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Toshiba To Launch No-Glasses 3D TV This Year

Posted by Soulskill on from the harder-to-hold-than-a-3ds dept.

angry tapir writes "Toshiba is readying two 3D televisions that can produce images with the illusion of depth but don't require the user to wear glasses, the company said Monday. It will launch the televisions in Japan in December. Toshiba will offer a 12-inch model and a 20-inch model. They'll cost around ¥120,000 (US$1,430) and ¥240,000 respectively. Toshiba's new TVs have a thin sheet of small lenses in front of the display. This splits light from the screen and sends it to nine points in front of the TV."

14 of 218 comments (clear)

  1. I saw Avatar the other day by BadAnalogyGuy · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I know it's really late, but I finally saw Avatar the other day. Of course, I had to watch it in 2D since my home TV is not 3D enabled. You can really tell where they were using 3D for the sake of 3D.

    If we use technology only to show off technology, we can't expect anything interesting to come of it.

    It must have a raisin detre.

    1. Re:I saw Avatar the other day by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

      If I want raisins, I buy Raisin Bran.

    2. Re:I saw Avatar the other day by hedwards · · Score: 3, Insightful

      That phrase means reason for being, and the problem with 3D is that it has no reason for being. I was somewhat skeptical myself of Roger Ebert's assertion that 3D is already present in the movies we have. And damned if he wasn't right. You watch a movie and if you're paying attention, it's practically 3D already, unless you count that garish over done crap which passes for 3D these days.

      When they film the scenes correctly your mind can easily reconstruct it to give you that 3D feel to it, without a lot of expensive technology.

    3. Re:I saw Avatar the other day by mkiwi · · Score: 5, Informative

      Sometimes I like raisins, usually inside a cookie. Of course, in French raisin means grape, so you could also somehow be referring to wine.

      Or maybe you meant "raison d'être."

      For the record, I'm fine with either interpretation.

    4. Re:I saw Avatar the other day by Lord+Ender · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Technology for the sake of technology has eventually lead to some really great things. How many people used computers for the sake of computers? Then, eventually, we slung together the Internet and flash video porn. That wouldn't have happened if people weren't using computers long before there was porn to be had.

      --
      A slashdotter who didn't build his own computer is like a Jedi who didn't build his own lightsaber.
    5. Re:I saw Avatar the other day by causality · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Not only that, I was just reading a story at Ars about how Jon Landau believes everything should be 3D. He calls out studios on hasty 3D conversions. I'd say the pot is calling the kettle black. His film had plenty of problems.

      "Converting a movie from 2D to 3D is not a technical process. It is a creative process,"

      You know what? After watching your flick at IMAX in 3D and halfway through wanting to leave with my headache, you're doing it wrong. As has been brought up before in previous Slashdot discussions, you can't get a proper 3D effect that will fool the brain with current technology. Stop trying to convert 2D films to 3D, especially for the point of being "OMG 3D" like parent mentioned.

      The 3D effect worked decently well for me, better than I expected. There was one part of it that screwed with me though.

      If I was looking more or less at the center of the screen, to the periphery it would appear (fairly convincingly) that certain objects were jutting out, past the boundary of the screen. Then I would sometimes attempt to follow those objects with my eyes and the illusion would continue ... until my eyes reached the actual boundary of the screen. Then the entire image would suddenly collapse back into a 2D picture until I again was looking more directly at the screen.

      The 3D was far better than I was expecting, which wasn't much. It's still nothing like a true hologram where you could walk all the way around it and see it from many different angles. I couldn't even remain in my seat and move my eyes very far around it without dispelling the illusion. The headaches are something I did not experience but have heard often. I think that could be remedied by becoming conscious of whether you are straining your eyes in order to force a certain perception, as a setup like that might tempt you to do.

      --
      It is a miracle that curiosity survives formal education. - Einstein
    6. Re:I saw Avatar the other day by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

      Sounds raisinable to me.

    7. Re:I saw Avatar the other day by aevan · · Score: 4, Insightful

      No but I remember being 10 and getting a floppy from a schoolmate that was filled with porn images. Porn on the commodore 64... was 'red-scale', heavily pixelated, and for some reason rotated 90 degrees... but dagnabbit thems was hooters I tells ya!

    8. Re:I saw Avatar the other day by el3mentary · · Score: 3, Funny

      Now I leave Slashdot forever, for no raisin!

      --
      I reject your reality and substitute my own.
    9. Re:I saw Avatar the other day by AmiMoJo · · Score: 3, Interesting

      I think you hit the nail on the head regarding the problems with current 3D. A lot of it could be solved by simply having all objects appear behind the screen (like looking out of a window) instead of trying to present them in front of it, but even then the temptation to move your head to see something just out of shot would not go away completely.

      The other major issue is focus. In 3D if something is out of focus your eyes assume it is because they are not focusing on it and try to adjust. Of course because it is recorded that way they can't ever bring it into focus but keep straining to anyway, which is what gives you a headache.

      --
      const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
      SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
  2. Don't get excited by Lucas123 · · Score: 5, Informative

    I was at a Toshiba media event earlier this year and they were very clear that this generation of glassless screens have horrible fields of view and are only good for advertising in public places like airports where, by walking by them, you'll get the 3D effect. It's almost analogous to the old 3D baseball cards where you'd move them and get the illusion of depth.

  3. Re:Do not want by Animaether · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I didn't realize scrip/acting and 3D were mutually exclusive.. does the same apply to CGI, HD video at home, surround sound and color, too?

  4. Re:3D Parallax Barriers by Yvan256 · · Score: 4, Funny

    Like the Nintendo 3DS, this will require that you look directly at the screen to see the 3D effect.

    Wait, so if I look at my feet instead of the screen, I won't see the 3D effect? What a rip-off!

  5. Re:Do not want by bloodhawk · · Score: 3, Insightful

    They shouldn't be, but hollywood certainly seems to be adamant that they are mutually exclusive.