3DTV Television Explained

What is 3DTV? 3DTV is a generic term for a display technology that lets viewers experience TV programs, movies, games, and other video content in a 3D stereoscopic effect. It adds the illusion of a third dimension, depth, to current TV and HDTV display technology, which is currently limited to only height and width ("2D").

How can you get 3D from a 2D screen?
A 3D TV or theater screen showing 3D content displays two separate images of the same scene simultaneously, one intended for the viewer's right eye and one for the left eye. The two full-size images occupy the entire screen and appear intermixed with one another--objects in one image are often repeated or skewed slightly to the left (or right) of corresponding objects in the other--when viewed without the aid of special 3D glasses. When viewers put on the special 3D glasses, they see these two slightly offset images as a single 3D image.
The system relies on a visual process called stereopsis. The eyes of an adult human lie about 2.5 inches apart, which lets each eye see objects from slightly different angles. The two images on a 3DTV screen present objects from two slightly different angles as well, and when those images combine in the viewer's mind with the aid of the glasses, the illusion of depth is created.

Can the 3D feature on a 3DTV be turned off?
Yes. All 3DTVs will display current 2D content with no problem and no glasses required, and their picture quality in 2D is about the same as on any other equivalent 2D HDTV. The Blu-Ray 3D specification calls for all such discs to also include a 2D version of the movie, allowing current 2D players to play them with no problem.