Blinking LCD Glasses: 3D for Gamers and Television

Many movie buffs consider “The House of Wax” the best 3D (three-dimensional) film ever created. People stood in line to purchase their tickets, donning paper glasses constructed with one red lens and one cyan (blue) lens. Vincent Price, one of the lead characters in the film, made the filmgoers shiver in horror, but he took a back seat to the thrill of watching a theater fire and dancing can can girls in 3D. Ironically, the director of the film was blind in one eye and was unable to detect the 3D effect. Although they enjoyed the film, many people complained of severe headache from the passive 3D glasses and the costly film technique never gained widespread popularity until 2010.

A new type of active 3D glasses has come onto the market known as LCD shutter glasses or LCD blinking glasses. The glasses contain liquid crystal and a special filter that isn’t active until voltage is applied. A special wireless Bluetooth or DLP transmitter, built into the glasses, reacts to low frequency waves that interact with signals on the viewing screen. First one lens will darken, then the other, creating a blinking effect to create the illusion of 3D on a CRT (cathode ray tube) and DLP (digital light processing) monitor.

The technology allows people to watch television in 3D in their homes. Headaches are no longer a problem with the advanced technology and recent movies such as “Coraline” and “Avatar” have piqued consumer interest in 3D technology. Gamers, always a vocal segment of the consumer population, love the new dimension 3D technology lends to video games.

3D games have been available since the mid 1980s. Improvements in graphics, computer circuitry, shading, lighting, and other facets of game design, makes 3D game design desirable and will probably become industry standard for hard-core gamers. Gamers are intensely involved in the 3Dworld of Second Life, World of Warcraft, Quake, and the Sims just as a few examples.

Consumers and gamers interested in 3D technology must purchase 3D glasses that cost $100-200 per pair. They can break, get lost, or stolen. 3D televisions may be affordable, but the cost of shutter glass must be taken into account.

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