A roundup of some recent 3D related news, including 3D glasses vending machines, standardization finally coming for 3DTV owners, but they may have less 3D to watch as a result of ESPN 3D being dropped by AT&T's U-verse
Here's three 3D related stories in one.
Cinemagoers now have more choice when it comes to buying 3D glasses, with Marchon3D launching vending machines where people can buy them from $22.
The glasses, which work with any passive 3D display technology, go all the way up to $70. For now, the vending machines are limited to Cinemark Theatres and UltraStar Cinemas in Diego and Huntington Beach, California.
For those with active glasses 3D displays, there's good news now that the major 3D manufacturers have banded together to finally create a standard for 3D glasses. Sony, Panasonic and Samsung, and X6D have announced plans to standardize 3D glasses used by their television displays, and also to introduce Bluetooth connectivity. Current 3D glasses use IR/RF signals to synchronize the glasses with the display, but this suffers from interference and line of sight problem.
The 'Full HD 3D Glasses Initiative' will also hope to introduce 3D glasses standardization to 2011 3D TVs, with "Universal" glasses being made available in 2012 for use on these TVs.
But what to watch with these glasses may be a problem by then, as AT&T recently dropped the ESPN 3D channel from its U-verse lineup, citing low consumer demand and the high cost of the service. EPSN 3D is still being carried by Comcast and DirecTV, but it appears that consumer's infatuation with 3D may be waning. AT&T says they're still committed to 3D, with many 3D titles still available via their U-verse movie library.
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