7/16/2011

Active Vs Passive 3D Glasses

By Jeremiah Tudor


There are two types of 3d glasses that are used with modern 3D technology, and they are not interchangeable. Which type of glasses you have to buy will depend on where you want to use them, and if it is for a television in your home, what type of 3D TV you buy. Each type of glasses have different qualities which affect how much they cost, where you can use them and how clear a picture they produce.

How 3D Glasses Work

When something is broadcast in 3D, whether it be a film, a TV programme or a sporting event, the same process is going to be in effect. What happens is that each frame is only being shown for one eye, and alternate frames have a slightly different perspective on the action.

This would all be pointless though if it was not possible to separate out the two images, so that each eye actually does see only one frame at a time. This is where the glasses come in, they separate out the images. Why this is all necessary is because these are the conditions under which the brain creates the impression of depth, combining the two images into one.

The way this is done differs with the different types of glasses though. With the active kind, an LCD screen actually blacks out one lens after another so that only one eye can ever see the screen at a time. With the passive glasses, the images are polarised, and each lens only allows in one of the frames at a time.

Effectiveness

With either type of glasses, you'll be getting a good 3D effect. In terms of the general quality of the picture though, it's better with the active shutter glasses. After all they are not tampering with or distorting the image in any way, which is necessary to some extent with the polarising glasses.

When you are using passive glasses, the image is not quite so clear, although this is not a massive difference. If you ever seen a film in 3D at the cinema then you will have been using passive glasses, so you will know that it is still a good image.

Places You Can Use Them

In terms of versatility, the passive glasses beat the active ones. That's because you can use them at the cinema, in pubs, and there are some televisions that use this technology as well.

It's a different story with the active shutter glasses though. You can't use them in the cinema, in a pub or with any television or computer monitor which was made by a different manufacture than made the glasses. That is unless you are using a universal pair, which are actually a good option for this reason.

How Much Do The Cost?

The place you can see the clearest difference between the two sorts of glasses is in how much they cost. It's very simple to make passive glasses, they don't contain any expensive technology. That's why they can be handed out in pubs for only a small deposit.

With the active glasses, you have an LCD screen in each lens which requires power. Usually they are rechargeable. Also, they have to sync up to the television so that the lenses are being blacked out at the same time, so that is more technology which has to be used. This adds up to a much higher price.

Which Kind Are Better?

Only you can really decide which sort of glasses you think are better, because it depends what you are looking for. If you are looking for the sharpest images to watch on your TV at home, then you should go for the active kind. If you don't want to spend too much money though, and you want to use them in multiple locations, then you'll have to go for the passive variety.




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