3DHDDVD's?

"Ooh, baby give me one more chance?" We can only pray that Eo never makes it to 3DHDTV

Does your television lack depth? No, I'm not talking about daytime programming or physical dimensions, just optically perceived planes of depth. Well, if leading technology researchers and marketers have it their way, it soon may not. Preceding a European 3DTV Conference in May of 2007 there have been a rush of news releases by leading tech companies, all hoping to get a name recognition 'leg up' on competition in the burgeoning field before their thunder is stolen by the effects of rampant free publicity.

So what kind of 3D are we talking about? Not holographic projection, which has been in its infancy for the last decade, and may take another decade or two to appear in marketable form. The type of 3DTV on the near horizon, unaided stereoscopic television, can be thought of as an evolution of the same 3-D technology used by Michael Jackson to terrify small children in Disney's "Captain Eo" until 1997. The most recent evolution of stereoscopy unencumbers the viewer from the hallmark blue and red cellophane glasses, and purports to be slightly less nauseating, but only if not watching "Captain Eo."

Dynamic Digital Depth is one pioneer already offering 3D conversion software in mobile phones and laptops, converting a standard optical image to an unaided stereoscopic one. Wondering when you can get your hands on one? In September of 2006 professor Onural of Turkey's Bilkent University optimistically stated that "(unaided) stereoscopic 3D will be commonplace in homes and cinemas in about three years." Commonplace might depend on the definition, however, when one considers the number of homes still without HDTV; the last television revolution. Still, available is certain. Phillips forecasts a 2008 product, perhaps prompted by Samsung's announcement of a 2009 delivery, or vice versa.