gmb45
11th March, 2010, 07:18 AM
First 3D TVs launched today - and they'll be on sale in Britain by end of month
3D televisions go on sale in the UK this month in what is hailed as the biggest TV revolution since the introduction of colour.
Samsung yesterday unveiled the first sets that will capture the excitement generated by 3D films such as Avatar and Alice in Wonderland in which three-dimensional images appear to leap out of the screen at you.
They will start at around ?1,300 for a 32-inch LED model, rising to just under ?5,000 for a 65-inch version.
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2010/03/10/article-1256931-08AADA2C000005DC-915_634x344.jpg
However, customers will also have to pay extra - probably another ?500 plus - for a compatible Blu-ray DVD player and sophisticated electronic glasses.
Samsung is not alone in launching 3D sets, as Sony, Panasonic and LG are all about to reveal details of their models.
The technology is likely to be extended into computer games via Sony's PlayStation 3 console, laptops and home computers over the next few years.
The arrival of the sets has been prompted by the huge success of the major studios in introducing 3D films. Avatar and Alice in Wonderland have broken box office records around the world.
Toy Story 3 will be released in the format and the Shrek movies are being converted.
All of Samsung's 3D TVs offer built-in hardware which, it claims, can render standard 2D content into a form of 3D.
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2010/03/10/article-1256931-0891A0FE000005DC-534_634x350.jpg
Visual odyssey: The science fiction spectacular Avatar has reignited interest in the wonders of 3D
British television channels and others worldwide are also working on delivering more output that is filmed in 3D and will offer better clarity. Sky is understood to be planning a 3D channel for 2011.
The broadcaster recently ran a 3D trial of the Premier League game between Arsenal and Manchester United in a few pubs. The BBC beamed a 3D version of an England rugby match into cinemas. The sports channel ESPN is also working on the new format.
The 3D glasses are far more sophisticated than the card and plastic versions with red and green filters that were handed out to children at cinemas in the past.
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2010/03/10/article-1256931-08844D71000005DC-65_634x467.jpg
Record-breaking: Helena Bonham Carter in Tim Burton's 3D Alice in Wonderland
Each eye has liquid crystal shutters over the lens. These shutters are pened and closed alternately in sync with the images on the screen to create a 3D effect.
The images on the screen will appear blurred to someone who does not have the glasses. The sets can be switched to work as normal 2D televisions.
Bill Moir, head of marketing at Comet, said: 'Our first 3D TVs will be available to pre-order online from the end of March and available in stores in April. We've already seen a lot of demand.'
Hailed as the greatest revolution since colour and buoyed by box office blockbusters Avatar and Alice in Wonderland, it could also be the biggest gamble the technology industry has ever made.
For when a trio of industry giants launch the first high definition 3D televisions on the mainstream market, there is no guarantee of success.
At approximately ?2,000 a set, the hardware - available in Britain by the end of the month - is no longer prohibitively expensive.
3D televisions go on sale in the UK this month in what is hailed as the biggest TV revolution since the introduction of colour.
Samsung yesterday unveiled the first sets that will capture the excitement generated by 3D films such as Avatar and Alice in Wonderland in which three-dimensional images appear to leap out of the screen at you.
They will start at around ?1,300 for a 32-inch LED model, rising to just under ?5,000 for a 65-inch version.
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2010/03/10/article-1256931-08AADA2C000005DC-915_634x344.jpg
However, customers will also have to pay extra - probably another ?500 plus - for a compatible Blu-ray DVD player and sophisticated electronic glasses.
Samsung is not alone in launching 3D sets, as Sony, Panasonic and LG are all about to reveal details of their models.
The technology is likely to be extended into computer games via Sony's PlayStation 3 console, laptops and home computers over the next few years.
The arrival of the sets has been prompted by the huge success of the major studios in introducing 3D films. Avatar and Alice in Wonderland have broken box office records around the world.
Toy Story 3 will be released in the format and the Shrek movies are being converted.
All of Samsung's 3D TVs offer built-in hardware which, it claims, can render standard 2D content into a form of 3D.
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2010/03/10/article-1256931-0891A0FE000005DC-534_634x350.jpg
Visual odyssey: The science fiction spectacular Avatar has reignited interest in the wonders of 3D
British television channels and others worldwide are also working on delivering more output that is filmed in 3D and will offer better clarity. Sky is understood to be planning a 3D channel for 2011.
The broadcaster recently ran a 3D trial of the Premier League game between Arsenal and Manchester United in a few pubs. The BBC beamed a 3D version of an England rugby match into cinemas. The sports channel ESPN is also working on the new format.
The 3D glasses are far more sophisticated than the card and plastic versions with red and green filters that were handed out to children at cinemas in the past.
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2010/03/10/article-1256931-08844D71000005DC-65_634x467.jpg
Record-breaking: Helena Bonham Carter in Tim Burton's 3D Alice in Wonderland
Each eye has liquid crystal shutters over the lens. These shutters are pened and closed alternately in sync with the images on the screen to create a 3D effect.
The images on the screen will appear blurred to someone who does not have the glasses. The sets can be switched to work as normal 2D televisions.
Bill Moir, head of marketing at Comet, said: 'Our first 3D TVs will be available to pre-order online from the end of March and available in stores in April. We've already seen a lot of demand.'
Hailed as the greatest revolution since colour and buoyed by box office blockbusters Avatar and Alice in Wonderland, it could also be the biggest gamble the technology industry has ever made.
For when a trio of industry giants launch the first high definition 3D televisions on the mainstream market, there is no guarantee of success.
At approximately ?2,000 a set, the hardware - available in Britain by the end of the month - is no longer prohibitively expensive.