ATI has been talking about their upcoming stereoscopic 3D support utilizing 120Hz LCD monitors and active shutter glasses for quite some time already, and although we expected a complete working solution as early as this summer, things did not work out so well. So now, according to an interview with ATI made by Digital Versus we are going to wait a few more months (second half of the year), but we should see the complete working solution before the end of the year, maybe just in time for Christmas.

Now when talking about openness, ATI is open to supporting different standards and hardware, along with middleware software, but in the end you will most likely be required to have an AMD/ATI-based video card in order to use one such solution. This is of course normal, as ATI will want to sell you their hardware as well as Nvidia does, to use when watching any kind of stereo 3D content. So although ATI in general seems to be more open, the end results seems to be not that different than what Nvidia is doing with their 3D Vision product. You can say that a really open approach is what companies like iZ3D and DDD are doing with their drivers/software that do support multiple stereoscopic 3D solutions and work on all video cards, no matter if they are based on ATI or Nvidia GPUs. What we actually need are standards that will allow interoperability and the users will not have to think now do I have a compatible video card for that solution, or will this 3D monitor work for me or not, or what shutter glasses should I get.

And example that I’ve been seeing a lot lately of not having good interoperability that is confusing the users and making them wonder why is the fact that they cannot use their 3D-capable monitors and 3D DLP projectors to display 3D content from their PlayStation 3 console. The reason for that being that the PS3 sends the stereo 3D signal to a 3D capable display according to the HDMI 1.4(a) stereo 3D specifications and not a single one of the 120Hz 3D LCD monitors is capable of understanding and displaying 3D content sent this way. Of course you need to buy a 3D HDTV to play stereo 3D games from your PS3 console, but then again you’ll also have to buy a 120Hz 3D LCD monitor for your PC, as you will currently also have trouble connecting and using your new 3D HDTV to your PC. So being an early adopter has its advantages, but also comes with a lot of disadvantages and trying to cover more things and work with more partners like ATI does not only means bigger delays, but might as well mean more problems.

If you take a look at how much time the 3D Vision has been available on the market already and how Nvidia is having trouble to convince the hardware and software manufacturers to work on products that support it, not to mention that for more than a year and a half the software and hardware support is still far from being perfect. Now imagine what will be the situation when ATI’s complete stereoscopic 3D solution finally becomes available… I expect a lot of issues to be present at first and it will take some time for all of these to be fixed, and that is something that everyone of the early adopters of 3D Vision is well aware of. Now the 3D Vision already has a lot of users, has a larger community and this also helps a lot in reporting problem and improving the S3D support of the product. But ATI will need some time before reaching the critical mass of users that will have all the needed hardware and software and users that are willing to experiment, test and report issues, even make optimizations and workarounds for better experience etc.

So although I’m eagerly expecting to see what will ATI offer at the end as their complete stereo 3D ecosystem using shutter glasses (I’m a 3D enthusiast after all), I’m not trying to lie myself that it will be a problem free solution, perfect from the start and much better than what 3D Vision currently offers. Yes, it might be better in some aspects, but I don’t think that it will be that different in terms of overall experience for the users. And finally getting some competition between ATI and Nvidia in the stereo 3D area too may help in faster and better development of the software and hardware needed for that, and let us just hope that ATI will be as active as Nvidia in pushing both software and hardware companies into adding stereo 3D support in their products or releasing new stereo 3D-capable products. After all this can only benefit us, the end users that just want better and more affordable solutions for enjoying stereoscopic 3D content of all kinds, isn’t that right? Not to mention that we do need more stereoscopic 3D content available and in that area things are still moving a bit slowly, especially regarding 3D photo and 3D video, as the situation with games is better. However we also need both ATI and Nvidia to work more closely with the game developers in order for the upcoming games to have better stereoscopic 3D support and thus less or no issues in S3D mode at all, so that playing these will be much more fun… ;)

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• Stereo 3D Video Interview with Andrew Fear from Nvidia at 2012 CES (0)
• Nvidia Verde Notebook 3D Vision Driver CD v1.24 Was Just Released (7)
• 3D Vision Surround from Nvidia is like ATI’s Eyefinity, But 3D (3)

The situation with playing back Blu-ray 3D movies on your 3D-capable computer using a 120Hz 3D-capable monitor is not so bright as yet again we have the same issue as if you try to play a normal 2D Blu-ray movie with 120Hz refresh rate on any of these monitors (at least on first generation Samsung and Viewsonic, as the problem might not be present on the 2nd generation 120Hz LCD monitors). And the reason for that is again the HDCP protection that is being used with the Blu-ray video, but the question is why it is not working when your 120Hz monitor does say HDCP compliant? There is one interesting catch that is often missed and that is the fact that the 120Hz monitor is indeed HDCP compliant, but may only be when used at 60Hz refresh rate and that means no playing back of protected 3D content, unless you go for a workaround… And one such alternative workaround is the use of the AnyDVD HD software – a commercial application that allows you to go over some of the annoying limitations that you get when you don’t want to be a “pirate”, although this application might be considered illegal in some countries (depending on the local laws), because of what it does!

