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How to View 3D Photos on Your 3D TV
By Jason Hurst, General Manager of PC Products, 3DMedia
If you purchased a 3D TV, you’re probably eager to watch as much 3D content as possible. When people think of watching 3D TV, they usually envision 3D videos, either in the form of Hollywood movies or broadcast content. However, in recent years, many people have also enjoyed looking at their photographs on their TVs, and 3D photos on 3D TVs are even more compelling. Why not view 3D photos on your biggest screen, where they can be most immersive? Here are some ways you can create a setup to do this.
The latest Panasonic and LG 3D TV models have a 3D photo viewer application built in, which makes the process of viewing 3D photos very easy. Just copy the 3D picture files onto a USB drive (Panasonic also supports SD card) and insert it into the corresponding TV interface. The TV should recognize the content and start the photo viewer. The most recent Panasonic 3D TV models are from the Viera series, all of which should include a 3D photo viewer. LG started including a 3D viewer with its Infinia series (now discontinued), and all its currently available 3D TVs should include a 3D photo viewer.
If you own another type of 3D TV, you’ll need an external device to send the 3D photo files to your TV via an HDMI connection. Several such devices are available.
- The Sony PlayStation 3 can show 3D pictures on 3D TVs using its PlayMemories application. You can get 3D image files into your PlayStation by connecting a USB drive (or flash card on some models), copying them from a drive on your local network, or downloading them from the internet using the unit’s built-in web browser.
- The latest series of Panasonic 3D Blu-ray players (“DMP-BDT” models) can play back 3D photos stored on USB drives, SD cards, or optical media (CDs, DVDs, or Blu-ray discs).
- PCs that include HDMI outputs can drive 3D content onto 3D TVs, if 3D photo viewer software is available that supports side-by-side output.
- Several 3D camera models include HDMI interfaces that can send 3D pictures from the camera directly to a 3D TV. Olympus has several single-lens 3D camera models that include this feature, such as the TG-610 and TG-310. Several of Sony’s “Sweep Panorama” 3D cameras offer this feature, as does its dual-lens Bloggie 3D camera.
As support for 3D content continues to increase, other devices that connect to TVs and can play back 3D photos will likely be arriving soon.
Most hardware devices that work with 3D photos, including all of the above, support only the MPO (Multi-Picture Object) format. So your 3D pictures should be in this format (the files should be named filename.MPO). You can find 3D photos in MPO format on the web, or create your own using a 3D camera or a regular 2D camera and 3D photo creation software.
Don’t let your big screen go to waste waiting for new 3D releases from the major studios. You can easily create, find, and view 3D photos that look great in your living room.
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