3D hack for 2D TV

[disappoint]

Most 3D TVs that are marketed as having 120hz or 240hz DO NOT accept a 120hz signal. Rather they accept a maximum of 60hz input and they interpolate the frames to achieve 120 or 240hz. There are a few (very few so far) 3D computer monitors that DO accept a 120hz signal and do not interpolate the frames. HDMI cannot do 1080p at 120hz anyway, not even HDMI 1.4, the 3D monitors that do 120hz input at 1080p do so with dual link DVI. (display port should be able to do this too)

 

[flexy]

"True 120hz" is still very rare, yes. If the TV would accept true 120hz (and not some pseudo-interpolation)...you should know it for sure.

Are there any hacks that will allow one with a regular television to use shutter glasses?
I was thinking of using an HDMI splitter, connect one end to the TV and the other to an IR dongle sitting atop the television.
Is there hardware readily available for this? Or are there sites that explain exactly what infrared signal is sent to the glasses?

Or maybe I could use it without infrared and just calibrate it once. How bad could it desync?

You focus on the IR signal - but the IR signal is not the essential part for 3D capability. The IR simply transmits the 3D sync signal to the glasses. Whether this happens wireless (via IR) or wired...is not really relevant.

It is more important whether your display is a LCD, CRT, Plasma etc. and can (in theory) display 3D in some way.
If its a Plasma or CRT...you *COULD* do some hacks eg. feed it an interlaced signal, aka L-R-L-R. Even if the TV would only support 60hz there could be some way to get some 30hz Ghetto 3D - but as said it would need to be a CRT or Plasma since LCDs do not support interlace.

Then you would still need to sync your glasses with the signal - there are some solutions eg. which take the signal from the VGA port. Like the edimensional shutter glasses where there is a "dongle" which you connect to the VGA port - then to the CRT...and the "dongle" electronic itself generates the sync signal which is then transmitted to the glasses via the IR diode, either using wire or IR wireless.

Or are there sites that explain exactly what infrared signal is sent to the glasses?

http://www.stereo3d.com/vesa3.htm

This is basically very simple...its a single TTL signal "stereo sync". Some 3D TVs have that VESA connector (circuit inside TV generates the signal), or its at the Dongle and the electronic in the Dongle generates the signal.

 

[flexy]

I'm not sure where you are getting your information, but that isn't correct. I have tested and binned CPUs at work and I assure you they are released at their maximum stable frequency the vast majority of the time.

If that were the case we couldnt overclock. Since you say "CPUs are released at their max stable frequency".

MAYBE you are right if you refer to testing using stock voltages. But overclocking almost always implies setting higher than stock voltage.

Sorry OT.

 

[djscuttle]

For all of you considering a 3DTV, or debating whether your 120Hz+ sets will be capable of decoding and accurately presenting your 3D content read on.

As I understand it, current HDMI 1.4 3D content is 60HZ / 12 fps while using the shutter glasses. Only IMAX achieves true 24 fps 3D due to the dual projector / silver screen setup. MotionFlow and similar 120hz "effects" are derived from 60Hz content and might enhance the overall 3D experience but be warned no additional information is being presented. The 3D content is generated by interpolation so any additional quality seemingly rescued by 120Hz wasn't originally part of the feature. This effect still might be visually more appealing, so all of this is neither here nor there, but I do have some hopeful findings.

A few hardware manufacturers are gearing up for a device that will allow you to view 3D HDMI content on any HDMI equipped TV. The device has an HDMI input, and output, as well as an IR emitter. It features an internal video processor which extracts the IR signal from HDMI while passing the video onto your source display. From what I hear, these things really work, and are capable of producing a very respective 3D experience. Within a few months even cheap sets will include this feature despite being only 60Hz. The external boxes will be around $200. I assume the future landscape of television choices will be more about your personal preference on motionflow while 3D capability takes a back seat.

 

[Throckmorton]

Unless you have a very special TV, it will not accept an input of over 60hz. The only difference between a normal TV and a special 3D one is every 3D monitor in production accepts a video input of over 100fps.

Since the TV needs to display one frame to each eye it effectively cuts the frame rate in half. I am not sure how well the brain handles 3d simulation at 30fps and its very possible the effect could be lost. Either way, if you plan to game with it, it will be very choppy.

I did a quick Wikipedia search of 3D movie theaters and it seems they just still display a 24hz to each eye, needing only a 48hz capable display. This may prove my upper statement wrong as the effect may still work with such low refresh rates. I didn't really do that much research so its possible they could show the same frame multiple alternating times to each eye at a higher refresh rate. Now that I think about it I'm pretty sure thats what happens, but like I said I really didn't do that much research.

A movie theatre doesn't alternate frames. It uses polarization to send each eye a different image through the polarized lenses. If you tried to watch TV at 24hz, your eyeballs would bleed and you'd have seizures.

 

[sgraphics]

A few hardware manufacturers are gearing up for a device that will allow you to view 3D HDMI content on any HDMI equipped TV. The device has an HDMI input, and output, as well as an IR emitter. It features an internal video processor which extracts the IR signal from HDMI while passing the video onto your source display. From what I hear, these things really work, and are capable of producing a very respective 3D experience. Within a few months even cheap sets will include this feature despite being only 60Hz. The external boxes will be around $200. I assume the future landscape of television choices will be more about your personal preference on motionflow while 3D capability takes a back seat.

Where did you get this info? Could you provide any links?

 

[TKE899]

I believe Toshiba is also developing a TV that will eliminate the need for the 3d glasses. Someone can correct me if I'm wrong on this but I'm not sure how this technology will work.

I was correct

http://hometheater.about.com/b/2011/01/05/toshiba-no-glasses-3d-tv-demonstrated-at-ces-2011.htm

 

[Ninjahedge]

I am waiting for the 3D to be a data band and not just a set of pictures.

What do I mean? I mean that the 3D interpolation is a data stream and not two sets of images that have been recorded and placed on the screen.

Why? It would make it so you could turn the divergence higher or lower to try to match what your eyes are used to. It will not make a hell of a lot of difference, but it might make it so less people get headaches or sick while watching.

Maybe a simple scalar adjustment between divergent elements in the two images would work, but I do not know how they would be able to discern that w/o pre-processing.

Also, just doing linear interpolations and direct comparison will have problems with true 3D in that, you see a little more of the side of an object from one eye than another, so the images will not just be exact duplicates set apart.....

Any ideas on how to be able to take 3D and make it tune-able?

 

[Patrickz0rs]

I believe Toshiba is also developing a TV that will eliminate the need for the 3d glasses. Someone can correct me if I'm wrong on this but I'm not sure how this technology will work.

I was correct

http://hometheater.about.com/b/2011/01/05/toshiba-no-glasses-3d-tv-demonstrated-at-ces-2011.htm

We have had 3D TV's and monitors that do not require glasses at our Universities research center for almost four years now...