The latest buzz on the market is High Definition Television (HDTV), no doubt. But what if I tell you that in a couple of years you will be able to have a 3D television? And that is without the crap glasses that you were forced to wear when you went to the movies some time ago.

Philips claims that its 3D television sets will be on the market already in 2008 while Toshiba and Sharp confirmed that they are developing similar products. The basic idea is to force each eye to focus on a different part of the screen, combining a special set of pictures so that the brain will perceive a 3D effect.

Notice that users should be able to get a 3D experience also from 2D high definition content. This is a natural step since many producers will probably wait a couple of years before starting to produce 3D specific content.

Apart from the individual initiatives there is also an European consortium developing a project called 3DTV. According to announcements they have already created and tested different “auto-steroscopic” displays as well as some holographic technologies. The consortium, composed of 19 partners, is coordinated by the Bilkent University, Turkey.

According to Professor Levent Onural, head of the project within the Bilkent University, low end 3D television sets such as the one Philips and other electronic manufacturers are developing could hit the market as soon as 2009. The next step is the creation of holographic television systems, which should emerge in 10 to 15 years, Onural added. Star Trek here we come!

Source:TV Predictions