Fujifilm's glasses-free 3D monitor could have been an amazing 3D gadget...

I have already mentioned my top 3D gadgets of this holiday season, and those are (not in any ranking order) the Nintendo 3D, the HTC EVO 3D, the LG Optimus/Thrill 3D and the Sony HMZ-T1. Those are the 4 most usable 3D cool gadgets you should choose your shopping-cart content from, in my humble opinion. All of those items are glasses-free, and come from solid brands which don't mess around with gimmicks.

The Fujifilm FinePix Real 3D V3 digital photo frame, however,  is missing 2 features in order to make that list, since it is a humble digital photo frame. I will begin with the exciting stuff, though. The 7.2" screen is capable of running HD films in glasses-free 3D thanks to a lenticular film. It is the first of its kind to enable HDMI input, a format which is increasingly  incorporated in portable devices (for example - you could shoot some 3D footage with your Optimus 3D, and stream it directly to the V3 via HDMI). You don't have to use this high-end interface, obviously. The standard formats (USB and SD cards) are accommodated. The V3 also includes a couple of integrated speakers, and boasts a functional remote-control.

As soon as I checked this new model, I was thinking of an upgrade that would turn this unassuming digital photo-frame into a portable powerhouse. First of all, it needs a battery. This feature, as I am assured by certified engineers, is a must. Since it needs a bigger screen anyway, let's say around the 9" tablet benchmark, there might very well be room for that added bulk. So now we have an HD handheld glasses-free 3D screen, with an HDMI input slot. Throw a WiFi chip in to the mix and it would be an appealing item for anyone who watches film on a smartphone screen for extended periods.

But... Apparently Fujifilm's designers are a bit more conservative than I am. So we will have to wait for the real mainstream glasses-free 3D tablet. After practically all other major display systems are represented in the glasses-free 3D category, this tablet is long overdue!

Gamers are about to gain where TV viewers are missing

It has long been established that the vast majority of TV consumers are reluctant to use special glasses in order to enjoy 3D content. That's a given, and autosteoscopy is just around the corner for that purpose. But there still is a massive market of gadget seekers, who are not shy about adopting a new accessory - gamers!

Gaming mega-brand Sony, which is working diligently on providing the mentioned glasses-free 3D screens, has produced the ultimate 3D display system for its huge crowd of gamer-followers. Sony's HMZ-T1 takes the experssion "3D glasses" to a whole new level. The glasses are actually your screen. Or more accurately, your screens. Each eye is assigned an individual, high-definition OLED screen. This set-up is hardly innovative as it was used extensively during the 90's virtual reality technology, but as anachronistic as it may be it has a couple of major advantages over current 3D viewing formats. First and foremost - as each eye is exposed to one chamber at all times the separation between the different images to each eye is static. It does not require filters or flickering etc., in order to maintain that separation properly. This contributes to a higher picture quality but also might reduce undesired side-effects such as head-ache, nausea, etc.

The second, also important feature is the permanent viewing angle this set-up provides. In any other format, the viewers' position in relative to the screen is taken into account. With a headset, the viewer can't change his eye position relative to the screen, only to different areas of the screen. As the Nintendo 3DS demonstrates perfectly, skewed angles hurt a 3D effect that is remarkable from a direct angle. So Sony has all these elements in place, and might have a very good product on its hands.

Intended to integrate with Sony's PlayStation 3 as well as the company's Blue-Ray players, this intriguing product is still a few months away from distribution in the European markets (though Sony accepts pre-orders at £799.00). Take a look at the clip below to get a better sense of the experience encompassed in this cool piece of equipment:

I wonder if Microsoft & Nintendo are planning similar devices for their respective successful gaming-consols. If the 3D experience is indeed as good as reported, it might be the next big thing in gaming since the appearance of the kynetic systems.

Who's the best glasses-free 3D mobile phone: HTC EVO 3D or LG Optimus (Thrill) 3D?

Enough is enough! I love my Blackberry Bold, and would have been pleased to upgrade to a new Torch model if it supported glasses-free 3D, but that option is probably about a year away (RIM designers are notoriously slow adopters of innovative technology). So I am trying to decide between the 2 current heavyweights: The EVO 3D & the Optimus 3D. Here's a quick look at each one of them:

I have had tremendous esteem for HTC as a company, ever since a few years ago, back when they were manufacturing mostly cellular developers' platforms (I used to work for a high-tech corporation at a branch that developed Bluetooth & WLAN chips. I got to play with some awsome toys!). HTC had some features in their cellular platforms that were years away from implementation on mass-market mobile phones. I used to think that if I would leave Blackberry it would be for HTC, but LG has really upped the ante with the 3D game converter. I know I would love to be playing with my 3D phone, and taking advantage of the brilliant display as much as I could, so how can I turn down dozens of 3D games?... Help!

New autostreoscopy venture aims to conquer Asia

Echoing my latest post, one of the small-scale electornics engineering companies I was describing is taking its vision to the next level. Having the confidence in the maturity of its product, Exceptional3D has announced a cooperation with Asian consumer electornics manufacturer 3D Joy in order to mass-produce its exciting range of glasses-free 3D products.

Whilst I'm waiting for my opportunity to test Exceptional3D's products first hand (they are not represented in my neck of the woods, so it would probably take some additional time), I can certainly point out one interesting aspect of their operation: They are planning to provide cost-effective glasses-free 3D products. That kind of claim would not come from one of the major electronics brands for at least the next 6 months, so it is interesting to find out if the quality of the 3D experience will be up to par. If so - it could be the Asian market today, the the rest of the world tomorrow for Exceptional3D.

