Toshiba to Launch 3D TV without glasses

Toshiba plans to market the world’s first 3D television that does not need special glasses. It will have a thin sheet of small lenses in front of the display. Toshiba didn’t announce launch or pricing plans for markets outside of Japan.

Now we can enjoy images in three dimensions from various positions and suffer less stress as we dont need to wear special glasses because it has been a common complaint about early 3D televisions. The glasses most sets need are the active types that are ugly, uncomfortable, expensive and they generally weigh more than a typical pair of eye glasses, and because they contain an electronic circuit, they also need to be regularly recharged.

Toshiba 3D TV

Toshiba is apparently coming to market with three new models that will not need glasses in time for Christmas with the sets costing “several thousand dollars” according to a source cited as Yomiuri Shimbun. Toshiba has offered no official statement on the TVs.

The 20-inch model packs the Cell Broadband Engine, a version of the same processor found in Sony’s PlayStation 3 console, that supports several advanced image processing features. Toshiba said these include the ability to convert conventional 2D images to quasi-3D images on-the-fly.

Toshiba will offer a 12-inch model and a 20-inch model. They’ll cost around ¥120,000 (US$1,430) and ¥240,000 respectively. Toshiba didn’t announce launch or pricing plans for markets outside of Japan.