New Universal 3D Glasses Standard Emerges

By Lisa Johnston On Aug 22 2011 - 4:01am

NEW YORK — Panasonic, Sony, Samsung and Xpand recently added a new dimension to the activeshutter 3D glasses debate when they announced plans for a new active-glasses standard using Bluetooth linking among other protocols.

They have termed the partnership the Full HD 3D Glasses Initiative, and plan to introduce universal active-shutter 3D eyewear to market by 2012.

According a joint release, the companies will work together on the development and licensing of RFsystem 3D active glasses technology, “including RF system protocols between consumer 3D active glasses and 3D displays such as televisions, personal computers, projectors and 3D theaters with Xpand active-shutter glasses.”

The proposed glasses system would incorporate Bluetooth wireless technology to link glasses to emitters built into or attached to 3D displays. Some find Bluetooth to be less problematic than some IR systems.

The new standard could also complement the ongoing work of the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA), which kicked off its own active-shutter 3Dglasses standardization effort last March. That effort is expected to have a standardization proposal this fall, however, the CEA’s effort did not include an earlier proposed IR system for an active-shutter 3D glasses system previously developed by Xpand and Panasonic.

That standard proposal, called M-3DI, was intended to bring about compatibility of active-shutter 3D eyewear with 3DTVs, computers, home projectors and cinema projection. Elements of that system are included in the new Bluetooth 3D glasses standard proposal, along with technologies from Sony and Samsung.

In a statement commenting on the announcement of the new standardization effort, Brian Markwalter, CEA research and standards senior VP, said the trade organization is “pleased to see the industry announcement of a collaboration to further advance work toward a specification for 3D eyewear, which will benefit consumers. CEA’s efforts have captured a great deal of technical information and discussion on interaction of 3D and existing IR systems, which we expect will help our member companies reach the goal of fully interoperable active glasses.”

Members of the new universal 3D glasses cooperative said they expect their efforts could reduce the price of active-shutter 3D eyewear, which can cost more than $100 each.

“The standardization will also include multiple types of infrared system protocols between 3D active glasses and 3D displays, ranging from the protocols jointly developed by Panasonic and Xpand 3D, to the proprietary protocols of Samsung and Sony, respectively,” the group added.

The license is targeted to be released in September, at which time the development of new standardization- applied active 3D glasses will begin, and universal glasses with the new protocols will be available in 2012, the group said. The glasses “are targeted to be backward compatible with 2011 3D active TVs.”

“Panasonic has been working to standardize 3D glasses technologies, and in March, we announced a joint licensing of IR system protocols with Xpand, backed by several participant companies. We are very pleased that today’s latest collaboration will incorporate our previous concept into these new standardization efforts,” Masayuki Kozuka, general manager of media and content alliance office, corporate R&D division, Panasonic, said in a statement. “We hope the expanded collaboration on this 3D standardization initiative will make a significant contribution toward accelerating the growth of 3D-related products.”

The announcement comes on the heels of a highly contended survey in which LG maintained that more consumers prefer passive 3DTV technology than active-shutter technology. When asked if he thought this new group would increase the sales of 3DTV, particularly active-shutter 3DTV, Ross Rubin, industry analysis director of The NPD Group, said that retailers are likely to benefit the most.

“It does address a concern, probably more on the retail end of things than on the consumer demand side of things. Creating compatibility for active-shutter glasses among the three leading brands in the marketplace simplifies stocking of aftermarket accessories for retailers, and moving to Bluetooth as the standard does help create a better customer experience vs. some of the IR products that we saw early on,” he said.

Rubin added that this could also help glasses sales. “NPD has seen research that the cost of the glasses is one of the concerns that consumers have. Particularly if you want to outfit an entire family, it can get relatively expensive when you’re looking at active shutter. The standardization should help with the availability of the glasses and bringing down of the prices.”