The unofficial i-Art Eye3D Premium (4-in-1) page
by Christoph Bungert

page initialy released on Dec. 10, 2000

The Eye3D Premium by i-Art is a 3D-shutterglasses system for real 3D visuals on a standard tube monitor.

Just a few weeks ago I got my hands on the Another Eye2000 where I experienced full manual control for all imaginable 3D-modes for the first time. Now the second product with these features surfaced, the Eye3D-Premium.

For the past 4 years I was begging the 3D-industry to come up with a system which not only supports all imaginable 3D-formats (like H3D or Eye3D-4-in-1), but also gives the user full manual control over all modes. Only full manual control guarantees 100% comatibility to all 3D-drivers, native 3D-programs and 3D-content (such as images and videos) under any operating system.

The Eye3D Premium system consists of a universal 4-in-1 VGA-pass-through controller, 1 pair of IR-glasses, 1 pair of wired glasses, headbands, VGA- and USB-cable, printed manual, Wicked3D universal game driver, 3D-PowerDVD-player, VRShow-CD and Showcase-CD.

The Premium IR-glasses are a combination of wired and wireless glasses - a hybrid. A tiny IR-receiver is plugged into the glasses. From there goes a cable to a little battery box. The battery box is clipped to the users shirt or trousers and has a reverse button and a red control LED. In case the battery fails the glasses can also be wired to the controller directly. At 60 g (without battery box) the glasses can't beat the 45g of the wireless Revelator/H3D-type glasses, but they're larger and fit over prescribed glasses more nicely.

The quality of synchronization is good in both wired and wireless mode. On the wire the quality is a tick better. *)

For more pro and con check the Pro & Con table below.

Verdict: The i-Art Eye3D Premium comes with the most versatile controller of all time. The glasses are light, comfortable and of good optic quality. The system beats it's predecessor Eye3D-4-in-1, as well as the new AnotherEye2000. If there is any flaw it's the price tag of $199.

*) Inaccuracies in synchronization may appear as darker stripes on top or bottom of the screen, uneven distribution of brightness over the screen or perceivable flicker even at high refresh. The effect varies with graphics mode, refresh, vga-board, monitor, cabling and may even spread within the same controller model line.

This short review isn't intended for beginners,
since terms like line-blanking or sync-doubling
aren't explained here.

Please check
the gaming basics,
the FAQ,
the basics,
the formats,
the index

You can also post questions to the webboard.
 
 

Eye3D Model Overview

There are at least 5 Eye3D models:

Eye3D 4-in-1 Premium : comes with 2 glasses, lightweigt wired and wireless glasses, full manual control, advanced circuitry supports higher resolutions and refresh rates than the other models

Eye3D 4-in-1 (old battery): large wireless model with exotic 12V battery and shorter battery life,
manual control for everything, except for sync-doubler mode

Eye3D 4-in-1 (new battery): same wireless model with common battery and longer battery life

Eye3D 3-in-1 : same larger wireless glasses as above, may also exist in old and new battery version, controller lacks "line-blanker" device for legal reasons, full manual control

Eye3D 3-in-1 PCI wired: low cost design, lightweight wired glasses, no sync-doubler, no manual control, PCI card

Software package may vary, but always comes with Wicked3D game driver CD
 

Eye3D 4-in-1 Premium Pro & Con

Pro

Con

glasses: + comes with 2 pairs of glasses + light and comfortable  + 60 g wireless glasses + 55 g wired glasses + fits over prescribed glasses + large, clear and distortion free LCD-panels + wired and wireless operation + removable, adjustable headband + IR-glasses also work as wired glasses in case IR fails or battery is low controller: + most flexible and compatible controller imaginable + compatible to everything now and forever + full manual control & full automatic control  + supports Eye3D and  classic-H3D color codes + compatible to any stereo-driver, stereo-software or stereo-content including Wicked3D, Revelator, VRCaddy and ASUS drivers + autosync to page-flipping and interlace + sync-doubler + line-blanker + reverse button + informative status LED + supports wired and wireless glasses + IR-emitter supports at least Eye3D, VirtualEyes, 3D-Max(IR) and several 3DTV IR-glasses + 2 standard 3.5 mm stereo connectors for wired glasses + draws power from USB-port (no USB-driver required) + no external power-source or VGA-power-pin required + low impact on VGA-signal quality + supports high resolutions and refresh rates software: + comes with 4 CD's: Wicked3D universal game driver, 3D-Power-DVD-Player, VRShow, Showcase + informative printed manual

glasses: - external battery box makes wireless glasses somewhat less easy to use than normal wireless glasses  - cable of the IR-glasses are quite short for wired operation, but i-Art thinks about adding an extra cable to the package   controller: - requires USB port for power (no USB-driver required) - no VESA DIN-3 connectors

How to use Eye3D Premium with ELSA Revelator drivers
(for ELSA and NVidia powered boards only)

- Push Mode button until LED goes red
- Choose stereo orientation with Reverse button

How to use Eye3D Premium with ASUS drivers
(for ASUS boards only)

- Push Mode button until LED goes red
- Choose stereo orientation with button R

 

4-in-1 Premium Controller
control LED - mode button - reverse button

The VGA-pass-through controller syncs to any page-flipping or interlace signal and also provides line-blanking and sync-doubling.

I pushed it up to 1280x1024@75Hz line-blanking and
1280x1024@75/150Hz sync-doubling.
No problems!
 

Sample provided by
i-Art Corporation
 

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