Hi,
I have to throw this out there as it is sorely lacking in any 3D forums I have read. I have a 40" Coby 3DTV (Model LED3DTV4086) and have no clue as to what specific active 3D glasses may be compatible. I believe this to be a 2011 model. Perhaps an expert could narrow down the likeliest possibilities. Does anyone know what 3D specs might work with this obscure old TV?
Best regards,
-Jeff
Hi, Jeff,
We get this type of question from time to time. 3D-capable TVs (and their glasses) were pretty popular from 2010 to 2015 but not popular enough for manufacturers to keep making them. Consumers just didn't like having to wear glasses to watch 3D content, and the "glasses-free" 3D TVs were pretty uniformly terrible. These days 3D-capable displays are rare, except for projectors. And finding compatible 3D glasses for older sets or even for current model 3D projectors can be tricky.
The Coby LED3DTV4086 (40 inch) and LED3DTV5586 (55 inch) TVs were indeed 3D-capable and came out around 2011-2012. As you mentioned, they used active shutter 3D glasses technology but details on which type of active shutter technology they used are difficult to determine. Fortunately there are only three types of active 3D glasses available: Infrared (IR), Radio Frequency (RF/Bluetooth) and DLP-Link active shutter 3D glasses.
DLP-Link active shutter 3D glasses only work with DLP projectors, so you can rule those out. IR-based 3D glasses were generally only used with the very first generation of 3D TVs, available in 2010. IR 3D glasses technology was also used in some 3D-capable projectors. But in late 2010/early 2011, the industry announced a Full HD 3D active shutter glasses standard using RF/Bluetooth technology so synch the TV and glasses. This standard was adopted by most major 3D-capable display manufacturers.
So if I had to guess, I would say that your Coby TV probably uses RF/Bluetooth 3D glasses. If this is true, then you can probably use any manufacturer's Bluetooth 3D glasses with your TV. I have a collection of Bluetooth 3D glasses made by different manufacturers: XPand, Panasonic, Samsung and Seiko/Epson. All of these glasses work well with my 3D-capable Samsung plasma display and my Epson 3D projector.
I'd recommend trying any inexpensive pair of Bluetooth 3D glasses and see if they synch with your TV. To get them to synch, you'll need to play some 3D content (like a Blu-ray 3D disc) on a Blu-ray 3D-capable player. If the 3D is working, you should see a doubled/out of focus 3D image on your TV without any glasses on. Once you see this, power up the glasses and hit the "synch" or "mode" button on the glasses and see if the image through the glasses locks into focus and becomes 3D.
Here's a pair on Amazon that looks promising (about $30 for 2 pairs):
Here's another brand, which sells for about $26 a pair:
If they work, you can buy more like that for your friends and family. If they don't work, then see if you can find an inexpensive pair of IR 3D glasses and try again. The Sony PS3 3D glasses are IR-based and may be available used online. I used to use these with a Panasonic 3D projector that still used IR-based 3D glasses.
The other option would be to buy a pair of truly universal 3D glasses, which work with both IR and RF-based 3D TVs. But these tend to be more expensive, and since they stopped manufacturing them a few years ago, the rechargeable battery in them may or may not work. Here's a pair of universal 3D glasses from XPand:
You can also search for used COBY 3D glasses online. I did find one or two sites that had them listed as in stock (used). But buying used items might be a bit risky.
Good luck and let us know how it goes so we can help out the next guy (or gal) looking for the same thing.
