By Brendan Swift
XPAND has unveiled new 3D electronic glasses at the annual CES conference that allow viewers to personalise the 3D picture they are viewing using a smart phone app.
XPAND's YOUNIVERSAL series 3D electronic eyewear, which will be launched in April, will allow modification of various 3D parameters to account for differences between audience's eyes and facial structure, as well as different viewing environments.
XPAND 3D glasses use active-shutter 3D glasses and are widely used in major Australian cinema chains although the similar active 3D Panastereo system is quickly gaining a foothold among independent cinema owners. RealD and MasterImage also have substantial local marketshare.
The XPAND smart phone app, initially available for the Apple iPhone and Google Android platform, will communicate with the glasses via infrared, bluetooth, radio frequency and DLP-Link.
The company said the YOUNIVERSAL glasses, designed by Gigodesign studio, will be the lightest active shutter 3D glasses in the marketplace and the fastest by a significant margin.
Meanwhile, rival company RealD is demonstrating active 3D glasses that are compatible with most high definition 3D retail televisions via a multi-protocol ASIC that incorporates a programmable front end designed to sync image streams with multiple brands of 3D displays via infrared connectivity.
RealD said its "System on a Chip" approach offers manufacturers a lower cost for materials, lighter weight and thinner glasses and overall low power design.
3D eyewear company Marchon3D also announced that it has been issued a US patent for its new curved M3D 3D lenses, which protects the invention of curved lenses configured to decode 3D content.
Marchon3D plans to use the patented M3D technology, which is certified by RealD, across several lines of passive 3D eyewear, including in designer and premium-style frames.