While it's generally agreed that High Definition Television is the TV technology of the future, there is an even more advanced type of technology on the horizon that could eclipse it! This technology is 3D HDTV.
It has a picture resolution that's similar to the resolution of an HDTV set, but it's also capable of producing images that appear in three dimensions. In fact, these devices can give viewers the impression of being surrounded by images. For example, one reviewer who experienced a demonstration with a prototype of this kind of HDTV set described butterflies and flower petals flying out from the screen towards him for a very realistic effect!
Of course, 3D video technology isn't really anything new. In fact, 3D movies were popular decades ago, but they had the disadvantage of requiring that viewers wear special glasses with polarized lenses in order to provide the illusion of a three dimensional picture. The technology that 3D HDTV is based on is different. A 3D HDTV screen actually displays different images at different angles. That way slightly different images will enter each of the viewer's eyes and provide the illusion of depth. The more different angles of an image that the TV displays, the more realistic the three dimensional effect.
Naturally 3D HDTV technology is not without its problems. For one thing, creating a TV screen that can display several different angles of the same image at once- while projecting them in different directions- is quite a feat. One thing that adds to the complexity of this problem is the fact that the more distinct angles of the image that the TV can display, the more realistic the effect is. This is particularly true when people are moving in front of the screen. The fewer distinct angles that the image is displayed in, the more likely the image is to appear choppy to someone passing in front of the TV screen. With only a couple of different angles, the viewer is less likely to catch them while moving and looking at the screen.
Fortunately the latest models of these sets are able to display their images in enough angles to provide a pretty realistic effect under a variety of conditions. This is especially valuable because of the fact that 3D HDTV's are mainly marketed as ways for businesses to get the attention of potential customers in public spaces.
While there are functioning prototypes of 3D HDTV displays, they're extremely expensive at a cost of over twenty thousand dollars to produce! While this may seem like a lot, the enthusiasm of early adopters is expected to drive the price down rapidly to the point where they could be widely available- and mostly affordable- within a few years.
During that time frame, the bigger problem will be finding content to display on these sets. While it may be somewhat surprising, there is already progress being made on this front. For example, Steve Spielberg is working on a movie in 3D, as is James Cameron. There is also software being developed that has the promise of converting two dimensional HDTV programming into three dimensions.
This fascinating technology could make HDTV obsolete just as it seems to be getting off the ground.
J. Hall writes articles about the latest developments in technology, electronics, and television. She'd like to inform you about the latest Dish Network Deals and how you can find the best Dish Network Specials.
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