Yes, the jargon can be confusing. So here’s our 3D glossary, just for you!
1080p: Full HD. A resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels showing a complete frame each time.
1080i : A resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels, but alternating between half the lines of each frame.
3D : Three Dimensional
3DHD : Three Dimensional High Definition
3D TV : A Telly capable of showing 3D images.
4k2k : TV’s with 4,000 x 2,000 pixel resolution (Super Hi-Vision)
Active LCD Glasses: 3D glasses which alternatively darken the view through each eye in synch with a display source so that each eye sees the different images required to create a 3D perspective. The rapid shuttering is faster than the brain can detect, so isn’t noticable. The glasses weigh more and are more expensive than polarised light 3D glasses. Favoured by Sony, Samsung and Nvidia.
Anaglyph 3D: The “old” way of presenting a 3D image. Uses colour filters (usually red/blue) to show a different image to each eye. Unfortunately, this compromises the colours you can perceive in the 3D image.
Autostereoscopic 3D (“True 3D”): Does not require special glasses to create 3D image on TV screen.
CCFL: Cold Cathode Fluorescent Lamp (how LCD displays were lit before LED)
CES: Consumer Electronics Show
DTG: Digital TV Group (defines the standards for TV broadcasts in the UK, including the upcoming 3D standard)
Full HD: 1080p picture
HD: High Definition
HDMI: High-Definition Multimedia Interface (cable specification for audio and video in uncompressed, digital quality)
ITU: International Telecommunications Union
LCD: Liquid Crystal Display
LED: Light Emitting Diode
LED TV: An LCD display with LED backlighting, offering superior black levels to standard (CCFL) LCD displays.
MVC: Multiview Video Coding. Enables efficient encoding of sequences captured simultaneously from multiple cameras using a single video stream.
OLED: Organic Light-Emitting Diode
Polarisation: A property of light which can be used to create 3D images when polarised glasses are worn to look at two images with different polarity.
S-3D: Stereoscopic 3D (see below)
Stereoscopic 3D: Two images, displayed one to each eye, which created a 3D effect. Requires special glasses, unless you can view it cross-eyed!
Sky (bSkyb) : UK satellite broadcaster due to launch 3D channel in 2010.
Just a beginning…