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28 March 2024

3D computers to hit UAE market in Q3 2010

Games and movies are increasingly being made in 3D. (SUPPLIED)

Published
By Nancy Sudheer

After TV manufacturers, it is now the turn of computer makers to adopt 3D for desktops and laptops with the third dimension set to hit the UAE markets by the third quarter of this year.

Manufacturers such as Toshiba are planning to launch their 3D Dynabook TX/98MB laptop, which it says is the first laptop to play 3D Blu-ray discs. It will be available in the UAE in the third quarter of this year, confirmed Santosh Varghese, regional GM MEA at Toshiba.

Graphics card and chipmaker NVIDIA make the computer guts that will help create the 3D magic on screen for many of the new machines.

"Computers and laptops that are 3D vision capable are available right now. The manufacturers vary from region to region for notebooks we have companies such as Asus and Toshiba that have 3D vision notebooks. Bigger OEMs such as Samsung, Viewsonic, Alienware and Acer have released 3D vision screens. They will be soon joined by LG and Asus," said Ben Berraondo, Communication Manager UK and Northern Europe at NVIDIA.

The company's CEO Jen-Hsun Huang made a keynote speech at Computex, Asia's biggest IT trade fair, in Taipei last week setting out the company's 3D stall.

"This is the beginning of the 3D PC revolution," he was quoted as saying by tech news website TG Daily. "It's been 10 years since there's been a revolutionary change in gaming graphics."

Chandan Mehta, product manager at Fujitsu Technology Solutions for the UAE also confirmed that it plans to bring its desktop computer that can play 3D content, convert 2D DVDs to 3D and even has a 3D camera to UAE next year. "This is by far one of the most captivating technologies ever introduced on the PC," said Hidehito Murato, Chief Marketing Executive at Toshiba in an NVIDIA press release. "The era of 3D is upon us."

Taiwan-based ASUSTek was the first off the drawing board and into the shops with the launch of its G51 3D late last year, which was branded as "the world's first true 3D ready notebook".

"We believe 3D is now an important part of the market," ASUSTek spokeswoman Jenny Lee told AFP. "More and more games and movies are being made in 3D. We think there is a huge demand for 3D computers." And many content producers agree.

The FIFA World Cup, which kicks off in Johannesburg tomorrow will for the first time be filmed in 3D and broadcast in selected public viewing areas across the world, Sony said.

The opening ceremony will also be shown in 3D to fans at six FIFA viewing sites in cities around the world.

Samsung, the world's largest maker of flat-screen televisions, said it may raise this year's sales target for 3D TVs. (with inputs from AFP)