Question: I'm looking at getting the XpanD universal 3D glasses at www.xpandcinema.com, or the Oakley 3D glasses at www.oakley.com. They cost about the same; the XpanD costs $129 and the Oakely goes for $120. Which is better? (question edited for clarity)

-submitted by Peter

Answer: I have to be completely honest with you Peter, I'm sure glad you came to us before deciding between the two. To tell you the truth, I can't tell you which set of glasses is the better buy. Fortunately for you, I can tell you why you would want to choose one over the other. You see, only one of them is really going to suit your needs. 

First of all, it's important to point out that not all 3D systems work the same. These days, modern 3D systems usually fall within two major types, Active Shutter and Passive Polarized. Active Shutter systems use glasses with LCD panels that block an eye in rapid succession. The other type of 3D system, called

Question: I'm interested in 3D, but I wear big glasses already and have difficulty fitting 3D glasses over them. Is there a way to watch 3D with no glasses? - Jerry A.

Answer: What you're talking about is essentially the holy grail of 3D technology. Best of all, the technologies available today that do allow you to see 3D images without the use of 3D glasses. The problem is that auto-stereoscopic 3D technologies (the big word for "3D without glasses) have some problems that make it less than ideal for large screen solutions. 

To understand the issue at hand, it's important to know a few things about humans and vision. In order for us to see in three dimensions, our eyeballs need to see two different images. In our everyday lives, the gap between our eyes allows each eye to see something from a slightly different angle. Our brain does the rest.

Queston: What's the right seating distance from a 3DTV for the optimal 3D effect? -submitted by various visitors

Answer: There has been a great deal of confusion regarding seating distance and 3D. While it may seem there is a different optimum range to better enjoy 3D effects on 3D TVs, based on my experience and what I've read from other industry professionals, the optimum seating distance for active-shutter glasses-based 3DTV sets (the vast majority of home 3D sets) doesn't appear to be much different than the optimum range for regular HDTVs.

That said, the general consensus is that bigger is better for an immersive 3D effect. So, it's better to go larger than smaller if 3D is your primary concern.

Those with auto-stereoscopic (glasses free) sets may have more problems with viewing distances and viewing angles... not that there are many large screen auto-stereoscopic sets out there. Tthe correct viewing spots for these sets will vary, and will be outlined in the user manual for the TV.

Question: I can't seem to play any of my PS3 3D demos in 3D. I dont know what to do. I bought a 3D-Ready Viewsonic projector and active shutter glasses (PGD-150, also from Viewsonic), got all the firmware updates on my Playstation 3, and even bought a new highspeed HDMI cable, but it's still a no go. What's wrong? - asked by edthedemon

Answer:  This day and age, we buy technology products with an expectation that they'll be virtually plug and play. After all, it's logical to assume that if you buy a 3D-ready projector that you'll be able to plug in a 3D source and watch it in 3D.

Unfortunately, this isn't the case, and the exact answer as to why can be a little complicated. I'll try to explain below as simply as possible.

The problem you're running into is that digital 3D can come in many different formats. Companies selling DLP-3D products, which have been around since 2006, accept 3D signals in the Texas Instruments 3D-DLP Format, which is also commonly referred to as the "checkerboard format." Most will also accept nVidia's 3D Vision products as well. The PS3, however, relies on the final HDMI 1.4 specification for stereoscopic 3D, which is based on a 3D format known as frame packing.

Q. I have a Samsung 3D TV C7000, and my question is if Batman Arkham Asylum Game of the Year Edition will work on 3DTVs like the James Cameron's: Avatar game? Avatar was awesome in 3D. Batman Arkham Asylum GOTY Edition comes with regular green and pink 3D glasses, but I don't want that, I want the 3D features like Avatar and others 3D games for PS3 to enjoy the actual 3D technology. - Yohec

A. "If only," is all I can say. The Game of the Year Edition of (the awesome) Batman Arkham Asylum for PS3 and XBOX 360 is anaglyph (old-school) 3D only.

