CEATEC has everything coming at you
A huge electronic trade show in Japan seems to have been
taken over by 3D screens. Almost all Japan's big-name electronic manufacturers are
readying flat-screen TVs that can show high-definition movies and video games
in 3-D for launch next year.
CEATEC, which is Japans biggest consumer electronics
show, was packed with large 3-D prototypes. Sony and Panasonic have both said they will bring their
first models to market next year. Details about what will be available to watch
on the new TVs are still sparse, though the companies said they want to begin
with movies and games. Currently what is holding up the development is content,
some manufacturers moaned.
The companies are working on standards for broadcasts and
discs, which may end up as an enhancement of Blu-ray, the high-definition
format designed to supersede standard DVDs. Sony plans to release selections
from its movie studios soon. Sony said that it will run everything on a standard
format so that it can be viewed other companies' TVs as well. Sharp showed off 3-D sets but are waiting until more
content and TV broadcasts are available before they set a product launch date.
Most of the technology involves showing two images, one
for each eye, that viewed together are seen as a single three-dimensional
scene. The new generation of 3-D TVs uses a technology that
rapidly flickers between two images, together with electronic glasses that
allow each eye to see only one. At the moment the televisions are not cheap. Toshiba is
about to release one for $11,000 based on the Cell chip.
Other companies including South Korea's Samsung
Electronics and Hyundai have already launched 3-D TVs with lower specifications.
Cable stations in Japan broadcast short clips in 3-D a few times each day.