You've probably seen a 3D movie in the cinema, or heard about the impressive new 3D TVs that have arrived, and maybe you decided you want one too! But you may have a few burning questions:

What is a 3D TV? How does it work? What should I know before purchasing one?

Far from being a new fantastical revelation, 3D is as old as the hills. Well, as old as creatures with two eyes. So what makes the latest technology so exciting?

3D Vision in humans, works by using our two eyes to see things from two slightly different angles. If you shut one eye, and try to pick something up, you might find that it's a lot harder than with both eyes open. This is because the small distance between your eyes is what allows you to perceive depth. In a TV, everything happens on a single flat panel, with no depth or texture. So, to give the illusion of 3D on a flat surface, Hisense uses the brain's ability to construct 3D images with two separate eyes, to create the perception that you are viewing in 3D from our 3D LED TVs.

We do this by providing two slightly perspectives to each eye, and getting your brain to turn that into 3D, in the same way it does with the real world.

There are two main types of 3D technology that are ready for use now. Commonly known as 'active' and 'passive', Hisense utilises the Active-shutter technology. This is going to be the way most people will end up seeing 3D in their homes. With this technology, the TV is pretty much the same as your current television, but with some increased performance to make the 3D look as good as possible. To see 3D, you will need a special pair of 3D glasses that contain a system that shuts off the light to one eye, then the other, ultimately producing the 3D effect we have all come to love so much!

Hisense introduced their amazing range of 3D units to South Africa in June 2010 at their 3D TV launch at the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town.