What Is a 3D Projection TV?

A 3D projection TV has a type of screen that is capable of displaying 3D images for people who are wearing specially polarized glasses. These screens are generally used in people's homes and can range in size from a small screen that is designed to be viewed up close to a large screen that provides a comfortable viewing experience from across the room. The 3D technology in a 3D projection TV allows the screen to display crisp images that appear to have depth when the viewer wears special glasses. The projection technology in these types of TVs produces the images on the screen by enlarging smaller images.

The 3D technology used in a 3D projection TV came into common use in the 2010s. Though relatively new, it builds off of the same principle that was used to create 3D films as long ago as the 1950s in that it displays a slightly different image in each of the viewer's eyes. Viewers must wear special lenses that allow the appropriate images to appear in the left eye while these same images are blocked from the right and vice versa. This creates the illusion of depth in a flat picture. Modern 3D technology makes use of lenses that are polarized, so they may darken the image on the TV screen slightly.

In the late 2000s and early 2010s, 3D technology has become more popular. While people are able to watch 3D movies or play 3D video games on television screens that are not optimized for 3D, watching these screens for too long can be uncomfortable. A 3D projection TV uses a number of technologies to enhance the quality of the 3D images and the comfort of the people viewing them. Some of these TVs increase the brightness of the images, countering the slight darkening created by the polarized lenses. Others may design the glasses so that they only interfere with the light coming from the TV screen and not the ambient light in the room, reducing the flickering effect that is often seen when watching 3D images on a regular TV.

In addition to being optimized for use with 3D films, TV shows, and games, a 3D projection TV will also use projection technology. Projection TVs use either a front-projection or a rear-projection system to reflect an image onto the front of the screen or the back of it. Both of these systems enlarge an image though the use of a specialized lens. Most 3D TVs are projection TVs because this technology can be used to make large, flat screens for a relatively low price.