Introduction to the LG 55LW5600 55" LED LCD HDTV

I first saw the passive 3D LCD displays at the 2011 Consumer Electronics Show and was immediately drawn in by their crisp bright displays and limited crosstalk. Fellow Secrets team member Chris Heinonen and I recently took a look at the 55LW5600, a 55” 3D LED LCD HDTV from LG.

The LG 5600 uses a passive 3D system, which uses a Film Pattern Retarder to allow the use of simple polarized glasses. The Active Retarder is basically another layer in front of the LCD panel that alternates circular polarized light - clockwise for one eye, and counter-clockwise for the other. It is very similar to how RealD works in the theater; in fact, the same 3D glasses can be used with the LG. This is a major selling point for people who frequently have a group of friends over to watch movies and play games. Being able to hand out eight pairs of 3D glasses to everyone in the room is not something easily accomplished with expensive active shutter glasses. Slap on a solid price point and that makes for a pretty enticing offer to step into the world of 3D displays.