3D Vision Blog

The BenQ XL2420T and BenQ XL2420TX are the first 3D Vision-ready 3D LCD monitors that come with support for 3D over DisplayPort 1.1, so you actually have an alternative to using the Dual-Link DVI interface they they are also equipped with for 3D. You should have in mind however that there are some specific limitations and requirements when using 3D Vision over DisplayPort with these displays and you should be well aware of these if you plan on purchasing any of these two displays for use in stereo 3D and that goes not only regarding the use of DP. The BenQ XL2420T/TX are still the only 24-inch 3D Vision-ready monitors that support the new 3D Lightboost technology for providing increased level of brightness when in stereo 3D mode, the other two alternatives are from Asus and Acer, but they are 27-inch models and they do not feature DisplayPort connectivity. The support for 3D vision over display port has been introduced in the R290 video drivers from Nvidia and more specifically in the 290.36 Beta drivers, so it will not work with older drivers.

The BenQ XL2420T is the more affordable version that does not come bundled with 3D Vision 2 active shutter glasses and it also does not feature a built-in IR emitter for the 3D Vision glasses. This is very important, because without the built-in IR emitter you will not be able to use the HDMI interface of the monitor for stereo 3D, even if you connect an external IR emitter to your PC. Using an external infrared emitter for 3D Vision glasses gives you only the ability to use the monitor in stereo 3D mode with a PC over the DL-DVI or the DisplayPort 1.1 interface. This means that the BenQ XL2420T monitor is more suitable for gaming in 120Hz 2D mode or using for stereo 3D content only with a PC, you should not get the T-only version of the monitor if you plan on using it with a PS3 in 3D or any other HDMI 1.4-based stereo 3D-capable devices, because you would not be able to. The HDMI interface present on the BenQ XL2420T monitor is 2D-capable only and you are of course not able to use 120Hz refresh rate over the HDMI, you need to use the other interfaces for the higher refresh rate.

The BenQ XL2420TX is the more expensive version that comes with a built-in infrared emitter and a pair of 3D Vision 2 active shutter glasses, so you are ready to use the monitor in 3D mode over DL-DVI, DisplayPort or HDMI 1.4. Using this monitor over the DisplayPort interface however has some limitations based on the GeForce GPU you have in your computer, so have in mind that if your video card is based on GeForce 8 series, GeForce 9 series, or GeForce GTX 295/280/260 GPU you would still need an external IR emitter to use the monitor over the DP interface. Of course this is only related to using DisplayPort, if you have any of these older GPUs you can still use the built-in IR emitter over the DL-DVI interface. If your GPU is any newer you would be able to take advantage of the DisplayPort 1.1 connectivity with the built-in IR emitter inside the display. And one more thing, currently NVIDIA 3D Vision Surround setups are still not supported over DisplayPort, so if you plan on using a three monitor 3D setup, then you’ll have to stick to using the Dual-Link DVI interface for now.

An interesting new device is going to be soon available called 3Dfury from the same people that make the popular HDfury products… actually 3Dfury is the new fourth generation of HDfury. This device should be able to convert your 2D only display into a 3D-capable one, or add support for HDMI input to a display that support HDMI or even digital input for that matter, and you can also add HDMI 1.4 input capabilities to a 2D or 3D display that does not have the interface available. There is not much information about the conversion of 2D displays into 3D-capable ones, but this would mean your 60Hz capable product will be able to output with 30Hz per eye for example, so still good for 3D movies, although not that great for gaming in stereo 3D mode. 3Dfury should be able to work with either Digital (DVI-D/HDMI) or Analog (RGBHV/component) displays as well as with Dual Projectors setups for displaying 2D or 3D content. The device features a single HDMI 1.4 input (DVI compatible) and can output in either digital HDMI/DVI or analogue VGA output, or even both at the same time, but since it is HDMI-based no support for Dual-Link DVI. The 3Dfury has built in support for all the standard 720p and 1080i/p 3D input resolutions in frame packaging, Top/Bottom and Side by Side formats and the device can output in 720p60, 720p72, 720p96, 720p120, 720p144 Frame Sequential; 720p and/or 1080p for 60Hz displays; 1080p60, 1080p72 (currently in development). You can also use two 3Dfury devices to build a dual projector 3D setup with up to 720p 240Hz for use with passive 3D glasses, for all other 3D setups active 3D shutter glasses are required. There are also some extra features for when using the device with 2D content such as the double and triple framerate from 24Hz 1080p material resulting in 1080p48 or 1080p72 output as well as the 720p120 – double framerate from 720p60 source that is currently in development. There is also full support for HDCP, so there should be no trouble watching protected content such as Blu-ray or Blu-ray 3D movies with this device, and you can create custom EDID parameters for your display device.

