SkyREPORT – September 30, 2010 @ 1:00 AM

In response to our article on 3DTV:

I just came back from CEDIA, and was of course at CES last January. 3D is coming, whether anyone likes it or not, or likes the glasses. Studios want it, and the manufactures need it as CE companies do not know how to keep margins up without offering new widgets. It will come to a point where 3D sets will be VERY close to the process of middle to higher end standard HD sets. We have seen it all before. What retailers cannot do is bury their heads in the sand because they do not like change. CE is about change; always has been and always will be. I have not missed a CES show since 1972. And the amount of 3D content is almost unlimited, unlike HD was when it launched, as a product does not have to be shot in 3D to get good 3D.

The theaters also have made a huge investment. The glasses in the theaters are passive, so the screen you are looking at is a very expensive polarized screen. Big money going into this all around.

There are two types of 3D, active and passive. By far the passive is better as it does not use shutters. It is brighter because the LCD shutter glasses which are required in the active model whack the heck out of light, almost 70%. That’s why passive can be viewed in normal room lighting, BUT, passive is polarized. That is a big issue because you must have a polarized screen, like the JVC monitors, or if you are using front projection (prices REALLY FALLING HERE) your screen must be polarized. They you need a dual roller screen, one for 3 D and one for standard……opportunity for custom installers.

So the shutter glasses are taking the lead as the price is lowers and less complicated than passive. They work quite well actually, BUT the 3D TV MUST have some horsepower to substantially increase the light output to compensate for the glasses. In the case of one of the projectors from Digital Projection, light output on one for their units is roughly 5500 ANSI and in the 3D mode goes to 10,000. This is a big unit, but the drawbacks are the same no matter what size projector or flat screen you are dealing with.

Bottom line – stuff always gets better and cheaper, that’s the way CE works, and deep down we all know it. So folks, buckle up, and figure out how to hop on the train. This is a PERFECT product for the small retailer and custom installer as I can guarantee the folks at Wally World will not know how to sell it.

Mike Schroeder

original post: http://www.ftaconcept.com/showthread.php?p=316952