Agentless Backup is Not a Myth
In an attempt to create a more affordable 3D experience, Acer’s gone for a slightly different approach. Instead of active glasses, the 5738DZG uses a polarised pair of specs; Acer includes both a standard set of behind-the-ear glasses and an attachment for bespectacled folk.
The polarised screen as seen through the left lens…
These then work in conjunction with the laptop’s polarised display and mean the left and right eyes see alternate horizontal lines. As long as the 3D software is running and the user is wearing the glasses, each eye therefore sees different image. Since this polarising effectively cuts the screen’s resolution in two, small text can be difficult (sometimes impossible) to read.
The 3D image generation is taken care of by DDD’s TriDef software. A selection of videos intended to showcase the laptop’s 3D capabilities are included and accessed via the TriDef utility. Unsurprisingly, these turned out to give us the best 3D experience, especially the animated ones.
Much like those videos that attempt to show high definition video in its best light (slow, panning scenes shot from high above), these videos feature characters that constantly lurch towards the screen, thereby exaggerating the 3D effect. And being specifically designed for 3D, each eye sees a slightly different perspective.
Impressive as these demos are, the real test for the Acer 5738DZG is how it copes with content that wasn’t designed with 3D in mind. The TriDef software supports a wide variety of games and you can either drag-and-drop executable files into the launch window or simply ask it to scan for compatible titles.
…and through the right lens
We tried out Call of Duty 4 and Far Cry 2, both of which resulted in some impressive 3D effects. Once up and running, settings (such as the depth of the 3D effect) can be altered on-the-fly. Given that these games were never designed to be played in 3D, the TriDef software has to create the 3D effects from scratch, which naturally means they’re not as enticing as the demo content. That said, the games featured a good sense of depth and, on the whole, we found it to be an enjoyable experience.
Next page: Test Results
COMMENTS
Let the Porn flood begin...
As usual it''ll be sex that'll makes it sale...
First?
I recall reading an article on the reg in '04 about a Sharp 3D LCD screen. only problem was the weak notebook it was attached to made it uninteresting and too expensive.
Sharp RD3D
and the Sharp Actius AL3DU both had autostereoscopic displays using lenticular lenses- you get glassesless 3D at the expense of half of your horizontal resolution.
Any non-autostereoscopic attempts to make true 3D available in real life will be stymied by the need for glasses. Anaglyph is utter crap and useful only as a way of describing how stereoscopy works. 60Hz displays (i.e. what each eye gets with a 120Hz display & shutter glasses) give you a headache. Polarised glasses requires two displays, so it's rather more expensive to build the display (though probably the cheapest way of building a DIY 3D display) and unless you've got circular-polarised screens (like the RealD system in cinemas) the effect can be thrown off by tilting your head. Head Mounted Displays by definition require headgear.
Autostereoscopic displays will become more useful (a) when there is a cheap DIY way of building them and/or (b) when large OLED or similar displays become more affordable (they've got potential for hugely increased resolution-per-square-inch (put 4x ~0.5" eMagin OLED displays next to each other and you've got a just-over-1" 1600x1200 pixel display!) so you can have a "proper" resolution in both 2D and 3D).
Anyone who asks "what's the point" clearly hasn't used 3D!
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