AFP: Toshiba Working On Glasses-Free 3D TV For Q4 2010 [Wire Service Says That We'll See Three 3D TVs From Toshiba Before Christmas That Don't Need Glasses, We're Skeptical]

Posted on TFTS by Kevin Schram on Tuesday, 24. August 2010 under: Audio,Visual

Wire service Agence France-Presse has made a bit of news today as they’re reporting that Japanese electronic giant Toshiba is preparing three glasses-free 3D TV sets that will come out around Q4 2010. If true, these would be quite the landmark for 3D TV – as the need for glasses is often one of the most prohibitive things about 3D TVs (and costly, specially with active shutter glasses).

We’ve seen glasses-free 3D with the Nintendo 3DS, of course. Those glasses-free panels were made by Sharp for Nintendo. Both Sharp and Nintendo say that they could make glasses-free panels that are TV sized, but the 3D effect would only appear to a very narrow channel of view – so it wouldn’t be conductive for large group viewings.

It’s not that we trust Sharp/Nintendo more than Toshiba – but we find it hard to believe this rumor, specially since AFP doesn’t name names or even cite stories. Their wire story even went on to ask for an official comment from Toshiba, who declined to make any product announcements. Huh.

The rumor says that we’ll see three glasses-free 3D TVs from Toshiba “before Christmas”, which would peg it in Q4 2010 – the busiest retail time of the year. However, don’t expect them to be cheap, with the report saying that they’ll cost “several thousand dollars each”. Yikes!

Are you more interested in a glasses-free 3D TV? Sound off in our comments.

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