Have you noticed that more and more movies are being offered in 3D? Guess what? This year, the World Cup in being broadcast in 3D by ESPN. Not only are movies being offered in 3D, but TV channels are coming as well. Around May or June this year, DirecTV is offering existing HD members an update to their cable boxes, giving members CBS and FoxSports in 3D. These are among the first to get the upgrade, with others soon to be following suit.However, with the DirecTV upgrade package, those ever-popular blue and red glasses will need to be present upon your face for any TV viewing.
Not for long though: Philips Electronics is debuting the first 3D HDTV that doesn't need any eyewear to be watched. Philips is utilizing some amazing technology (some of it coming from the very first color TVs) and bringing our tube-loving society to a whole new level. The Philips WOWvx will be delivered in three sizes: 20", 42", and the not-so-wall-mountable 132" version.
Here's the awesome part: You don't need a 3D signal to view programs in 3D. The TV has a built-in feature that takes a 2D high definition signal and converts it to 3D right on the spot. Thus, giving you instant 3D House, The Office, Bones, etc. There is no monthly fee for this option either.
When you watch a movie in 3D, the movie has been built for only six different viewing angles. That means that if you move out your seat, and out of the viewing angle, there is a high chance that the movie will become extremely blue and red, ha. Philips is giving consumers 46 viewing angles, drastically increasing where one can watch the TV from without skewing the picture. Let's think about it this way: The average viewer watches TV directly in front of it, at a 0 degree angle. 46 viewing angels the gives the viewer 23 degrees on either side that they can watch the TV and have it display correctly, which is great for large groups of people trying to watch all at the same time (Super Bowl, anyone?).
The current highest standard of viewing an HDTV is in 1080 pixels, the same as a computer monitor resolution of 1920 x 1080. The 3D aspect of the Philips product is to bring the resolution to a whopping 3840×2160. Nice.
Currently, the only thing stopping the mass marketing of these TVs is the price (of course) which can be purchased at a cool $10,950. I think my wife's car cost less than that, ha (and she has the nicer one).
If you're on the fence about whether or not to purchase that new Samsung razor thin LED: Don't. It's not worth it. Unless of course you don't mind wearing glasses while watching your television. The new thinner (the Philips is 5.12 inches thick), sleeker models will be categorized with the classic LCDs that most consumers have right now. Save your hard earned paycheck for this TV and the others coming out soon that are very similar to it. You won't regret it.
Cheers!
(photo courtesy of: Wired.com)
