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Friday Poll: How do you view proprietary 3D glasses?

How big a deal is it if one brand's 3D glasses don't work with another brand's 3D TV? It might be a minor problem for some, but it could be a deal breaker for others.

Matt Hickey
With more than 15 years experience testing hardware (and being obsessed with it), Crave freelance writer Matt Hickey can tell the good gadgets from the great. He also has a keen eye for future technology trends. Matt has blogged for publications including TechCrunch, CrunchGear, and most recently, Gizmodo. Matt is a member of the CNET Blog Network and is not an employee of CBS Interactive. E-mail Matt.
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Matt Hickey
2 min read

CNET News Poll

Three-dimensional views
What are your thoughts on proprietary 3D glasses?

Not a problem; I can't see needing more than one pair (sadly)
Deal breaker; the tech needs to be standardized
I'm OK with the status quo; I can just buy more glasses
Why can't we just use the old-school red-and-blue kind?
I can only see out of one eye--and can't view 3D, anyway



View results

3D glasses
Erica Ogg/CNET

We've been talking a lot about how the next big thing in TVs is 3D tech. But one problem, as my CNET's Erica Ogg points out, is that the sets we've seen all have proprietary glasses, meaning that one brand's glasses may not work with another brand's TV.

This might be a minor problem for some, but it could be a deal breaker for others. Since most households have multiple TVs these days, there may soon be a time at which someone has a Toshiba upstairs and a Samsung downstairs, each with their own pairs of glasses.

In addition, sets will ship with only a certain number of 3D shades, usually two. But if you're having a TV party--and people with new TVs will want to have TV parties--you have to buy extra glasses for everyone who comes. If the tech were standard, it could be a BYO affair.

But again, that won't affect all people, like shut-ins, loners, scary nuts, and bachelor like me. So we'd like to test the waters to see how you, our readers, feel about this situation. Vote in our poll. And if you have additional thoughts on the subject, be sure to share them in the TalkBack section below.