It's no secret that 3D TVs have long faded from the cultural zeitgeist. Not only are 3D TVs rarely ever produced these days but even at-home 3D content is few and far between.
The technology was stunted in large part due to exorbitant production costs, but there were other notable factors that killed off the 3D TV craze — main among them being those gaudy glasses you had to wear.
But a 3D TV revolution might be in the cards, and it all starts with Samsung's new 3D gaming monitor.
How Samsung's Odyssey 3D monitor works
Samsung just launched its new gaming monitor lineup and the flagship offering is its Odyssey 3D. As the name implies, it leverages several advanced technologies to give the impression of a 3D image on a 2D screen.
And the best part? You don't need any glasses to witness its 3D greatness.
It achieves this with a bevy of sensors, eye-tracking technology, AI-image processing and a lenticular lens. There's also some serious cooling under the hood that helps to keep the 3D tech stable and diminish any OLED burn-in that might occur.
Although it's primarily meant for gaming, the Odyssey 3D does work with video content as well. I haven't seen this in action just yet, but given its performance on the gaming side of things I'm already thoroughly impressed and would love to see this in action on a larger scale.
It's a fascinating proof of concept, one that no doubt will land the Samsung Odyssey 3D among the best gaming monitors. But how would it live in one of the best Samsung OLED TVs?
Samsung's next innovation: a 3D OLED TV
Integrating the 3D screen technology on a more conventional display wouldn't be easy, but if any manufacturer could make it happen it would be Samsung.
The monitor requires a firmware update after unboxing and you'll need Samsung's Reality Hub app downloaded on your PC for it to work properly. The app is where all the magic happens, allowing you to launch compatible games in 3D while also converting 2D videos into 3D.
It might be hard to translate this into the conventional TV experience, but I think I have a solution. Instead of using an app with the Samsung 3D TV, "3D" could be its own picture mode — or its own separate mode entirely. Samsung has a ton of AI features baked into its displays these days, and 3D could be yet another mode you can toggle on or off whenever needed.
Samsung is also busy working with several developers to bring their games into the 3D experience, including Nexon Korea and Neople. In its press release, Samsung says these partnerships aim "to deliver unparalleled 3D experiences," which is exciting but will be relegated to mostly games.
And the only place to witness them, as of writing, will be on the Odyssey 3D. It's shame, as 3D games and movies would look spectacular on a larger screen. A Samsung 3D TV would also give Apple a run for its money as its Apple Vision Pro headset has over 200 3D titles to explore.
On the Odyssey 3D, theoretically the sky's the limit when it comes to any video content.
The major downsides of Samsung's 3D tech
There's a reason 3D technology didn't take off in a major way. Pricing is a huge factor, and it's no different on the Samsung Odyssey 3D, a 27-inch OLED monitor that costs $2,000.
That's a steep price even for something that's so innovative, and this pricing barrier would probably only double on a larger set, like the Samsung S95F OLED TV.
Then there's the issue with having a camera in the middle of your entertainment setup. Few if any TV buyers want to deal with that, 3D enthusiast or not. Privacy concerns abound right now, especially as major TV brands from LG to Roku suffering major breaches last year.
And then there's the elephant in the room: 3D content. Even today, the library for 3D content is still sparse, largely because of the declining rates of release. Post-conversion helps in some cases, but it's not a foolproof approach to bringing 3D movies to the home screen.
My hope for 3D's resurgence remains strong, though, even in the face of these obstacles. It has a lot riding against it, but 3D could be entering its golden age and Samsung could be the one to usher it in if approached in the right way.
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