At this week’s IFA 2011 in Berlin, Toshiba presented the first 3DTV set to be marketed worldwide that will not require the use of special glasses.
The 55″ Toshiba 55ZL2 is to begin selling in Germany this December with roll outs in other countries to follow. In addition to not requiring 3D glasses, the set features technology that tracks the location of up to 9 viewers to provide individual 3D effects – no need to huddle together directly in front of the television, like standard 3D displays require.
This location or facial scanning is similar to technology recently announced in Toshiba’s Qosmio F755 notebook computer, that likewise uses its built in webcam to detect the viewer’s eyes and optimize the 3D effect for the user’s perspective.
The Toshiba 55ZL2 TV has a Quad Full HD LCD panel with a resolution of 3840 by 2160 pixels – twice the height and width of 1080p resolution and four times the pixels – which the company claims is the first time such definition will be available to the general public.
Although presenters at IFA 2011 were reportedly vague on what the unit will cost, according to an article update on Techcrunch, the 55Zl2 will initially sell for about 8000 Euros or around $11,5000 USD.