Post date: Sep 01, 2011 9:57:7 AM
Sony goes against the trend, makes latest 3D viewing device a private experience.
ASIA-COMPANYASIA - This is what Sony hopes will be its new "Walkman" for 3D movies.
Like the Walkman, which some criticized as being anti-social when it was introduced with great success in the 1980s, Sony's 3D viewer is a solitary experience.
There's no common display screen to look at.Instead, the headset streams two separate high-definition (HD) videos into the wearer's eyes, to create the three dimensional images.
Sony's Shigeru Kato says the HMZ-T1 is designed for a private 3D experience. SONY CONSUMER PRODUCTS AND DEVICE GROUP SECOND DEPARTMENT MANAGER SHIGERU KATO SAYING:
"We plan to sell the HMZ-T1 and offer a first in the world 3D big-screen experience that can be used on a personal and individual level."
This is a shift from current trends in 3D movies and entertainment, which are geared to group viewing and interaction.
Traditional 3D glasses use filters to alternate between two images displayed on a large screen.
In contrast, the HMZ-T1 has two tiny advanced displays (OLED), one for each eye.
SONY CONSUMER PRODUCTS AND DEVICE GROUP SECOND DEPARTMENT MANAGER SHIGERU KATO SAYING:
"While the thinking up until now was to enjoy video together, this device and the manner we hope to develop it, is more suited to enjoying video by oneself."
The headset connects using a standard cable to a Blu-ray player or Playstation 3.
It comes with surround-sound audio earphones to complete the experience.
This full immersive, if solitary experience won't come cheap. The headset alone is expected to retail at about $790 (60,000 yen) when it makes its November debut in Japan.
Arnold Gay, Reuters.