The AnyDVD software allows you to watch movies over a digital display connection, without the requiring you to have HDCP-compliant graphics card and without HDCP-compliant display. Or even if you have such compliant hardware, like in the case of the 3D-ready 120Hz LCD monitors, you’ll be able to actually use the higher 120Hz refresh rate and and be able to watch Blu-ray 3D movies. And the best thing about the application is that is removes the HDCP dependence in real-time, the program runs in the background and you are able to play the Blu-ray movie with your favorite Blu-ray 3D video player. There is no need to rip the Blu-ray 3D movie, reencode something or do something that is time consuming or hard to make by a novice user. But of course the AnyDVD HD software comes with additional features that can remove some of the other annoying constraints you may have in a Blu-ray movie disc and not only on Blu-ray, but also with HD DVD or even DVD Video discs.

AnyDVD HD comes with a 21 days of free trial, so you can first test the application and see if it works for you and does what you need and then you can purchase it if you wish or just uninstall it if you don’t like it. However you should first try the trial, the only limitation you get during the trial period is that the custom settings are not being saved and you need to set them again each time you start the application, other than that it is fully functional.

- To download the latest AnyDVD HD with 21 days trial period to test it…
- For more information about the features of the SlySoft AnyDVD HD software…

Related posts you might be interested in:

• Playing Blu-ray Movies (non-3D) on a 120Hz 3D-ready LCD Monitor (8)
• When to Expect a Solution Based on ATI’s Open Stereo 3D Initiative (9)
• What Happened With Asus’ VG242H 120Hz LCD Monitor? (12)
• ViewSonic PJD6241 is yet Another 3D-ready DLP Projector (0)
• Seems that Acer is Preparing a 24-inch 120Hz Full HD Gaming Monitor (6)

It seems that Asus is finally joining the 3D monitor market too as it’s first 3D-capable monitors are starting to become available on the market with a price of around $500 USD which may be a bit high. I’m talking about the 23-inch Asus VG236H, a Full HD 120Hz monitor that can be used with the 3D Vision active shutter glasses to display 3D content. The bigger 27-inch Asus PG276H is expected to be available later this year, probably by the end of it and of course this model will also be using a fast 120Hz panel and will be capable of displaying 3D content with the help of active shutter glasses. But back on the Asus VG236H, it is already listed on Newegg with a price of $499.99 USD with Free Shipping and 3D Vision glasses bundled. Checking the global Asus website reveals that there are two variations of the monitor – VG236H and VG236HE, although they seem to be exactly the same, so it just might be the same product, but for different regions named differently…

Specifications of the Asus VG236H monitor:

Panel Size: 23″ (58.4cm) Wide Screen 16:9, TN
Native Resolution: 1920×1080 pixels
Pixel Pitch: 0.265 mm
Brightness(Max): 400 cd/m2
Contrast Ratio (Max.): 100000:1 (dynamic)
Viewing Angles (CR≧10): 170°(H) /160°(V)
Response Time: 2 ms
Video Inputs: Dual-link DVI-D (support NVIDIA 3D Vision), Component (YPbPr), HDMI
Power Consumption: < 60W operating, < 2W in standby
Monitor stand: tilt +15°~-5°, swivel and height adjustment
Dimension (WxHxD): 550.2x419.5x250mm
Weight: 7 kg

Looking through the specs of the monitor you’ll probably notice that it has 400 cd/m2 maximum brightness and 100000:1 dynamic contrast, another interesting thing about it is the fact that it is apparently a glossy display (not matte display), unlike all others already on the market. If it being with a glossy is a good or bad thing is yet to be seen and I hope to be soon able to test the monitor myself… on and yes the monitor has a height adjustable stand… ;)

Related posts you might be interested in:

• Review of the ASUS VG236HE 120Hz 3D-capable LCD Monitor (48)
• Asus is Showing Their New 27-inch VG278H 120Hz 3D LCD Monitor (22)
• Where to Get the Planar SA2311W 3D Vision-ready Monitor in Europe (3)
• When to Expect a Solution Based on ATI’s Open Stereo 3D Initiative (9)
• What Happened With Asus’ VG242H 120Hz LCD Monitor? (12)

