The technology that allows the glasses and remote control to communicate with the television was developed and is being marketed at Freescale's Chandler and Tempe facilities.
The company will announce a partnership today with RealD Inc., which licenses 3-D technologies and offers the most widely used 3-D technology in movie theaters, at the 2011 International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.
Hosted by the Consumer Electronics Association, more than 120,000 people are expected to attend the four-day event.
TV and game manufacturers could be shipping products using the technology within the next six months, said Glen Burchers, Freescale director of global consumer segment marketing.
"Some people are projecting that games are going to be what really drive the sales of this," he said. "I know Hollywood would not continue to make 3-D movies unless people were enjoying them and paying for them."
While there are no 3-D sports films yet, sports were the first to embrace HD technology so the potential for filming live sporting events in 3-D also exists, he said.
Freescale chips in RealD's glasses communicate with the TV and remote through radio communication called ZigBee RF4CE. Burchers said the company had a couple of customers interested in the technology, but no products had been shipped yet.
The lenses of the glasses turn off and on alternately without the viewer noticing and give a clearer, cleaner picture than the "passive glasses" used in movie theaters today.
Many of the consumer 3-D products shipping today rely on older infrared technology, which can be limited by line of sight and can suffer interference from household lights. Freescale says its technology enables devices to operate from longer distances and removes vision barriers.
Jim McGregor, chief technology strategist at Scottsdale-based In-Stat, called Freescale's technology viable for the time being.
"Obviously we're stuck with the glasses environment for the next couple of years until autostereoscopic technology comes down in price," he said.
Autostereoscopy does not require the viewer to wear glasses to see 3-D.
"The first place you're going to see that technology realistically is going to be in mobile devices," McGregor said. "Right now . . . it's really only good for about one user to be able to view it."
Freescale's technology will be a bridge to expensive big-screen TVs equipped with 3-D technology that won't require headwear, he said.
Burchers said creating a 3-D haven in the home would be fairly expensive.
"Most of today's high-end TVs will support 3-D and then you simply need a 3-D DVD player, which you can get for as little as $250," he said. "And then the glasses. The estimates are they'll be coming out at ($100 for a pair). So, you get a new TV and for another $300 or $350 you can be watching 3-D."
Some Arizona firms attending CES
- Freescale Semiconductor Inc. based in Austin, Texas. The company, which has operations in Chandler and Tempe, announced there are 13 computer tablets for sale that feature its microprocessor technology. The tablets feature power management chips and sensors designed and manufactured in the metro area. The company says its technology will be inside 10 more tablets expected to be produced in roughly a month.
- iGo Inc. in Scottsdale said it will expand its portfolio of mobile accessories, including a light slim pocket projector capable of projecting videos from a Flip video camera, smartphone or other device; a compact USB charger for mini- and micro-USB or Apple devices; noise canceling headphones; sound disks that fit inside knit caps with a built-in microphone for smartphones.
- HPL LLC in Gilbert will be offering drying agents for electronics, including cellphones. The product is called Dry-ALL.
- IQ Smart Solutions will debut a mount to put an iPad on the car seat head rest so children or others in the back seat can watch shows or movies. The company also offers cellular-phone mounts for vehicles.
- Taser International Inc. in Scottsdale, known for its stun guns, said its Protector Safe Driver system for distracted driving will be available for sale for the first time at the CES. The device uses a base unit in the car, a handset application on the phone and software to lock down the smartphones of teenagers or others so they can't talk, text, e-mail or Web surf while driving. It costs $249.95 and there is a monthly subscription.
Freescale Semiconductor Inc. to unveil 3-D glasses
