Would You Agree to Wear Special Glasses Even for 2-D?

Even for people who genuinely like 3-D, the need to wear 3-D glasses is a nuisance at best. No one actually likes wearing the glasses. Recently, Sharp announced that its new line of Quattron TVs will allow different viewers in the same room to watch the same screen in either 2-D or 3-D at will simultaneously. The catch: Everyone still has to wear the glasses.

I happen to like 3-D when it’s done well. However, as someone who already wears prescription lenses, I consider the burden of wearing 3-D glasses on top of my regular glasses a necessary evil. I’ll wear them if I have to, but I certainly don’t like the glasses themselves.

The idea of letting two people in the same room watch 2-D or 3-D independently at the same time sounds like a great plan. I just can’t imagine anyone agreeing to put on a pair of those dorky glasses to watch regular 2-D. What a nuisance.

Obviously, if everyone in the room wanted to watch 2-D, the 3-D feature can be turned off entirely. No one would need glasses in that example. However, if a single person wants 3-D, then everyone must put on the glasses.

Considering that the biggest consumer complaints about 3-D concern the need to buy and wear the glasses, doesn’t it stand to reason that, if someone does agree to buy the damn glasses (at $100+ a pair) and put them on, he or she will probably go ahead and watch in 3-D at that point?

I just don’t see the need for this, or think that it will be used very often.

Would any of our readers ever consent to wearing special glasses just to watch 2-D if friends or family with you wanted the 3-D feature turned on for their benefit?

4 comments

  1. I’ve been thinking about this a lot recently and I’m wondering if people who get headaches from 3-D would get the same effect from glasses set to 2-D.

    Personally, I doubt I’ll run into this problem any time soon. My first 3D device is going to be the good ol’ 3DS and there’s no glasses issue there 🙂

  2. The glasses themselves do not bother me that much. All the demos I have tried fit well over my perscription lenses (I was wearing contacts in my picture)and are light. However, my roommate has issues with them, and I think its because she has a tiny nose.

    My biggest issue with the glasses are the weird colorized lenses they put on most of them. I do not understand why they do that.

    I bet another big driving thing will be when glasses start coming down in price. These things, within a couple of years, should be around $20 a pair.

  3. Home 3D is a fad and it will go the way of the dodo. Problem is not enough quality 3D content for the home, and the quality 3D content that IS available is too territorial (i.e., Avatar 3DBD only available through Panasonic, etc.). Consumers will eventually tire of the crass marketing and anemic availability of content, not to mention the ridiculous markups on the equipment itself, and the whole thing will blow on by.

  4. RedVIII

    I suppose its good to have the option even if it isnt used that much. Having said that if I have to pay a premium for the functionality then no thanks!

    As for 3D I think it will great for gaming and the occasional Disney/Pixar animation rather than general TV and movies.

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