Ok, so you’ve got yourself a new 3D-capable 120Hz monitor for playing back games and videos in stereo 3D mode, but then you also decide to take advantage of that higher refresh rate even when playing back non 3D videos like Blu-ray Movies. You set your display to 120Hz and try to run the Bly-ray movie and then something is not right and the reason for that is the HDCP protection that is being used with the Blu-ray video. But why it is not working when your new 120Hz monitor does say HDCP compliant? There is one interesting catch that nobody is focusing on and that is the fact that your new 120Hz monitor is indeed HDCP compliant, but only when used at 60Hz refresh rate. So in order to playback the Blu-ray Movie you need to lower the refresh rate to 60Hz and that may introduce some jitter as the 24p video is being played back on 60Hz, but when being played back with 120Hz the jitter should be gone. However the HDCP (High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection) is preventing you from doing that as currently there are no 120Hz monitors that are HDCP compliant in 120Hz you’ll have to either go for the not so good 60Hz mode or find an alternative solution. And one such alternative is the SlySoft AnyDVD HD software, a commercial application that allows you to go over some of the annoying limitations that you get when you don’t want to be a “pirate”…

One of the best features related to the issue above that comes with the AnyDVD software is that it allows you to watch movies over a digital display connection, without HDCP-compliant graphics card and without HDCP-compliant display. Or even if you have such compliant hardware, like in the case of the 120Hz monitors, you’ll be able to actually use the higher 120Hz refresh rate and not stick with the HDCP compliant 60Hz mode only. And the best thing about the application is that is removes the HDCP dependence in real-time, the program runs in the background and you are able to play the Blu-ray movie with your favorite Blu-ray video player at 120Hz. There is no need to rip the Blu-ray movie, reencode something or do something that is time consuming or hard to make by a novice user. But of course the AnyDVD HD software comes with additional features that can remove some of the other annoying constraints you may have in a Blu-ray movie disc and not only on Blu-ray, but also with HD DVD or even DVD Video discs. so you can say that AnyDVD HD is a must have software utility for just about any serious home theater enthusiast, not only for those interested in stereo 3D and having a 120Hz monitor. AnyDVD HD comes with a 21 days of free trial, so you can first test the application and see if it works for you and does what you need and then you can purchase it if you wish or just uninstall it if you don’t like it. The price for 1 year license key for the AnyDVD HD software is 63 EUR if you live in Europe or about 79 USD if you are in USA, and for the rest of the world you just convert the currency into your local one based on the exchange course to get an idea how much it will cost you. The 1 year license key does not mean that after one year you’ll have to stop using the application, it means that you’ll get technical support and free updates for that period in time, but the software will still be usable even after your subscription period expires. And of course you can also get extended subscription valid for 2, 3, 4 years or even a lifetime one with a bit higher price than the 1 year license key. However you should first try the trial, the only limitation you get during the trial period is that the custom settings are not being saved and you need to set them again each time you start the application, other than that it is fully functional.

- To download the latest AnyDVD HD with 21 days trial period to test it…
- For more information about the features of the SlySoft AnyDVD HD software…

Related posts you might be interested in:

• Playing Blu-ray 3D Movies on a 120Hz 3D-ready LCD Monitor (23)
• When to Expect a Solution Based on ATI’s Open Stereo 3D Initiative (9)
• What Happened With Asus’ VG242H 120Hz LCD Monitor? (12)
• ViewSonic PJD6241 is yet Another 3D-ready DLP Projector (0)
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The 24″ (23.6-inch to be precise) ViewSonic V3D241wm-LED is probably the next 3D Vision compatible display that we all are going to wait for with high hopes that it will be even better than the already available 120Hz models so far. There is still not a lot of information regarding the V3D241wm, but judging from what is known so far it will most likely be based on the same panel as Acer Aspire GD245HQ. The key difference will be the presence of a LED backlight instead of the traditional CCFL one that is found in the Acer for example and all other currently available 120Hz displays. Now the big question is what improvements will the LED backlight offer as compared to the CCFL and if that will actually bring any benefits when playing with this display in stereoscopic 3D mode? Traditionally LED backlights offer wider color gamut, better color reproduction, even backlight across the whole screen area, “blacker” black, higher contrast ratio and maybe even higher brightness. But if the panel is the same as the one used in the Acer you should not expect that much of a difference in performance between the two displays just because of the LED backlight, but since there is still some time before the ViewSonic V3D241wm-LED hits the market we better not get our hopes too high and expect it to be much better than what we already have. This way if it turns out to be really better we can be happily surprised instead of getting disappointed, which in my opinion is better. The release of the ViewSonic V3D241wm-LED is scheduled for the second quarter of the year which means it might be as early as April, so there is some time left and maybe we’ll soon have other interesting announcements from other display manufacturers…

