Although the earliest presentations of stereoscopic presentation can be traced as far back as the 1890’s, the earliest confirmed viewing of a 3D motion picture by a paid audience dates back to 1922.

A resurgence of 3D films in movie theaters occurred in the early 1950’s and introduced the first color films to use this technology. The anaglyph method was used whereby 2 images were superimposed, in an additive light method, using color filters. The red and cyan filters used required the viewer to wear special glasses with red and cyan lenses to view the presentation. The glasses allowed the viewer’s eyes to filter out the added colors and the result was a separate image for the left and right eye. Other than a slight degradation in color rendering, this method worked satisfactorily.

Another resurgence of 3D movies occurred in the late 80’s and early 90’s. Some of the film content still relied on the anaglyph method but a newer version utilizing polarized lenses made its debut. Once again, the fad came and went.

Once again, 3D picture viewing is in the spotlight and, for the first time, it involves television and home entertainment systems. The digital era and high definition TV, along with the ability to store and move digital information at higher speeds than ever presents a promising re-emergence of 3D.

Computer generated graphics used in movie production has greatly enhanced the effects of video content, adding to the surreal sensation of 3D presentations. Add the video gaming industry and some exciting possibilities lie ahead.

Sony has fully embraced the current 3D technology. By having access to source material and developing leading edge technology to display it, Sony is poised to become the leader in this new and exciting method of watching television.

The human eyes can perceive depth because both eyes are set slightly apart, facing forward, and at the same level. This gives each eye a view of an object at a slightly different angle. This is how we view objects three-dimensionally.

In order to create depth perception on a flat surface, separate images must be recorded and transmitted to or from the flat surface. This is accomplished by recording the scene with two cameras situated at a point where they are viewing the scene the same way the human eyes would view them. The 2 images must somehow be individually directed to the corresponding left and right eye in order to simulate depth.

The Bravia television models incorporating 3D display capability uses a variation of methods to display alternate frames of video containing the left and right eye information. The alternating frames can be viewed by using special glasses incorporating a synchronized shutter control to display the appropriate frame information to the corresponding eye. This chapter will cover the various methods used to generate 3D images from the display device.

Two types of 3D capable direct LCD television models are available for the 2010 model year. Both types process the incoming 3D signals in the same way.