The 3Dfury has a standard VESA Stereo Connector in the form of a 3-pin mini-DIN Sync Out port to allow the connection of an external emitter and use of active 3D glasses with the device when playing back stereo 3D content. If you are using DLP-based device you should be Ok without an emitter with the help of DLP Link active shutter glasses, but for all other (besides dual projector passive 3D setups) you would need to connect an IR or RF-based emitter and use a compatible glasses with it. There are 3D glasses and an RF emitter that are going to be sold by the makers of 3Dfury specially for use together with the device and while there is not much information about them it is possible that these glasses will be made by BitCauldron. As the specs for the glasses kind of remind what the ones being branded by Monster Cable and Optoma RF glasses and being produced by BitCauldron offer, so if my guess is right and if you already have some pairs of these they will be the perfect match for the 3Dfury. But even if I’m not right the active shutter glasses made by BitCauldron should also work just fine as their RF emitter has support for use with devices using VESA Stereo connector. An interesting thing about the glasses being offered for use with 3Dfury is the fact that the user has control over the Duty cycle and Delay and can also invert the left/right image, some features that may help a lot at times.

According to the information available the device has less than one frame of latency per second added to the signal which should be barely noticeable in the form of input lag and that is very important for gamers. Of course, although the time it takes for the device to process the signal isn’t much, if you already use a display with a lot of input lag, then you may still have a problem as there is no way to reduce the lag of the display by using 3Dfury. With that said the 3Dfury is more targeted at multimedia use and not that much at gamers as gamers would usually prefer to go for display solutions that can offer 1080p with 120Hz refresh rate or 1080p 60Hz 3D mode and since the 3Dfury is based around HDMI 1.4 it is somewhat more limited. The device has a USB port and the firmware can be upgraded, meaning it can get extra features added over time, so new resolutions and formats for example could be introduced as well in the future.

The price of the 3Dfury is $399 USD and it is currently available only for pre-order with the first pre-orders expected to start shipping on 15th February, so in about two weeks time, and after that it should be available for normal orders. The RF emitter offered by the company making 3Dfury will cost you $49 USD and a single pair of active shutter glasses for it another $99 USD. You can say the price is a bit high, but the device definitely offers some interesting and useful features that might be able to save you from buying much more expensive hardware. But let us see how things will turn out when 3Dfury gets released and if it will indeed offer all that is being promised and work as good as it should. The HDfury already has a very good track record, so the expectations from 3Dfury are also quite high already and it is to be expected…

- You can visit the official 3Dfury website for more information…

Today Acer has announced in USA the release of their new 27-inch Acer HR274H 3D monitor using passive film-patterned retarder (FPR) technology, but at the same time it also apparently supports what Nvidia’s 3D Vision technology does (according to what Acer has released in the official press release)… falling into a category of products called “Optimized for GeForce”. But there is more, this monitor is equipped only with HDMI 1.4a interface and analogue VGA, there is no Dual-Link DVI. Acer HR274H apparently also features real-time 2D to 3D conversion built in the display, so it is done by dedicated hardware and should work with different inputs.

Acer HR274H 3D monitor specifications:

Panel Size: 27″ (69 cm) Wide Screen 16:9, TN, LED backlight
Native Resolution: 1920×1080 pixels
Pixel Pitch: 0.3114 mm
Brightness(Max): 250 cd/m2
Contrast Ratio (Max.): 100,000,000:1 (dynamic)
Viewing Angles: 170° H / 160° V
Response Time: 2 ms (Gray to Gray)
Video Inputs: 2x HDMI 1.4a, VGA
Power Consumption: 27.50 W On, 1.4W Sleep, 0.6W Off/Standby
Integrated Audio: 2x 2W stereo speakers
Monitor stand: tilt +30°~-30°
Dimension (WxHxD): 25.5″ x 18.5″ x 7.6″ (648.1 x 468.5 x 192 mm)
Weight: 13.2 lbs (6 kg)

It is interesting to not that the user has control over the 3D functionality that allows the activation of 2D-to-3D conversion on demand as well as the option to choose between not only frame packaged 3D input, but also Side by Side and Top/Bottom. And this is something that we did not have with some of the first 3D-capable monitors that came out with HDMI 1.4 interface also supporting stereo 3D.

Acer HR274H comes bundled with a pair of Acer-branded passive 3D glasses. And since it uses HDMI 1.4a interface, the 3D modes you are going to be limited are of course 720p 50/60Hz 3D and 1080p 24Hz 3D as well as 1080i 50/60Hz 3D mode. The new 27-inch Acer HR274H 3D LCD monitor should be available for U.S. customers at leading retailers with an MSRP of $599 USD. The European price of the 27-inch Acer HR274H should be at around 450 Euro and it should soon be available. There is also a smaller 23-inch 3D model with the same features and capabilities – Acer GR235HA, that is an alternative to Acer GR235H, but not the same model. The price of the Acer GR235HA monitor in Europe should be about 240 Euro.

Update: Ok, so it is not exactly official 3D Vision support, but instead Acer has licensed the GeForce 3D software driver from Nvidia in order to get the same game support, features, etc. as 3D Vision-ready active monitors do offer, but in the form of a passive 3D solution.