Along with rival manufacturers such as Toshiba, the electronics giant Sony are aiming to produce a 3D TV system that does not require the use of special glasses.
There are already large screens available which produce a 3D image without glasses, but image quality is poor and they require the viewer to remain static in a specific position.
A number of technologies exist which are designed to produce a glasses free 3D image, the most common of which are the lenticular and parallax barrier methods.
With parallax barrier technology, the 3D glasses 'filter' function is replaced by a layer of material in front of the screen itself. Through a series of slits, the different layers allows each eye to see a different array of pixels, creating the 3D effect. However, the parallax barrier only works if the viewer remains static, making it suitable for small display units (Nintendo's DS 3D games console uses this method) but not so great for TVs.
Based on an old printing technique, Lenticular technology displays an image which changes slightly depending on the angle it has been viewed from. Lenticular technology works by arranging small lenses on the display screen and refracting the left and right images to send separate images to each eye.
Sony and Toshiba are keeping their cards very close to their chests as far as the technology they are using goes. Toshiba have promised to produce a 3D screen which does not require the use of glasses by the end of the year.
While the technology to produce 3D images without special glasses certainly exists, we don't believe that it is mature enough in any format at the moment to produce a commercially viable system which will replace large screen TVs. In fact, many commentators believe that a commercially viable system is along way off, emerging perhaps with the maturity of holographic techniques.
If you would like to find out more about the technology, you might like to read our 3D TV, Cinema & Gaming Guide.
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