We’re still supremely skeptical about 3D TV’s considering the sheer lack of content. 3D blu-ray discs are coming, but slowly trickling out. You’ll find a few 3D channels here and there, but not a whole lot. You’d have to go to DirecTV to find the few channels. Although, if you’re on cable, certain providers offer 3D programing on-demand, which is interesting.

Unfortunately, you still need glasses that cost around $100-$200 each. Toshiba aims to change all of that.

Keep one thing in mind. Nintendo’s 3DS also does 3D without glasses, but on a much smaller screen than you TV, 3DS can get away with a lot. Still, we were impressed enough with 3DS to get in an hour long line at E3 just to get some playtime with it.

At this past CES, we did spy a few 3D sets without the need for glasses, but shift your viewing angle slightly and the image is blurred or skewed enough to be annoying. The promise is there though.

While the viewing angles were limited, the no-glasses screens did an admirable job. We suspect some type of barrier or filter on the screen, much like the 3DS to accomplish this feat of 3D trickery.

Toshiba’s announcement is really surprising though. Consider that we rated Toshiba’s 3D/Cell TV’s better than all the other 3D screens we saw at CES, and you know we’ve got high praise for these guys.

The thing is, the demo in January all had glasses. Stateside, these sets have yet to launch or are in limited availability. On top of sharp colors and images, the ability to convert 2D content to 3D was impressive. While converted 3D was noticeably “flatter” than a native 3D image, the effect was still quality enough to bend the truth slightly.

A report from The Yomiuri Shimbun in Japan indicates a late 2010 release for three models.

We’re floored, but if Toshiba pulls it off (and includes the 2D to 3D up-convert feature), they may have changed the game and won the war before everyone else. A little payback for HD-DVD? Take that Sony and BluRay!

The release will be in time for “shopping” season according to the article, so along with multi-colored Santa’s in Tokyo, you’ll also see images jumping off the screen without glasses.

Cool!

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