Sony HMZ-T1 personal 3D viewer (photos)

While the Sony HMZ-T1 personal headset is capable of some of the best 3D effects we've ever seen, it's uncomfortable to wear for extended periods and images suffer from blurriness.

Ty Pendlebury

Ty Pendlebury is a journalism graduate of RMIT Melbourne, and has worked at CNET since 2006. He lives in New York City where he writes about streaming and home audio.

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Ty Pendlebury

Feb. 10, 2012 3:17 p.m. PT

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Overview

The HMZ-T1 "3D personal cinema" consists of two small OLED screens inside a big headset with built-in stereo headphones. It's a little more subtle in design than the original prototype we saw at CES 2011, with just a single blue power light.

While the Sony HMZ-T1 personal headset is capable of some of the best 3D effects we've ever seen, its images suffer from blurriness.

2 of 8 Sarah Tew/CNET

Comfort

The headset weighs 14.8 ounces, which Sony describes as "surprisingly lightweight." The headset comes with adjustable rubber straps and a number of different cushions for spectacle wearers and nonwearers, though it was still difficult to achieve a comfortable fit.

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Controls

The T1's controls are mounted under the visor and include volume and lens focus.

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Controls

The headset contains two 720p OLED screens that enable 3D replay with zero crosstalk.

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HMD output

The proprietary HMD (head-mounted display) output connects to the visor via a 11.6-foot cord.

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HDMI in and out

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Headphones

The headphones offer 5.1 simulated surround but are rubbish for music.

8 of 8 Sarah Tew/CNET

Conclusion

Who is this headset aimed at? I'd say if you're looking at quick bursts of gaming or a bit of 3D TV, then the HMZ-T1 will serve admirably. Its lack of portability is an issue and, aside from an adult movie, there's really nothing short of bloody-mindedness that would have users choose this over a cheaper 3D TV in the long term. Will it start a trend? Probably not, but for what it's worth, this is definitely the best video headset I've ever used. I look forward to seeing (and hearing) where this technology can go next.