Toshiba to launch glasses-free 3-D

TOKYO, Aug. 25 (UPI) -- Japanese electronics firm Toshiba Corp. said it would launch 3-D televisions that do not require the viewer to wear special glasses.

Commercial sales of the first of the new sets will be available before the end of the year, The Yomiuri Shimbun reported Wednesday.

Sources said the glasses-free 3-D sets send out images at different angles, allowing the viewer to perceive the action in three dimensions. Normally, the 3-D glasses that need to be worn to get the effect in current 3-D systems separate images that target, specifically, the left or the right eye. The separation of the images allows the viewer to experience the images at different depths.

Sources also said Toshiba's 3-D technology will work with existing DVD formats, including high definition.