Samsung Introduces FullHD 'RealD' Compatible Televisions

In advance of the opening of CES 2011, Samsung and RealD jointly announced Samsung's intention to build new 3-D televisions that display 3-D content using the same glasses widely available in movie theatres around the world.

Currently, 3-D televisions use one of two different types of display technology:

• Active shutter technology, which uses small LCD panels built into the glasses that are then synchronized with the television to deliver the appropriate content to the left or right eye by blocking the eye that doesn't need to "see" at that moment in time.  The issues with this technology are that the glasses are expensive, require charging, and there's typically visible flicker and cross-talk (information intended for the left eye going to the right and vice-versa, causing ghosting and other visual aberrations).
• Passive technology, similar to RealD, using a "patterned retarder" technology.  This basically means that the LCD panel has an extra layer that allows every other line on the display to go to each eye (e.g. line 1 goes to the left eye, line 2 to the right, and so on).  This is the technology used in Vizio and LG's new 3-D displays, with Vizio's 65" passive 3-D display currently on sale at Costco and Sam's Club.  The issue with this technology is that it cuts the resolution of 3-D movies in half, since each eye can only receive a maximum of 540 lines of information.  There may also be issues with 2-D content being impacted, as there is effectively a permanent filter in front of each line of the panel (although, to be fair, this could be compensated for within the television's firmware).

The new technology being developed by Samsung and RealD emulates the method used for 3-D technology in movie theaters.  Their technique places an active shutter in front of the LCD panel, that can block the image from either the left or right eye as needed when the viewer is wearing passive glasses that are the same as those used in theaters.  When 2-D content is being viewed, the active panel is simply left "off" and no image degradation occurs.

It remains to be seen whether flicker will be a problem with this method, but as long as the refresh rate is sufficiently high enough, the method should work very well.  Televisions using this technology will undoubtedly be expensive in their early days, but as the technology matures, the premium for the additional LCD panel will drop, and the cost differential should be minimized.

If 3-D technology is genuinely going to take off at home, this type of solution is exactly what's required.  Technology that allows every viewer to inexpensively enjoy the same, high quality, 3-D image and that doesn't impact 2-D performance.  I also expect RealD will be licensing their technology to other hardware manufacturers in the very short term (if they haven't already).

Walking Dead Shamble Into Second Season

AMC's The Walking Dead, the hit zombie series based on Robert Kirkman's fantastic graphic novel series, has been picked up for a second season after ratings for the first two weeks proved to be AMC's best in their history.  The pick-up was widely expected and it was rumoured that the deal was done prior to the first episode even airing.

The second season will be 13 episodes, more than doubling the first season's six episode pick-up.  Executive Producer, Writer and Director Frank Darabont has also been quoted saying that popular character Michonne will make her debut in the second season.

The Walking Dead has been averaging around

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Spartacus: Blood and Sand Star Bows Out

Spartacus: Blood and Sand star Andy Whitfield has opted to leave the series due to his continuing bout with cancer. The star first revealed he had cancer shortly after the first season finished airing, and had recently announced that his treatments had been successful. Unfortunately, the actor revealed in a statement today that his cancer has returned.

Whitfield played the lead role in the series, leaving the status of season two in limbo while the producers decide whether to re-cast the role, cancel the series or go in a different creative direction.

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HBO Aims To Take Over Your TV

HBO's hit series True Blood will return to airwaves on June 13th.  The series will pick up with Sookie Stackhouse (Anna Paquin) trying to find Bill Compton's (Stephen Moyer) mysterious abductor from the end of season 2 of the popular series.  The series has been HBO's most popular in-house production since The Sopranos ended its run on the network.

Also on HBO, the long-awaited follow-up to Band of Brothers, The Pacific, premiered on Sunday night.  Like Band of Brothers, The Pacific is Executive Produced by Tom Hanks.  The new mini-series follows a crew of US Marines as they wage war against the Japanese in World War II.  The 10 episodes cost a reported $150-200 million for the network, but given how much money Band of Brothers has made in DVD and now Blu-ray sales over the years, they should have no trouble recouping their investment.  The new WWII series is off to a strong start with 3 million viewers watching the premiere.

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Spartacus Battles Cancer

Lead Spartacus: Blood and Sand star Andy Whitfield has been diagnosed with non-Hodgkin Lymphoma, postponing production of the second season of the popular Starz series.  The disease was apparently caught early, and Whitfield is currently receiving treatment in New Zealand with a good prognosis.

The first season of Spartacus: Blood and Sand is currently airing, telling the story of Spartacus' first months fighting in the arena.  The first season finale airing on April 16th.  The show has been receiving strong ratings and critical reviews, with many people comparing it to the theatrical feature '300' with its stylized fight sequences and digital blood.

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