Panasonic and XpanD Developing Standard On Active-Shutter Glasses

Panasonic and XpanD are developing a standard for 3D active-shutter eyewear that’s designed to “bring about compatibility among 3D TVs, computers, home projectors and cinema projection,” the companies said Monday. Makoto Morise, manager of the standards group at the Panasonic Hollywood Lab in Universal City, Calif., told us Panasonic this year will bring glasses to market conforming to the so-called M-3DI standard. Although the first-generation standard is based on infrared technology, the group is “considering” an RF-based solution for active-shutter glasses, the companies said. Licensing of the protocol, called M-3DI, will be handled by Panasonic and will begin next month, Morise told us.

Other companies that have agreed to support the protocol are Changhong Electric, Funai, Hisense, Hitachi, Mitsubishi, Seiko Epson, SIM2 and ViewSonic, Panasonic and XpanD said. Notable among the missing are active-shutter 3D TV proponents Samsung, Sony and Sharp. Morise said the M-3DI group is “talking to every major TV manufacturer.” By our deadline, the three companies didn’t return calls for comment.

The technology will let consumers use a single pair of glasses at home for their 3D TV displays as well as in XpanD movie theaters. They won’t work at RealD theaters, which use polarized lens glasses and represent most of the 3D theaters in the U.S. Morise told us the standard “will help avoid customer confusion,” which has been an issue for consumers shopping on the retail floor as well as those wanting to view a 3D TV at a friend’s house. A verification program is part of the standard development process, Morise said, and will ensure that glasses built to the M-3DI standard achieve a “certain quality level.” At the same time, manufacturers will be able to differentiate glasses that they sell as accessories by LCD quality and other components that can affect levels of brightness and sharpness in viewing, he said.

Morise said the cost of active-shutter 3D eyewear should come down as a result of the standard since eyewear makers won’t have to make active-shutter designs specific to each TV or projector manufacturer. In response to our question about the probability of sub-$100 active-shutter glasses this year, Morise said, “I hope so.”