Making 3-D Glasses Fashionable
3-D glasses are going in the direction of high fashion.
In recent days, both Gucci and Calvin Klein Inc. unveiled high-style 3-D glasses with price tags of $225 and $180, respectively. Now eyewear and apparel maker Oakley Inc., is diving into the third dimension with the release of a $120 3-D version of its popular Gascan model of sunglasses.
The glasses can be used for watching 3-D content on 3-D TV screens in the home and in the theater, except on IMAX and Dolby 3-D Digital Cinema screens.
But while the Oakley glasses combine style with 3-D technology, the glasses aren’t entirely multi-purpose–meaning consumers might not want to use them in both the 3-D theater and, say, on the ski slopes.
“You can use them outdoors, but they’re not optimized for outdoor use,” says Scott Smith, category manager for Oakley’s 3-D Optics. “We optimize our standard Oakley sunglasses for use outdoors. The light transmission in 3-D glasses is different. You’re going to get 40 to 50 percent light transmission with 3-D glasses.”
