Posted By
Justin Davis
February 16, 2012 at 8:02am
RCA showed off its latest 3D television sets at CES 2012, with several improvements made to improve viewer comfort. These included improvements to the characters that display on-screen, as well as a way to improve viewer comfort by adjusting the depth of 3D. Both of these improvements are powered by the Technicolor technology that's being built into RCA 3D displays. RCA is hoping that by reducing issues that are frequent complaint drivers, they'll be able to appeal to a segment of the TV-purchasing market who might otherwise pass on buying a 3D TV.
The adjustments to on-screen displays that RCA showed off was a nifty trick. Anyone who's ever used a 3D TV is familiar with the issues in showing captions, translations or other text at the bottom of the screen. Because it's not actually part of the production, the text stands in front of the characters and scenery but is also very much removed from the screen. Viewers' eyes have to dart not just up and down, but also forward and backward when trying to read subtitles. It's an uncomfortable experience.
RCA's Technicolor sets now change the on-screen display, pushing the text back. It remains in front of the characters and scenery, but is no longer so far removed from the on-screen action that reading it is difficult. The text instead appears to be part of the film or television, and appears to be much less out of place than the subtitles seen in previous 3D TVs. This improves the readability of the text and reduces eye strain.
On the same note of eye strain, one of the common critiques of 3D TVs by some viewers is that they get headaches after watching 3D programming. This occurs because the 3D projection takes place in front of the screen, but viewers' eyes need to focus on the screen to keep the 3D illusion alive. This essentially means that viewers need to focus their eyes in two places at once - on the screen to create the 3D effect, and just in front of the screen to watch the image that's created.
Again, RCA resolves this common issue by allowing users to adjust the depth on the 3D image created by the television. It was described by an RCA representative at CES as being similar to volume control. With RCA's new televisions, viewers can quickly adjust how strong the 3D effect is. This means that viewers who are prone to headaches can reduce them by dampening the 3D effect, reducing the need to focus on two spots at once. At the same time, users who don't experience discomfort while watching 3D can "turn the 3D up," making the effect much stronger and the overall experience that much more engaging.
Minor improvements like this have gone a long way in making RCA's 3D sets that much more desirable. A contingent of consumers has already passed on 3D technology because of discomfort issues such as these. By addressing the issues and making 3D sets even friendlier to the masses, RCA has done a solid job in making sure that consumers will love their new 3D televisions.