Panasonic, Samsung, Sony and XPAND 3D have announced plans to jointly develop a new standard for consumer 3D active glasses.
The universal 3D glasses will allow viewers, for the first time, to watch 3D on televisions and other products produced by rival manufacturers using active technology (although LG still uses passive 3D glasses).
The first glasses will be available later this year through the new Full HD 3D Glasses Initiative.
The four major companies also plan to work together to develop and licence radio frequency (RF) system 3D active glasses technology, including RF system protocols between consumer 3D active glasses and 3D displays. These glasses are expected to be available next year and will be backwards-compatible with 3D active TVs released in 2011.
"Panasonic has been working to standardise 3D glasses technologies and, in March, we announced a joint licensing of IR system protocols with XPAND, backed by several participant companies," Panasonic Corporation's general manager of media and content alliance office, corporate R&D division, Masayuki Kozuka, said in a statement.
"We are very pleased that today's latest collaboration will incorporate our previous concept into these new standardisation efforts," said "We hope the expanded collaboration on this 3D standardisation initiative will make a significant contribution toward accelerating the growth of 3D-related products."
Active 3D technology accounted for an average 96 per cent share of the US 3D TV market in the first half of 2011, according to NPD Group data, quoted by Samsung.
XPAND's active 3D system is also used in US and Australian cinemas although the passive RealD system remains the most popular choice.