By the way, 3D Joy are already preparing for the next step in display systems' evolution: Holograms. Check out their interesting range of products, it's a glimpse into the future!

The London Olympic games are set to upgrade the status of the 3D format

The London Olympics are 9 months away, and "Olympics fever" is still rather dormant. But for us 3D fans there is already considerable cause for excitement. A collaboration between the OBS, the BBC and Panasonic has been established in order to ensure that the 2012 Olympic games will be broadcast live in 3D. Both the BBC and Panasonic are pioneers in their respective industries in the field of 3D technology.

Roger Mosey, the Director of the London Olympics coverage for the BBC, has cited the enormous success of the 3D broadcast of the last Wimbeldon tennis tournament as a stepping-stone towards a significantly more elaborate and high-profile project such as the Olympic games. The corporation will be a veteran 3D broadcaster after the Olympics have been completed, with far more experience in executing the technology than any other of the rapidly increasing number 3D-producing TV networks.

Panasonic has been prominent in the 3D-products industry ever since 3D has made its comeback following the historical success of the 3D movie "Avatar". The company is heavily represented in most of the 3D-products categories, and is strategically positioning itself to jump ahead of the competition. Most resources by electronics manufacturers are invested on consumer products, which naturally garners the most publicity for a brand, but after the Olympics Panasonic will stand as the only manufacturer who's broadcast equipment (all across production stages) has been tested during such a comprehensive and high-profile media event.

The benefits for the parties involved is evident and substantial. But I want to make a bold prediction about the benefits for the viewing format itself. I'm reminiscent of my own experience at this point. Some 11 years ago, days before the opening of the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, I decided I simply can't miss the Olympic basketball tournament on a big screen. In a process that was more resembeling an impulse-buy than a carefully thought-through purchase, I have got myself a big-screen TV (did manage to get a great price, though) with only this sports event in mind. And I'm hardly a rare case. It is a well established tradition that TV sales multiply several folds in the weeks leading to a FIFA World Cup tournament or the Olympic games. As the majority of new TV units sold today is already in 3D format, in the next 9 months until the games begin this ratio will only increase to the 3D TV's favour. But as mentioned, this process is happening anyway. My prediction is in regards to the final stage of 3D technology: Autostereoscopy.

Autostereoscopy is glasses-free 3D technology. Ever since Avatar brought 3D back from obscurity, market analysis has repeatedly shown that 3 elements prevent 3D screens from taking over as the mainstream viewing format: The first is of course the price of 3D sets, whether they are TVs, computers, or handheld devices. As with any new technology, the early products are expensive and as the technology matures the prices are dropped. This will happen to 3D products in time; The second element is the lack of extensive 3D content. We see more and more production companies converting to 3D, and a recent research by prominent analyst site In-Stat indicates that the number of 3D channels will considerably increase in the next couple of years, not to mention the expanding market of 3D games for gaming-consols and mobile devices; The last, and most challenging element, is the public's reluctance to use the often-awkward eyewear that is mandatory in the stereoscopic (glasses-on 3D) configuration.

Glasses-free 3D already exists. It actually functions successfully on small screens. Mobile devices such as the Nintendo 3DS, HTC EVO 3D and LG Optimus 3D are offering high-quality glasses-free 3D experience. But the current autostereoscopy is limited to better suit small screens. This is because the current display provides the deepest 3D image when there is a single viewer poisitioned directly in front of the screen. By enlarging the screen and adding further viewing angles (for more than 1 spectator) the depth of 3D effect is compromised. Toshiba and LG have enabled autostereoscopy on lager display systems (a laptop and a PC screen, respectively) by incorporating eye-tracking sensors into the screens, allowing a high-quality experience for bigger screens, but still a single viewing angle.

A couple of months ago, Toshiba has unveiled the first full-scale glasses-free TV to be commercially distributed (unfotunately this model, called "ZL", is not yet represented on the company's website). The feature that enabled such a leap in glasses-free screen-size is the option for multi-angle viewing. The TV also uses eye-tracking sensors, but in this device they can accommodate up to 9 pairs of eyes. It is based on the most common method of achieving autostereoscopy - an added layer of trasparent film called "Parallax barrier" which directs a certain portion of the image to the the other eye so that the 2-image display is presented to a naked eye. I do not have the engineering background to further elaborate on this method, so you would either have to believe me or dive into a deeper explanation.

Parallax barrier is currently the default method, and is being used by all major electronics producers, but some smaller hardware developers are playing with various methods. One that particularly caught my attention employs semi-spherical pixel elements rather than flat ones, thus allowing for a wider radius of 3D effectiveness. There are several other methods, and some small manufacturers have already produced fully-functioning prototypes. The rate in which glasses-free 3D is developing, it is quite realistic to expect that at least 1 or 2 additional models will be added to the range of glasses-free 3D TVs, and that the quality of the image would increase. Reports from Toshiba's unveiling talk about a reduced depth compared to current glasses-on 3D TVs, and clearly this technology has its way to advance before becoming a household native.

But 9 months is a long time. Long enough to expect that the TV you will be tempted to buy prior to the London Olympics will be a high-quality, reasonably-priced glasses-free TV. This might be the catalyst for mass adoption of the 3D format, en route to the inevitable outcome of 3D overtaking as the mainstream viewing format of all shapes and sizes of display system. I, for one, am eagerly anticipating this. What do you think?