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FAQ 

So does 3D TV really work?
Not only does it work, it makes for a spectacular viewing experience in your own home. 3D isn’t necessarily optimal for every type of TV content – we’re not convinced the world is waiting breathlessly to watch Sunday morning news shows in 3D – but for visually rich movies, sports events and many TV shows, it’s a videophile’s dream come true.
Let's cut to the chase: What’s up with those glasses?<
Ah yes: the eyewear question. Even though engineers are working on so-called “passive” 3D displays that may not require special glasses, the prevailing state-of-the-art in 3D television for now (and for years to come) will require that you wear eyeglasses to see 3D images properly. The official terminology is “active liquid crystal shutter glasses,” in case you want to impress friends.

The good news is they’re lightweight and comfortable, fit easily over your prescription glasses, and render an almost-indescribably seductive viewing experience. The downside is they’re not cheap. Some 3D television sets come with one or two pair of 3D glasses, but extra glasses can cost $150 or so per pair. Even so, prices are likely to fall as popularity and volume rise. TV set makers are even theorizing that fashionable frames and designer styles will be available soon. You know: so we can look as good in 3D as the images we’re watching.
Will I have to buy a new TV set?
Yes. Normal TV sets lack the ability to render 3D images for two main reasons. First, a 3D TV set has to have built-in hardware that can send information to the 3D viewing glasses (more on that in a minute). Second, 3D signals demand faster presentation of image frames – 120 per second – than normal TVs can accommodate. That’s why manufacturers like LG, Panasonic, Samsung, Sony, Toshiba, Vizio and others have come out with new lines of 3D TV sets you can find at major electronics stores and websites.
And a new Blu-ray player?
Probably. Most 3D enthusiasts will need a new 3D-capable Blu-ray player to watch newly formatted 3D Blu-ray discs. However, owners of Sony PS3 video game systems, which include Blu-ray capability, should be able to upgrade their existing hardware to accommodate 3D Blu-ray movies.
Yes. All 3D TVs display normal two-dimensional television channels and programs you already receive. And you don’t have to wear special glasses to watch them.
What about my digital cable box? Do I need a new one?
Doubtful. Modern digital cable receivers – the boxes that let you tune to your favorite cable channels, watch HD shows and select On Demand movies – already have what it takes to relay 3D signals to your 3D television set. So if you have Digital Cable you’re likely to have what you need already. And if you’re upgrading to Digital Cable for the first time (congrats on that, by the way), your cable company will supply you with a new set-top box that can accommodate 3D.
So what's to watch?
Even in these early days of 3D television development, there’s a variety of television being produced or rendered in 3D. As you might imagine, certain types of shows, like nature programs and live sports, are positively spectacular in 3D. The companies behind some of cable’s best-known national networks, like ESPN and The Discovery Channel, are launching 3D networks in 2010. Others, including cable regional sports channels, have started offering select games from the National Hockey League and Major League Baseball in 3D. The cable channel TNT recently televised the first-ever NASCAR race in 3D. Also, cable On Demand services are gearing up to offer 3D movies, concerts and special events. And Hollywood movie studios are busy making 3D movies, with 70-plus titles expected to be released or in production this year. Many will show up on cable television sometime after their theatrical run ends.
Why isn't everything in 3D?
Producing television and movies in 3D is expensive, because it requires special cameras (two per shot) and extra crews. Plus, venues like sports stadiums weren’t designed with 3D TV production in mind, so producers have to figure out (and pay for) inventive ways to get their cameras in the right positions. With costs relatively high, television producers are carefully evaluating which shows and events are likely to work best in 3D.
How's it look?
Pretty much magnificent, we’d say. When cable companies offered special coverage of the Master’s Golf Tournament in 3D in April 2010, the images were nothing less than stunning. Just imagine how the addition of 3D depth perception appeared on a large-screen, high-definition TV, with the lush colors of the Augusta National golf course in the background. Other programs are equally dramatic. When ESPN televised games from the FIFA World Cup in 3D this summer, viewers were amazed. “I felt like I was inside the Durban soccer stadium, where Germany routed Australia, though South Africa is halfway around the world,” wrote USA Today technology expert Edward C. Baig.
What took so long to get here?
Same thing that took so long to get a human being on the moon: an enormous engineering challenge. Stereoscopic 3D is the term for the technique of presenting two near-identical images on a screen, each intended to be seen by just one eye in order to mimic on the screen the way we see the world naturally. It’s the rapid-fire switching of left and right eye images that produces the illusion of actual depth. Your battery-powered glasses do the nifty work of synchronizing what each of your eyes sees with the signal coming from your TV. Your brain then interprets the back-and-forth flow as a single image, and, well, it looks amazing. The invention of stereoscopic imagery dates back to 1838, and variations on the technology were popularized by movie theaters in the 1950s, mostly in association with “B” grade horror flicks. But only recently have video engineers hit on the right combination of signal delivery, frame juxtaposition, image resolution and synchronized viewing glasses to create lifelike 3D images on television.

Is it just like going to see a 3D movie?
The effect is similar, but there are some differences in approach. The glasses you get at the theater aren't battery-powered like those used for 3D television viewing. And of course, the screen's (usually) a lot bigger at the local multiplex. But the quality of 3D images is striking in both environments. And there's nothing quite like your own (3D) couch.