When it comes to 3D, there’s one stigma that some people just can’t shake: wearing glasses. For the four-eyed phobias out there, Toshiba will be bringing its glasses-free commercial 3D TV to the states next month for the first time at CES.
While pretty much everyone else is trying to peddle their 3D TVs that require users to wear glasses, and educating them on why wearing glasses doesn’t have to be such an uncool thing to do, Toshiba is here offering a completely different solution.
One of the brilliant things about 3D TV was there was never supposed to be a format war. It wasn’t going to be like VHS vs DVD. It wasn’t going to be like Blu-ray vs HD DVD. But guess what? It’s turning into a format war anyway. And this time, it’s stereoscopic 3D (glasses required) versus autostereoscopic (glasses-free) 3D.
Toshiba has confirmed it will be showing off autostereoscopic 3D sets at next month’s CES, but declined to provide any more details. The company made headlines when it showcased the TVs at CEATAC, a smaller show like CES in Japan, in 12-inch and 20-inch sizes. But at prices of $1,400 – $2,800 for TVs that most Americans would probably find more than useless, the tech isn’t posing any immediate threats to the current 3D market.
“Next year is the key year to extend development of the technology and extend the screen size,” said Toshiba digital media president Masaaki Oosumi. Oosumi has previously said the company needs to reach screen sizes of at least 40 inches to be relevant to the US market.
Regardless of how relevant they are now, Toshiba’s glasses-free 3D TVs are sure to draw a lot of spectators at CES next month. [[Toshiba]]
