How 3D Works History Creating 3D Movies Glossary 3D Formats

Also, ask to view different types of content including, movies, nature & a live 3D broadcast.

Finally, get comfortable and expect to spend some time finding your 3D Comfort Zone.

When you are taking a demo of a 3D television, be sure the glasses are ON (if Active-Shutter) and they are clean. If not, ask the sales associate to bring you a new pair.

How 3D Works

Perceiving depth, or 3 dimensions, is done by our brains when two pictures are planted on our eyeballs - one from each eye from slightly different angles (the distance by which our eyes are separated).

When the two images are captured by two lenses and then generated by an electronic display (e.g on a 3D TV, 3D monitor or handheld device) the display either shows those two perspectives to your eyes at different times (active glasses) or both perspectives are on the screen at the same time but each eye is only able to see one perspective because of eyewear or a special filter on the screen (passive polarized, anaglyph or lenticular barriers, among others). So your eyes are still working with two different images.

There are actually many technical variations on 3D (you can see a full chart here) but for our purposes, the approaches described here, and in products on the shelf have been painstakingly developed to be robust 3D products for the home. Today's consumer electronics (CE) manufacturers have brought the most comfortable and cost-effective 3D products to the market for consumers to enjoy their entertainment in 3-dimensions.

But of course, our entertainment doesn't stop with the 3D television or other display. We also need something to watch.