Coming to a living room near you, 3D TV with battery-powered specs

A TV set that uses battery-powered spectacles in an effort to give a better 3D effect in the home than at the cinema is being launched in Britain by Sony next month.

The special specs have electronic shutters to ensure each eye sees the correct high-definition picture, fooling the brain into thinking it is seeing a 3D image.

Analysts Future Source Consulting expect 40 per cent of new sets sold in the UK to be 3D by 2014. John Lewis, which stocks Samsung and Panasonic 3D sets, said sales were going well. But some experts say immediate take-up could suffer, as very few films are available in 3D. Sony is converting dozens of music videos to 3D, while Playstation 3 console games can also be played
in 3D on its set.

Meanwhile, Sky today announced Britain's first cricket match in 3D, for pubs and clubs — England's first NatWest One Day International against Bangladesh on 8 July.

Sony's flagship 3D TV, the HX903, will cost £2,500 when it hits the shops on July 1.

The 46-inch unit comes with two pairs of battery-operated spectacles, costing £120 each, and a transmitter which sits on the TV to ensure the specs work properly.

The effect is brilliant. In films such as Alice In Wonderland there is an incredible depth to the picture, while colours are bright and sharper than many rival offerings.

In Toy Story 3 and Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs, the colours and precision of the animation is jaw-dropping. Sport is also impressive, with players appearing to come out of the screen towards you; even golf is compelling, as you get a great sense of the ball travelling across the course.

For people only used to seeing 3D in the cinema or pub, living-room 3D is a revelation. In one underwater scene, you can't help but recoil as a shark appears to brush past you.

Crucially, the Sony set is a very good 2D TV as well. The picture is sharp, and there is built-in access to YouTube, online film service Lovefilm and several other websites.

Sadly there isn't enough 3D content to recommend dumping your existing TV now, but for anyone looking to upgrade anyway, it's well worth going the 3D route, and Sony's is by far the best example I've seen.