3D is expected to be the next monumental breakthrough in the history of television. In this Tech Tip, I’ll cover the basics of 3D TV, including some of the different technologies and how they work.
How it works: Three dimensional television (3D TV) uses a method known as stereoscopy to display two different images to your eyes so that they appear as one image. As your brain interprets what your eyes are seeing, it combines the two images while your eyes are still focusing on the source of the images behind them. This creates an illusion of depth to the viewer. The phrase, “There’s no such thing as a free lunch” holds true for fooling your brain, too. Long viewing sessions of stereoscopic images or video strains your eyes and can result in headaches. Worse yet, a small minority of people can’t see stereoscopic images or video at all due to any number of medical conditions that prevent their brains from being fooled.
