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The Hunt for True 3D Experience
Roydon Cerejo, Oct 20, 2010 1319 hrs ISTIt will be sometime before 3D TV in homes will be a practical solution
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No matter how hard game developers try to make racing simulations seem realistic, it just doesn't feel the same as actually driving a car. Even if you have a huge screen in front of you and the whole racing wheel setup, it will never give you the thrill of the real deal. Why? Well, no matter how detailed the interior of the car is, it's still in 2D, which isn't able to capture that additional realism and immersion.
This is where 3D technology comes into play and offers you that extra bit of action. Let's dig a little deeper and see how far we've progressed from the days of the red and blue paper glasses. 
3D Technologies used so far
The only reason we are able to pick up a pen or hold a mug of coffee is because of the way our brain interprets what we see. Due to the spacing between our eyes, each eye receives a slightly different angle of the object at hand which is processed by our brains to give us an idea of depth. So we know exactly how far the pen is kept on the table or where exactly the handle of the coffee mug is. The only way to replicate this in the entertainment field is to provide two separate images, each placed at a slight distance from the other.
This still won't work since you are still looking at a 2D plane and all you'll see is a blurry image. To rectify this we need to filter out the image so that one eye only sees a single image which is where the glasses come into play.
The most popular is the anaglyph technique where two different perspectives are displayed simultaneously within one image using slightly different colors (mostly red and cyan). This does the job but has a limited viewing distance and more importantly you lose out on the colors, as you are stuck with red and cyan.
Another popular 3D technology is using polarized glasses. Here you still see two images but here there is no color filtering involved. Instead, certain light waves are blocked for each eye to create the 3D effect. Nowadays these are more popular than anaglyph in cinema halls due to their better color reproduction, but this is not very feasible for home users, as all TVs would have to be coated with a special polarizing film first.
The latest and most widely used 3D technology in the computing space are the new 120Hz LCD panels that use shutter glasses. Instead of color and polarizing films on the display, the TV itself draws the image twice and with the help of the shutter glasses creates the illusion of 3D. This method provides the best color reproduction and depth, but again you need expensive glasses that have to be powered and you need to be seated in the center for the best experience.
All these technologies are able to deliver the 3D illusion but the single most annoying part of all this is that you have to wear a pair of glasses to complete the effect. This is what drives away many people from adopting such technologies. Imagine you call a bunch of friends over to watch a 3D movie, not only will they all have to wear a pair of 3D glasses, but also have to be seated close together in front of the TV or else the illusion won't be that effective.
This is not exactly a practical solution for everyday use. What we need is an eyeglasses free 3D experience.
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