Preparing for 3D Television

High Definition Televisions (HDTVs) are part of a family of digital format technology and electronics that support a digital video and sound format used for broadcasting and viewing multimedia content. The clarity and higher quality images are transmitted and received using computer coding or data bits that are then reconstructed and displayed at optimal picture resolution on an HD viewing screen or HD TV. In addition, the sound transmitted and used is on par with CD audio quality and can be decoded into up to 7 different channels of audio bringing a total immersive experience to the home front.
There are many uses and benefits that come with HD, some are only being discovered and tested now. One of the big pointers for the future is 3D HD Television. A number of leading electronics manufacturers are already manufacturing and selling 3D ready HD Tvs that are backward compatible with Full HD and other HD resolutions.
3D De-coded
For a consumer to take advantage of 3D, there are a number of components and electronics that have to be purchased to maximize the 3D experience. Aside from the purchase of a 3D capable HD TV, there is the need for active shutter glasses as the technology to view 3D images without these glasses has not yet been put into full production. In addition, there is a need for a 3D ready set up box from a cable company or satellite provider or a multimedia entertainment system console such as the Sony Playstation 3.
Also since 3D uses even more bandwidth than analogue and HD broadcasting, there is a need for the next generation connection cables, namely HDMI 1.4 which can support the bandwidth required for smooth 3D playback. Also the audio sound system should be able to decode 7.1 channels of sound to realize the entire 3D effect. Once all these are purchased and set up, the next challenge will be to find 3D content, which although is available is still limited compared to HD content. There are a number of 3D titles available on Blu-ray although none on IPTV or internet broadcasting is not yet on par because of the amount of bandwidth required to broadcast and download 3D. Some analysts believe that the internet speeds need to be upgraded before 3D content can become available online although some content on sites like Youtube is available in 3D, it is still early days though.
3D is an exciting future version of HD and most 3D ready HDTVs double as Full HDTVs as well. 3D may not be the ultimate replacement for HD anytime soon because an HDTV is still capable alternative to analogue TV.