Sony Corp. has patented technology that will allow up to three different people to simultaneously use the same screen for their own tasks while wearing 3D active shutter glasses. The technology potentially may bring some advantages to the living rooms, but it is highly unlikely that it will be comfortable to use.

The abstract explanation of Sony's technology describes that 3D shutter glasses with mode switch should comprise one or more shuttered filters and a tracker. Each shuttered filter is configured to selectively prevent a viewer from seeing through the filter in response to a signal from a controller. The tracker is configured to sense an orientation of the one or more shuttered filters relative to a video screen. The controller may use a signal from the tracker indicative of an orientation of the shutter filter(s) relative to enable shuttering when the shuttered filter apparatus is facing toward the video screen and disable shuttering when the shuttered filter device is facing away from the video screen.

To sum up shortly, based on position of different viewer, the TV-screen will only show specific content to each viewer. For example, one viewer may play a video game, another watch a movie and the third check out the latest news. However, users have to maintain the same position at all times, something not exactly comfortable to do in living room.

The technology will indisputably enable new usage models during game play for hardcore gamers playing first-person shooters, races and some other genres. But gamers should sit still and use headphones. Watching two long movies simultaneously or even different content is also something that is likely to happen since collective TV experience supposes communications between people. Finally, when a TV is used by three persons simultaneously, three remote controllers are required.

Tags: Sony, HDTV, Stereo 3D