Mitsubishi is sharing its wealth of new-found 3D TV signals with its rivals. The company just announced that its upcoming 3DC-100S 3D Starter Pack will be compatible with Samsung's 3D-ready DLP HDTVs.
In case you don't have your 3D TV history book handy, Mitsubishi has been selling 3D TVs for years, in the form of rear projection DLP sets. Apparently, they weren't the only ones, however. Samsung sold similar models from 2007 to 2009. Both were geared toward gamers and PC content as these were the primary sources for 3D content before Blu-ray 3D. When the 3D TV game changed last year, those early adopters suddenly didn't seem to be so ahead of the curve. See, the sets aren't compatible with the new 3D signals from Blu-ray 3D players or cable and satellite set-top boxes -- at least not on their own.
Last year, Mitsubishi announced a solution in the form of the 3D-A1 3D adapter and 3DC-1000 3D Starter Pack. This 3D adapter, which is available on its own or as part of the starter pack, converts 3D signals for HDMI 1.4a to the 3D checkerboard output that Mitsubishi 3D DLP sets required. It was great for those customers, but not that awesome if you were an owner of one of those older 3D-ready Samsung DLP TVs. The Mitsubishi adapter was programmed to only work with Mitsubishi TVs. As Engadget points out, some customers have been tweaking the existing Mitsubishi kit to their advantage or combining it with an additional adapter to "spoof" the Mitsubishi TV's 3D EDID codes. Now, these owners no longer have to do so.
Mitsubishi has announced a new and improved kit -- the 3DC-100S 3D Starter Pack -- which is compatible with both brands (see the chart below for details on compatible models). The new $449.99 (MSRP) kit still includes two pairs of active-shutter 3D eyewear, a 3D emitter and an HDMI cable, but has an updated version of the 3D Adapter with remote. There's also a Disney demo disc with 3D trailers for A Christmas Carol, Alice In Wonderland and Toy Story 3, as well as the studio's 3D short with Lion King characters Timon and Pumba.
For now, the new 3DC-100S kit will only be available directly from Mitsubishi. However, Amazon is still selling the older version. Just make sure that your set is compatible before you buy.
Where to Buy:
For More Information:
