Toshiba supersized, glasses-free, 3-D TV steals IFA show

(PhysOrg.com) -- Toshiba earlier this week showed off its new no-glasses 55-inch 3-D TV. The company says it is the world’s first large screen 3-D TV that does not require any glasses. According to Toshiba, the new 55ZL2 is its most advanced television to date with the latest imaging technology. Toshiba chose the IFA 2011 event in Berlin, a high-profile trade show for consumer electronics and gadgets, as the venue to preview this supersized flat-screen television. With promotional showmanship, glasses were handed out at the press briefing with the words "bye bye" printed across the lenses.

Toshiba uses an imaging technique based on the stereoscopic principle of simultaneously delivering a picture for the left eye, and another picture with a small offset (parallax), for the right eye to achieve a 3-D viewing experience. A range of lenticular lenslets guides the images. A Quad Full HD display offering up to 3840 x 2160 pixel resolution enables an effective 3-D effect for up to nine viewers, where images are being presented to different positions throughout a room.

Showcasing the TV's features, Toshiba made special note of the new set's face-tracking technology. This means that a camera below the screen can scan to see how many faces are in the room, with nine the limit. Faces are tracked so that the machine can adjust the images. The aim of face-tracking is to provide a 3-D experience no matter where the viewer is in the room. There are nine different optimal angles for good picture quality in the Toshiba set. The user pushes a button on the remote control, which activates the camera.

The viewer can upscale 2-D content to 3-D. As part of the conversion, the Toshiba TV offers depth control to adjust the depth to the user's liking. The TV will be available in Germany in December. The unit costs €7,999 euros, or about $11,400.

The debut is viewed with interest by market watchers who note that the no-glasses 3-D advancement comes at a time of sagging television sales and heightened competition among TV manufacturers. Bells and whistles enhancing the viewing experience are ways in which the vendors can differentiate and improve sales. With this week's debut, Toshiba has a lead over rival manufacturers still struggling to make 3-D television sales show better growth. Glasses-free viewing may change the tide of disappointing sales figures.