Samsung Shows off 55-inch Glassless 3DTV at FPD, China

FPD is an event where manufacturers exhibit all kinds of flat panels. It was held at the Shanghai New International Expo Centre from 15 to 17 March this year. I just read on TechOn that Samsung has unveiled their latest creation, a 55-inch Glassless 3DTV. This TV supports a resolution of 1080p, has a brightness level of 500cd/m2 and a contrast ratio of 4,000:1. It uses a direct-lit CCFL (cold cathode fluorescent lamp) backlight unit.

Samsung's new prototype

This TV can also be turned into a regular TV, as it has a separate 2D Mode. It has two LCD panels; one acts as the actual screen and the other behaves like a lens. The latter shows different images to the right and left eye, which gives the 3D effect. When the optical refraction index of this ‘lens’ is not changed, the TV can show 2D images. Apparently, this TV also uses 9 viewpoints when displaying a 3D image and the correct viewing distance for this would be around 2.5-6m.

Seperate 2D mode

I’ve never been the biggest fan of 3D, but have always hoped that the technology would get better, as that’s the only way it won’t fizzle out and die. However, even this TV is only a prototype and it’ll be a couple of years before we can see this kind of technology emerge into the open market.