antoinetice: VideoEFx box transforms your 2D content into 3D (hands-on)

Saturday, January 8, 2011

VideoEFx box transforms your 2D content into 3D (hands-on)

3DTV is "cool and all," but one of the biggest challenges to its adoption is a lack of substantial content. VideoEFx is a small company with a nondescript booth situated somewhere in the ginormous Las Vegas Convention Center, but what it's showing off is quite remarkable. A small black box about the size of an iPhone, it can take any 2D content and convert it to 3D in real time. Our first impression was one of amazement, especially given the fact that we were watching ourselves in real time through a standard 2D video camera hooked up to the TVs in the booth. When we asked how such a thing could be possible, we got hints about some ~~fairy magic~~ creative engineering that employs similar visual cues that your eye processes when you look at anything. Apparently some broadcasting companies have expressed interest in using the tech to power their own 3D streams due to the simplicity (and cost effectiveness, we assume) over current 3D filming solutions. We know you can't experience it from wherever you're tuning in, but take our word that this is some seriously impressive stuff -- even if other companies have achieved similar 2D to 3D conversion magic within TVs before. Still, not all sets offer this capability, and this even doubles as a three port HDMI switch. It'll carry a $400 price tag when it lands in April.

Gallery: VideoEFx 2D to 3D conversion box hands-on