World's Largest 3D--and Thinnest--LCD Displays Light Up SID 2010

The Washington State Convention Center downtown is hosting the Society for Information Display’s 48th Annual Display Week, with a gathering of the world’s best display screen manufacturers showcasing some astounding future technologies.

Without question, the big news at the SID 2010 conference has been the unveili ng of LG's 84-in. ultra high-definition 3D screen. You read that right: 84 inches. The resolution is 3840 x 2160. It’s been the talk of the tech geek blogs for a while, but this is the first time it's starred in its own trade show. Currently, it's also an 84-in. paperweight of sorts; there's nothing out there retail-wise that can deliver a signal of that resolution, let alone in 3D.

Still, you can't help lusting for that clear, clean picture. The 3D images are razor sharp, with little motion blur, delivering vibrant colors with solid blacks. If there is a downside, it’s that LG has outpaced 3D technology. That clarity makes the lack of focus outside of the focal point pop out at you, along with the lack of even graduation from foreground to back that gives 3D a pop-up book feeling. And even in a short viewing period, the glasses combined with the screen gave me a little eye fatigue.

The thinnest LG is 2.6mm, and it's hard to believe your eyes, until you walk around the show and see that that record may not last long. It’s basically the width of a magazine, and the whole screen weighs about 8 pounds. And the image is crisp, colorful with great gray scale and true blacks. There is no image distortion if you view the screen from even the most extreme angles.

Given how fast 3D display technology is advancing, you can't blame LG for hedging their bets on TV with or without glasses. Right next to the massive LG booth, Samsung is showcasing what they call an autostereoscopic 42" TV that has great 3D imagery that you can see without glasses at all. You have to view it from the right angle, but the effect is impressive.

It’s not the same in-your-face 3D quality that you are seeing with glasses on, but it’s pretty close. Of course, Display Week is a trade show, not a retail show, and much of what’s on exhibit is technology that consumers won’t be able to buy for a few months, or a few years.

Still, looking ahead, maybe you will want to postpone that 720p to 1080p upgrade even more, and make the jump into a whole new dimension.