Related posts you might be interested in:

• ViewSonic PJD6241 is yet Another 3D-ready DLP Projector (0)
• When to Expect a Solution Based on ATI’s Open Stereo 3D Initiative (9)
• What Happened With Asus’ VG242H 120Hz LCD Monitor? (12)
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Do you remember that earlier this year Asus has announced and shown a 23.6″ LCD display with Full HD resolution that was capable of working at 120Hz, and do you know what happened to it? Well, I don’t know either… and Asus had a working model of the VG242H available during COMPUTEX 2009 back in June, although it is still not available. Asus was expected to have the display available on the market by the end of the year, but it is still not here… and there is no word on when or even if it will be made available, not to mention that meanwhile the company missed their chance to be the first with a Full HD 3D-capable computer monitor. The reason for that is the announcement of The Acer Aspire GD245HQ 3D Vision-capable Monitor that has already started appearing on some Asian markets with soon to follow availability in other markets in January/February 2010.

Anyway, here are the known specifications for the Asus VG242H 120Hz:

Display size: 23.6″, 16:9 Widescreen
Panel Technology: TN (Twisted Nematic)
Resolution: 1920×1080 @ 120Hz
Contrast ratio: 20000:1 (Dynamic)
Brightness: 300 cd/m2
Response Time: 2ms (gray-to-gray)
Internal speakers: 2Wx2 Stereo
Connections: HDMI, DVI-D (Dual-Link), D-Sub, Audio-In Jack, S/PDIF Audio output, Earphone Jack

Related posts you might be interested in:

• ViewSonic PJD6241 is yet Another 3D-ready DLP Projector (0)
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The HDMI 1.4 specifications were introduced earlier this year, but we are yet to see devices using the new standard and taking advantage of the new features that were introduced, one of which is the official stereoscopic 3D support. Aside from that HDMI 1.4 increases the maximum supported resolution to 4K (4096×2160 pixels), new HDMI Ethernet Channel with speed of up to 100 Mbps, Audio Return Channel, new Micro HDMI Connector, expanded support for different color spaces and an Automotive Connection System.

Of course the thing you are probably most interested in is the stereoscopic 3D support that is expected to be the key factor into making the 3D support widely available on TV sets and other consumer electronic devices, including game consoles. The HDMI 1.4 specifications support wide range of 3D display formats at up to 1080p resolution, including: frame, line, or field alternative methods; side by side methods (full and half) and 2D plus depth methods. And as 3D video requires substantial data throughput, you’ll have to use a High Speed HDMI cable that can be even an HDMI 1.3 compatible, although with such you’ll not be able to use the new Ethernet Connection feature.

Here comes an interesting question that is related to PlayStation 3 – how will Sony add stereoscopic 3D support for the console that only supports HDMI 1.3? The truth is that even HDMI 1.3 is capable to provide enough bandwidth for 120Hz video output even at 1080p resolution, but the actual problem might be in the console not being capable to support 120 frames per second in Full HD resolution. So it is most likely that stereoscopic 3D gaming on PS3 will start of at 720p resolution, especially if Sony will want their consoles to be able to work on 200/240Hz displays providing enough fps for good experience. Anyway these are still some thoughts about the issue and are not based on official information coming from Sony, so we should still wait a bit more to see what will actually happen. It is also quite possible that the firmware update fore the PS3 that will add the S3D support won’t add support for gaming in stereoscopic 3D for all the already released games and we’ll have to wait for new titles. Another thing that is also still not quite clear regarding the PlayStation 3 is the support for the recently finalized Blu-ray 3D specifications and the upcoming Full HD movies on Blu-ray next year. The PS3 should also be able to play 1080p videos in 3D, but we are yet to see how thing will turn out…

- For more information about the HDMI 1.4 specifications and features…

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ViewSonic is at it again with yet another 3D compatible DLP projector that should also be compatible with Nvidia’s 3D Vision active shutter glasses (still not certified, but probably will soon be). This projector is with XGA (1024×768) native resolution and 4:3 aspect ratio, but what is improved here is the brightness and contrast levels, along with the lap life when compared to the other 3D models from the company. The lamp life is 4000 / 6000 hours (normal/eco-mode), with the projector capable of providing brightness of up to 3200 ANSI lumens and contrast ratio of 3200:1. The recommended price of the projector is $1249, which is a bit expensive, but is expected with these specs… normally this model is designed to provide bright enough and visible projected image in brighter environments.