I know it doesn't offer anywhere near the same experience as Avatar, but to be fair, Avatar was often criticized for it's forward thinking approach to 3D becuase of the few people with the equipment to enjoy the game in 3D. Even today. Rocksteady apparently opted to cast a larger net, and by going with anaglyph technology the game could be enjoyed in 3D on any television... with the obvious repurcussions of the red-cyan approach. Unfortunately, they didn't offer both 3D modes, either due to cost or performance reasons.

Q. Will the full version of Motorstorm: Pacific Rift be in 3D? Right now it is only the demo, but I have the full version and it is not 3D. - Yohec

A. Currently, Motorstorm: Pacific Rift's 3D glory resides in the demo. I personally haven't seen any indication from Sony or Evolution Studios that they intend to make the game fully playable in 3D. While that's certainly a possibility, I wouldn't hold your breath.

If I were to make an educated guess, I would say the 3D demo of Pacific Rift is little more than a promotional tool for the upcoming Motorstorm: Apocalypse, which was shown at E3 2010.  Apocalypse will be a full 3D game, which many will be hungry for after the taste of 3D Motorstorm goodness Pacific Rift gave (proplerly equipped) players for the past few months.

Motorstorm: Apolcalypse

Q. What is the difference between a 3D-ready and a built-in 3D TV or Blu-ray player - with respect to performance? - Yaw Owusu, Hayward, CA

CE Pro Senior Editor Bob Archer and a couple CE pros weighed in via the CE Pro Forums.

Archer: TVs labeled as “3D ready” don’t have built-in 3D processing. They will work with an external box - sold separately - that will decode the 3D content. The big caveat with these decoding boxes is they tend to be proprietary, meaning Mitsubishi’s decoding box won’t work with a Samsung TV.

A TV labeled as a 3D TV has the processing already built in.

Mark Coxon: It was my understanding that, at least in Sony‘s case, “3D-ready” means the IR emitter for the 3D glasses was not built into the set, nor were the glasses included. You would have to buy an external emitter and glasses to use the 3D capability, and could update firmware via the web if need be.

Question: Just curious, but if I record a show, say the World Cup, in 3D on my DVR, does it play back in 3D?  Do I need a 3D DVR for that?  Not really sure how that technology works.

- Submitted by Ron

Answer: 

We turned to HD Guru Gary Merson, who tells us that yes indeed you can record 3D content to a DVR and play it back in all its 3D glory:

"I have successfully recorded the Masters in 3D on my Cablevision-supplied Scientific Atlanta (Cisco) HD set-top cable box and a TiVo Premiere. I have also recorded a number of World Cup games in 3D on the DirecTV HR22 and HR24 DVRs."

All broadcasts were in side-by-side 1080i providing 960 x 1080 resolution per eye.

Question: If I buy a Panasonic 3D TV for example, can I use 3D glasses from another manufacturer, say Samsung?

   - submitted by Ron

Answer:

In short, no.

While many use similar technologies for 3D (active shutter glasses seem to be the direction of home television sets) the tinting, communication methods, and more can differ from manufacturer to manufacturer. For example, one maker's TV could send signals to glasses over bluetooth, while another chooses IR. Some manufacturers have also claimed they'll use polarized technology for home 3D televisions sets, which is entirely different than how active shutter systems work.

Believe it or not, it's even possible that some glasses from the same maker won't work on every model 3DTV they make, particularly from year to year as improvements are made.

Many consumer groups are holding out hope TV makers will settle on one standard for 3D glasses so that glasses could be interchangeable. That would be a huge win for consumers, and could help definitely help drive adoption. There's a downside for manufacturers, however, since competition in glasses would drive prices down on the much needed accessories.

Question: Do 3D TV owners always have to wear 3D glasses?

 - submitted by Melissa in Pahoa, Hawaii

Answer:

3D glasses will only need to be worn when watching 3D content. 2D content does not require 3D glasses.

Some 3DTVs have the ability to convert 2D content into 3D on the fly (to varying degree of success), which would require 3D glasses to see properly.