Toshiba to launch first glasses-less 3D TV, Regza GL1, in a few weeks

It looks like the race for glasses-free 3D is turning into a space race. Producers worldwide are soldiering along, propting regular 3D devices now and then, yet always concentrating on the main point: 3D images without the need for glasses.

Up until now, several producers have already annonced they have the technology to make 3D images without viewing glasses, however none of their producs has yet to hit the market. Amongst them,the most important is Sharp who has a 3DTV in the works that, they say, will provide a 3D experience without the need for any special glasses. Moreover, Sharp also promised us the screen for the Nintendo 3DS.

Unfortunately, producers are pretty silent about the technology they employ or the constraints their devices will set upon consumers. Toshiba, however, has chosen another route. Toshiba have announced the 3D Regza GL1 TV for Japan in December. It will come in two sizes, 20 and 12 inch, with a HDMI interface, USB port and backlight. No price has been announced, yet. What they are giving us, though, are the specifications.

Toshiba employs a prize-winning technology that uses four times the number of pixels in your average Full HD screen and a lenticular sheet to provide a clear 3D image to the viewer. The viewer, however, needs to sit at a specified distance from the screen, which drastically reduces placement options. So there you have it. Read the full press release and decide for yourself what 3D TV to buy next year.