Bridges incompatibility in TV and computer 3D formats /

Heretofore a lot of consumers with 3-D TV sets are using them for computer games. Recognizing this, NVIDIA, a pioneer in computer graphics technology, has unveiled 3DTV Play software, which allows gamers with an NVIDIA-powered, 3-D-enabled computer to stream 3-D content to a 3-D TV set.

Currently, the format of 3-D on computers and TV sets is slightly different, making them incompatible. If a home viewer has a 3-D movie on a PC and tries to stream it to a 3-D TV, it won’t work. However, any compatible NVIDIA GeForce GPU-powered system running the 3DTV Play software can be connected to an HDMI 1.4 3-D HDTV, the company said, allowing users to view 3-D photos and videos on a larger 3-D TV screen.

Users will also be able to play some 500 games in 3-D on their TVs. When the compatible video playback software is employed, users can also watch Blu-ray 3-D movies in full 1080 stereoscopic 3-D, along with HD digital surround sound with an HDMI connection to a compatible audio/video receiver.

Game titles currently include “StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty,” “Mafia II” and “Call of Duty: Black Ops.” There are, however, some PC applications allowing for 3-D output that aren’t available on TV.

A new line of Dell XPS laptops recently came to market that is bundled with the NVIDIA 3DTV Play software. The multimedia laptops, ranging from 14in to 17in, also come with NVIDIA’s GeForce 400M GPU and Optimus technology.

The new NVIDIA 3DTV Play software is now available as an upgrade for PCs that have an NVIDIA GeForce GPU and Microsoft Windows 7.

NVIDIA’s 3DTV Play software overcomes incompatibility issues and allows gamers to play some 500 games in 3-D on their TVs.

by Michael Grotticelli

source: http://blog.broadcastengineering.com/3-D/2010/11/03/nvidia-bridges-format-gap-between-computer-3-d-3-d-tv/