Sony Confident of LCD for 3D, Despite Panasonic’s Naysaying
MUNICH, Germany -- Sony was unfazed by Panasonic’s claim that LCD for 3D is inferior to plasma displays (CED Feb 19 p3). Panasonic threw down the gauntlet at its annual briefing for European media and retailers here last week, saying “even the best 200-Hz LCD will show crosstalk” that blurs 3D images -- a clear allusion to Sony’s Bravia LCD system for 3D.
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"Sony is confident that through incorporating high frame-rate technology with LCD panels, high-quality 3D content will be able to be delivered to consumers,” a Sony U.K. representative replied to Panasonic’s claim. Sony wouldn’t say whether it plans to offer 3D plasma TVs in addition to its 200-Hz Bravia LCD displays. The company used to sell plasma TVs, but abandoned that technology years ago.
The active-shutter glasses used for Sony’s 3D TVs won’t work with competitors’ 3D displays, Sony’s spokesperson confirmed. The same goes for glasses for Panasonic’s plasma system, which also is proprietary. “Sony manufactures active-shutter glasses that enable 3D images to be viewed along with Sony 200-Hz technology, and has incorporated Sony technology [into] these glasses,” the company representative said. “There is currently no compatibility between different companies in terms of the technology used in the shutter glasses. The methods every major manufacturer has chosen to display and view 3D content are different, with no opportunity to discuss 3D technologies between manufacturers."
Sony U.K. didn’t answer a question about whether its Blu-ray 3D player will have dual-HDMI outputs, as Panasonic’s DMP-BDT300 does. Two HDMI outputs will be ideal, because all legacy multichannel amplifiers lack the new HDMI V1.4 connection needed to pass 3D video and control signals to TVs. The current HDMI V1.3 connector can’t do that (CED Feb 9 p12). Unless a Blu-ray source has dual outputs, the 3D V1.4 signal must go directly to the 3D TV. The accompanying audio can be routed back to the audio amplifier from the TV, but without the high-resolution audio that a direct-connection to the amp affords.
"Consumers will need to use an amplifier that has a ‘3D pass’ in order to view 3D content via the Blu-ray player,” Sony U.K. said. Evidently, a consumer will need a new AV receiver with V1.4 capability to send 3D video and control signals to a TV from a Blu-ray 3D player, while simultaneously routing the audio content to a multichannel amp from an HDMI V1.3 jack on the player.
Panasonic was explicit about the dual HDMI outputs on its Blu-ray 3D player. Tetsuya Itani, who heads Panasonic’s Blu-ray player development, told us the outputs aren’t the same or interchangeable. One uses the new Version 1.4 standard that carries video, audio and 3D control signals. The other is the current Version 1.3 and is meant to send audio separately to legacy multichannel amplifiers.
"The second HDMI output is customized for audio. Our engineers knew that 1.3 amplifiers would not pass a 3D signal and we would lose the high-resolution audio by direct connection to the TV,” Itani told us. “So we are sending a 1.3 signal to the AV amplifier and a 1.4 signal to the TV. The 1.3 and 1.4 signals have the same bandwidth, but the 1.4 signal has the 3D control signals. There are different handshakes for the two sockets.” Asked whether the dual audio/video feed might cause problems with lip-sync, Itani said “we have no scheme for adjusting lip sync in the player. It must be done at the amplifier."
"It would be hard to upgrade existing AV amps,” Itani said. “So we are launching a new 1.4 amp this spring.” Other companies plan to do the same, we've been told. Some company sources have admitted that this will come as a surprise to consumers who have high-end home theater amps but have said these first adopters will accept the need for a total upgrade.