Technology is advancing rapidly today, and it may seem hard for many to keep up. One of the most recent developments in technology is the 3-D television. This television combined with a 3-D blue-ray or DVD disc, and a set of special glasses enables us to enjoy the 3-D fun in our own homes. Within a few years, cable companies may also be able to broadcast into your homes in 3-D. 3-D technology has been around in movies for decades, but only recently have we begun to be able to use this technology in our own homes.
Many of us wonder just how this 3-D thing works. Well, lets start with a little biology. Our perception of depth depends on images from our right and left eyes merging into one master image. Televisions must refresh their picture over 100 times a second, also alternating frames for each eye. This tricks your brain, and allows it to believe that there is only one image being seen. 3-D televisions must also break up this signal into separate right and left eye images. An infrared beam syncs with 3-D glasses, also called “Shutter glasses”, the TV viewer must wear. This produces the final 3-D image. Shutter glasses alternate, blocking one eye at a time. This causes each eye to only see the frames meant for it. The 3-D compatible blue-ray and DVD players must have extra storage, to store all of the additional information needed for each eye. They also must have built-in, special coding, allowing it to send the correct signal to the correct eye, time and time again. They contain a special chip which sends this information to the 3-D television. Complicated stuff, huh? No wonder it took inventors so long to get this technology advanced enough to be used at home on our own televisions.You thought this was good? Brace yourself: Blue-ray