ZigBee Alliance Begins Developing ZigBee 3D Sync Standard

LAS VEGAS — CES South Hall 1 Booth 21418 — The ZigBee® Alliance, a global ecosystem of organizations creating wireless solutions for use in energy management, residential, commercial and consumer applications, today announced it is developing a new standard to deliver the ultimate 3D viewing experience, ZigBee 3D Sync. The standard will create more flexible and efficient 3D connections between 3D HDTVs and 3D glasses.

ZigBee 3D Sync will replace 30 year-old infrared (IR) technology currently used in today’s 3D products by providing a standard robust radio frequency (RF) solution. It will allow consumers greater freedom of movement while wearing 3D glasses without disrupting gaming or 3D HDTV viewing. It will also eliminate interference due to ambient light sources. ZigBee 3D Sync will provide an innovative two-way communications between 3D glasses and equipment, allowing them to switch automatically between 2D and 3D video feeds. Plus, 3D glasses built using ZigBee 3D will use energy more efficiently, giving consumers more hours of 3D entertainment per charge.

The standard will deliver smarter functionality for 3D devices, including support for:

• Multi-vendor 3D glasses interoperability
• Fully programmable display frame rates and shutter open/close times
• Unlimited number of glasses
• Multiple user experience modes, for seamless switching between 3D and 2D
• Multi-player (full screen) 2D gaming, where each player receives a separate 2D image
• Multi-player 3D gaming, where each player receives a separate 3D image
• Frequency agility for interference avoidance

“When complete, ZigBee 3D Sync will help CE manufacturers deliver the best possible 3D experience for consumers,” said Bob Heile, chairman of the ZigBee Alliance. “ZigBee 3D Sync is the latest CE-oriented standard we are developing to replace outdated IR technology that no longer delivers the great experience consumers want and expect.”

ZigBee 3D Sync can be used simultaneously with the ZigBee Input Device and ZigBee Remote Control standards introduced last year for CE devices in response to strong interest from CE manufacturers. All three standards utilize the ZigBee RF4CE specification that was specifically designed to replace IR technology and give manufacturers the capability to deliver exceptional performance along with new features and conveniences not before possible.

When complete, ZigBee 3D Sync will be the Alliance’s ninth standard.