Faster Broadcasts and 3-D Images

2008 is looking like it will be an exciting year in the evolution of HDTVs. One feature that will likely become standard for this new year is the ability for HDTVs to display 120 frames per second.Currently, most HDTV signals are broadcast at 30 frames per second, though movies are filmed at 24 frames per second. Therefore, the fact that these new televisions will display 120 frames per second may not seem like that big of a deal. But, these new televisions will actually be able to compute the frames so they can put them in between the signal’s frames. The result? A much smoother and sharper picture, particularly during action sequences.

According to experts, the higher image refresh rates offered by these sets will also be beneficial when it comes to 3-D imaging. Although there aren’t many movies currently coming out for the television in 3-D, some video games offers this ability. In addition, when specialized glasses are combined with a high enough refresh rates, two videogame players can view the same screen while seeing different images. In this way, they can play games against one another without having a split screen set up that allows both players to see the whole screen. By eliminating the split screen effect, players cannot look at each other’s screens and “cheat” by looking at where the other player is located.

Rear projection televisions that are capable of transmitting 3-D images were released by Samsung last year. The company announced at the Consumer Electronics Show that it will also be releases plasma sets with this same capability. The special glasses needed for gamers to play at the same time, on the other hand, have been developed by Texas Instruments, Inc. Although they are not available yet, these glasses - called DualView - may be hitting the market soon.