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Designers tap into 3D glasses

Summary

12 November 2010

3D technology is being used more and more in movies and in TV sets. Designers are hoping to launch 3D glasses as something fashionable so they can make money from this growing business.

Reporter:

Rajesh Mirchandani

Report

Some think it's the next must-have accessory for movie buffs. At the cinema, why wear those free plastic specs that someone else has used already, when you can buy your own 3D glasses?

Designers like Oakley and Calvin Klein hope consumers will pay up to US$180 a pair to be trendsetters. It's the next step in the personalisation of 3D entertainment. It's already a growing format for movies including the blockbuster 'Avatar'.

Now, electronics companies are offering 3D TV sets for the home. But they may supply 3D glasses that work only with their products, not in cinemas, which would make those stylish designer glasses of limited use.

Just as with the advent of home video recording when VHS battled and triumphed over Betamax, there could be a format war looming over 3D glasses. Designers hope they're tapping into a fashion-conscious market but soon will those personalised 3D specs be useful or just stylish?

Rajesh Mirchandani, BBC News, Los Angeles