The success of Blu-ray 3D relies as much on the education of your customers — the home consumer — as it does on the successful implementation of the BD3D technology. And let’s face it, at this stage of the Blu-ray 3D life-cycle, we are all consumers in need of basic education. This section address the basic questions about what is needed to view Blu-ray 3D in the home.
Here is what you need to view a Blu-ray 3D Disc:
A 3D-Capable Display (HDTV, Monitor, or Projector)
To watch a program in 3D, you will need to buy a 3D-capable display. There’s no way around it.
These displays usually have a higher processing power than older models, as they need to display one image for each eye to create a 3D effect. HDTV manufacturers say that older models will not be capable of displaying 3D technology because of the specs needed to create 3D. You will need to buy a 3D-capable display (HDTV, monitor, or laptop) to enjoy 3D at home.
A Pair of Active Shutter 3D Glasses
You will need a special pair of 3D glasses to experience the 3D effect.
Active Shutter technology has been adopted by most consumer electronics firms, including LG, Samsung, Panasonic, Sony and more. With this technology, an HDTV will display one image to your left eye and one image to your right eye. Since the effective frame rate is halved, these HDTVs need to have double the refresh rate of HDTVs (60 Hz). This is why you will find that all 3D HDTVs have a minimum frame rate of 120 Hz (most have a frame rate around 240 Hz or even 480 Hz).
Active liquid crystal shutter glasses quickly block each eye in sequence to ensure that each eye only sees the corresponding image on the 3D HDTV. The active shutter glasses are kept in sync with the HDTV using Bluetooth, infrared, or radio technology. These special glasses usually contain liquid crystals that can be made opaque. thus acting as a shutter. These glasses are battery-operated (battery life estimated at around 80 hours or so).
It is important to note that your active shutter glasses will need to be of the same brand as your 3D-capable HDTV! Panasonic 3D glasses will not work with a Samsung 3D screen and vice versa.
A 3D Blu-ray Disc Player and Blu-ray 3D Discs
As movie studios release 3D movies on Blu-ray 3D discs, you will need a 3D Blu-ray player to read that 3D content and send it to your 3D-capable HDTV. Some newer-model Blu-ray players will be able to do this out of the box. However, you will be able to upgrade some existing Blu-ray disc players to read this 3D format with a firmware upgrade via the Internet.
Be careful–there are two kinds of 3D movies on the market–”old” and “new” (full HD) 3D.
How can you figure out which is which? You need to look for the Blu-ray 3D logo. This logo indicates that this movie will deliver the 3D effects you seek. Note that some “3D” movies are currently available and leverage the polarized or anaglyph technologies–meaning that the 3D effects are not as breathtaking as you would expect.
An HDMI Cable
In order to connect your 3D-capable display to a source of content (such as a 3D console, 3D Blu-ray player, or cable box), you will need a high speed HDMI cable. Most consumer electronics manufacturers recommend an HDMI cable v1.4. Chances are, the HDMI cable you are currently using with your Blu-ray player and HDTV will not work.