3D Television Without the Special Glasses

Philips, the electronics company, has created a 42-ins 3D TV set that gives viewers the impression of images leaping out at them. Experts believe the development will revolutionise the TV viewing experience because people will feel that they are not just watching the action but are actually in it.

"If you are a big fan of EastEnders, you will feel as if you’ve been invited into the homes of your favourite characters,” said Ben Nicholls, business development director at Picture Production Company (PPC), which is developing content for the new 3D TV set.

"You’ll feel as if you are actually in Pat Butcher’s kitchen, and if you are a big football fan, you’ll feel as if you are watching the game with the rest of the supporters. It's a totally immersive experience that makes people feel incredible involved in what's going on."

Philips is already selling the sets to the commercial advertising market for up to £20,000 each, but the company is confident that cheaper versions costing £1,200 will be available for consumers in three years' time when enough content is available to justify splashing out on the new technology. To see a three-dimensional image on a flat television screen, the viewer's right and left eyes need to see slightly different images, taken from different angles, to trick the brain into thinking it is seeing a 3D object.

For decades this has been achieved by viewers wearing special glasses which feed a slightly different image to the right and left eyes, using different coloured lenses. Philips has dispensed with the need for glasses by placing a lens on the screen with creates the same effect. The technology comes at a time when Hollywood studios are becoming increasingly interested in making films in 3D.

Animated 3D children's films, such as The Polar Express and Disney's Meet the Robinsons, have been hugely successful, and prominent directors, including James Cameron and Steven Spielberg, are currently working on 3D films scheduled for release next year. Mark Hurry, the director of legal and commercial at PPC, predicted that 3D sets would follow the success of high-definition television screens.

"The early adopters will be companies looking for innovative ways to attract passers-by, but it will only be a matter of time before the demand for 3D TV grows so much that consumers will want it in their homes," he said.

"Content owners and production companies should be thinking now about 3D as a new way of reviving their back catalogues."

By Nicole Martin, Telegraph