At IFA 2011 Toshiba announced the first large-size glasses-free 3DTV. The new Toshiba ZL2 will be available in 55 inches, with a 4Kx2K (3840x2160) LCD panel, by December 2011. Price? 8000 Euro.

Toshiba ZL2: glasses-free 55” 3DTV with 4K resolution
In a surprise move, Toshiba announced a no-glasses 55-inch 3DTV at IFA 2011. The TV also features an impressive 3840x2160 pixel resolution and LED backlight.


Toshiba’s glasses-free 55-inch 3DTV - 55ZL2

Toshiba’s new TV will be called ZL2 and is the first of its kind. It reproduces 3D images without the need for 3D glasses by using a lenticular lens technology that creates parallax left and right images in order to create depth perception. In addition, Toshiba has added a Face tracking camera that adjusts the nine 3D viewing angles based on the position of the viewer.


Toshiba’s glasses-free 55-inch 3DTV - 55ZL2

With this no-glasses 3D technology 3d resolution is decreased but Toshiba hopes to compensate by incorporating an extremely high resolution panel with 3840x2160 pixels (Quad HD) - much higher than the current Full HD (1920x1080) standard.


Toshiba’s glasses-free 55-inch 3DTV - 55ZL2

Another novel feature for a no-glasses-3DTV is the option to watch 2D content. Toshiba says that it is possible to switch between 3D and 2D mode. In the 2D mode the TV can utilize the full 4Kx2K resolution by up-converting low-resolution and Full HD content using the built-in CEVO Engine that also processes 3D images. A 2D-to-3D conversion function is also included.


Toshiba’s glasses-free 55-inch 3DTV - 55ZL2

Other specifications include: auto-calibration, integrated HD tuners, built-in WiFi, USB HDD recording, USB playback, DLNA streaming and Toshiba Places; a Smart TV platform with internet access to a range of TV Apps such as Facebook and YouTube.

A 55-inch version of the ZL2 will be available in Europe in December 2011 called 55ZL2. It is expected to cost around 8000 Euro. A different variant is expected in the US and Asia in 2012.