Philips Shows 3D Cinema Prototype Version 21:9

Some say that 3D television is only a few years away from the regular living room. At the IFA in Berlin, Philips showed us that this is probably true. The already showed us a prototype of a 3D television based on Cinema 21:9. The show the 3D content, the manufacturer has already shown a experimental blu ray player that can actually produce 3d content.

Philips has shown a working version of 3D television at the IFA 2009 fair in Berlin. The company took a normal Cinema 21:9 HD Television and modified it with a film layer with tiny polarizing lenses on the front of the screen. The firmware of the Television was of course also modified to show the stereoscopic 3d images, coming from an also experimental Blu ray player. The watch the 3D images, the viewer actually still needs 'passive' 3D glasses. Although they have modified it with the 'micro polarizing lens' layer, Philips still claims that 2D images can still be watched on the TV without any quality loss.

The company doesn't really have any exact plans for the 3D Cinema 21:9 yet. Philips thinks that the market isn't ready for it yet. Not only the fact that Philips is dealing with a bad economical climate, but also the lack of 3D content. The technique also wouldn't be completely specified yet. According to the Blu ray Disc Association, the specifications of the 3d blu ray player will be released before the end of this year.

Although the technique in the 3D Cinema 21:9 looks really promising, Philips tells us that this is not the only 3d TV technology they're evaluating. Philips is also doing research for a 3D technology that uses fast LCD panel and a pair of 3D glasses with an active shutter technology. Philips is even thinking of a 3D TV technology that doesn't need a pair of glasses at all to view the 3D images properly. Sony is using 'active' 3D glasses for its recently announced 3D Bravia's.

Although Philips thinks that it will take some years before the 3D technology is really going to conquer the living rooms, it's still really promising technique. Of course we're all actually waiting for the 3D technique without the stupid glasses, because we have to admit, do we really want to wear those stupid things when we just want to watch a movie? No, we don't. The fact that this technology is already working and easy to use on the IFA, means that in a few years, that technology could become reality too.

The only thing that I'm still worried about it the lack of 3D content. We see the same thing with HD content. It took a long time for there was a proper amount of HD content on the market, and there actually isn't even enough yet. What if you all have a 3D TV, but there is no content at all? Will people actually buy the televisions without content? This is probably another 'chicken and egg' thing. What should be first, the content, or the televisions?