As you can see from the back picture of the ViewSonic PJD6241 projector, it is still relying on analogue DSUB15 connectors for use with the PC and you need to use this way to connect the device to your computer in order to be able to use it in 3D mode. What is required to view the projected image with 3D Vision glasses is to setup the projector to work on the supported 120Hz refresh rate, like it is with all other 3D DLP projectors out there (not that there are too much). It seems that ViewSonic has prepared this model to be used for educational purpose in not so dark classrooms, but nothing will prevent you taking it home to enjoy playing games and watching movies in stereoscopic 3D mode…

- For more information about the new ViewSonic PJD6241 projector…

Related posts you might be interested in:

• What Happened With Asus’ VG242H 120Hz LCD Monitor? (12)
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There is some information on the net already that Acer will most likely be the first company to offer a 23,6″ LCD monitor that will offer Full HD (1920×1080 pixels) resolution and of course being with a 120Hz panel. This means that most likely Acer will be the first company to release on the market a Full HD monitor that will be compatible with GeForce 3D Vision, and this monitor seems to be right about to hit the shelves. Furthermore this gaming display should not be a lot more expensive compared to the already available 22″ offers from Samsung and ViewSonic that are still the only ones with 120Hz panels on the market so far. Of course we’ll have to wait and see until this new display is available on the market, but I’m eagerly anticipating it already… ;)

- For more information about this new 120Hz monitor from Acer…

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• What Happened With Asus’ VG242H 120Hz LCD Monitor? (12)
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Today, almost accidentally I’ve learned that BenQ has released 6 new DLP projectors on the market that are 3D Ready, meaning 3D DLP Link compatible (active shutter glasses), meaning that they should also be 3D Vision compatible. Now what the hell did BenQ do (or actually didn’t do) so that the word regarding its new interesting 3D-capable projectors didn’t get out and not a lot of people know about them about two weeks after their announcement and they seem to be already available on some markets? They did a release of the type “by the way” not focusing on these projectors and their 3D capabilities at all and that just because they’ve labeled the projectors as models suitable for Education…

The six new 3D Ready models from BenQ are the standard throw MP626, MP670, MP776, MP777, and the ultra short-throw MP772 ST and MP776 ST. They are all with native XGA resolution or with other words 1024×768 pixels (4:3 aspect ration, not wide) with brightness ranging from 2500 do 4000 ANSI lumens. As I’ve already mentioned BenQ labeled these projectors as suitable for educational purposes, just mentioning that they do have 3D capabilities that are good for illustrative needs in schools etc. Ok, this may be nice, but considering that these projectors start at quite affordable price, although a bit more expensive than the ViewSonic’s similar models, things may start to look good for all the 3D enthusiasts out there.

Checking through BenQ’s website I could not find a lot of details regarding especially the 3D capabilities of the projectors, but from what little info I could find and after looking through the manuals of the above six new models I can conclude that these are based on the same DLP technology that the ViewSonic models I’ve written about use. This of course means 120Hz refresh rate and active shutter glasses that will separate the frames to 60 per eye, so that the brain can build the stereoscopic 3D image from the two frames showing a bit different view. This of course means that the projectors should also be compatible with Nvidia’s GeForce 3D Vision, but I still don’t have access to any of the new models to test it myself, but in general you should be able to get 120Hz refresh rate by using the analogue DSUB15 connectors. Then in the 3D Vision driver setup you should choose CRT display and you should be able to start enjoying videos, pictures and of course games in stereoscopic 3D on the big screen provided by these projectors. Unfortunately I still don’t have access to any of these new models, so that I cannot confirm their 3D Vision compatibility at 100%, but it should be there…

Update: I just got a confirmation that BenQ MP670 does indeed work with GeForce 3D Vision form someone that already has the projector (although they are not officially certified as 3D Vision compatible), but there were some problems getting the projector to work at 120Hz. So it was needed to force it at 1024×768 resolution with 120Hz refresh rate in order to make it work, but no problems after that, otherwise only up to 60Hz refresh was selectable. So the other 5 new 3D Ready projectors from BenQ should be compatible too, but you can expect having trouble setting them up, so be prepared for problems!

Related posts you might be interested in:

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