Monster Bows Universal Glasses It Says Will Work With Any 3D TV

Monster Cable used the CEA Line Shows conference in New York Tuesday to unveil a universal 3D glasses system that it said will work with any 3D TV. The $249 one-size-fits-all solution bundles a pair of glasses and an emitter and will ship to dealers in August, the company said.

The Monster Vision Max 3D active-shutter glasses transmit using Zigbee-based RF transmission rather than infrared signals, enabling users to use them without line-of-sight mishaps that can interrupt the viewing experience. Those mishaps can happen if people walk in front of the screen or a viewer takes a drink from a cup. The glasses’ active-sync system uses Bit Cauldron’s HeartBeat technology, which allows the emitter to listen to the signal from any 3D-enabled flat-panel display and then wirelessly decode the shutter signals and transmit them to the sensor embedded in the glasses. The combination of the Zigbee RF connection, interference rejection software and sync correction enable the lenses to blink faster than the eye can see, Monster said, “creating a reliable and immersive 3D experience."

Head Monster Noel Lee said the eyewear shutter system will work with any 3D TV on the market. It’s unknown whether the glasses will work with TVs that came packaged with the emitters already built in or how consumers would configure such a solution. One emitter will work multiple glasses, Monster said. Glasses will also be sold separately for $169 and emitters for $59. The rechargeable lithium-ion battery that powers the glasses lasts thousands of hours of viewing before the battery needs to be replaced, the company said. The system is also upgradable to learn new codes, if necessary, via USB using the built-in Monster Vision update portal. The company said its Vision Max 3D active sync technology allows glasses to work with one TV even when other 3D TVs or transmitters are close by.

Monster’s 3D glasses come in one size “that will fit over prescription glasses,” Lee said. We found the glasses to be oversized like others on the market. According to a Monster official, the first-generation glasses will be one size only and will come with a lanyard that viewers can use to adjust the size to their head. He left open the possibility that future generations could come in multiple sizes.

Monster also introduced higher-speed HDMI cables capable of data rates of 17.8 and 15.8 Gbps. Verified by Simplay Labs, the cables will list for $89-$199 for the 15.8-Gbps Ultra High-Speed HDMI cables depending on length and $99-$499 for the 17.8-Gbps Monster Ultimate High-Speed cables.