of new technology allowed 3D cinema to become truly viable for the first time.  Following this breakthrough, the long standing goal of delivering 3D TV images of a sufficient quality to introduce to the public was realised by the top television manufacturers.  As with all things technological, there are of course differences between different makes and models, so how does one go about finding the best 3D TV when looking at the range supplied by currys.co.uk?  Here we look at the key features of the two main technological approaches to this brave new world of home entertainment.  Put simply, the basic choice you face when trying to find the best 3D TV currently on the market is between Active Shutter and Passive 3D.

Both of these terms apply to the kind of glasses that you’ll need to wear when watching the 3D TV set.   Active Shutter glasses are the most widely used, with versions of this technology used by major manufacturers like Panasonic, Sony and Samsung.  Active shutter glasses basically block the image received in each eye at a rate of 50 frames a second.  This process is synchronised to the image – or more accurately, images – displayed by the 3D TV set by way of an infrared signal.  Making sure that each eye receives a slightly different image exploits the way our binocular vision is processed in the brain, and gives the illusion that we are seeing a 3D image.

Passive 3D glasses also trick the brain by making sure each eye sees a slightly different image, but this time it is through the filtering of light, rather than the use of synchronised shutters.  Passive 3D glasses are currently used in the cinema to produce 3D images, and so in the 3D TV market this technology is sometimes called Cinema 3D.

Active Shutter systems can produce a higher quality picture, and are capable of displaying a 1080p or full HD image, and so this is the technology for viewing BlueRay 3D films.  However, the glasses require batteries, and thanks to the incorporated electronics and moving parts are more expensive than Passive glasses.  What’s more, Active Shutter glasses must sync with the 3D TV set, and so each pair will only work with a 3D TV of the same brand.

Passive 3D glasses are less expensive, and any pair will work on any system – in fact, even 3D glasses from the cinema will work with Passive 3D TV systems.  However, image quality is poorer on passive TV systems, when compared to Active Shutter technology.

What is most important to remember when researching this topic is that there is no substitute for actually going into a store and checking out the performance of different models with you own eyes.  In general, 3D TV works best when viewed straight on, and so checking what the image looks like from different viewing angles is essential before you make a choice – some systems work better than others from an off-centre viewing position.  In particular, some Active Shutter systems transmit the vital infra red synching signal over a wider range of angles than others.

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