What Is a 3D Receiver?

A 3D receiver is a home theater component built specifically to move 3D images from a Blu-ray™ player to a 3D television set. The receiver itself has 3D capabilities so that wiring between the player and television is minimal. In addition, the receiver centralizes component controls, such as speakers, radio, Blu-ray™ player, and alternative auxiliary attachments.

Three-dimensional television viewing requires a 3D television, 3D Blu-ray™ player, and 3D glasses. As the availability of 3D movies increases, many households are upgrading their home theater speaker systems as well by adding a 3D receiver to control the various components throughout a living space. Although 3D receivers are not mandatory for viewing a 3D movie, they provide easier wiring installation and high-quality sound output.

Wiring a 3D Blu-ray™ player to a 3D television without a 3D receiver requires two wires, including a high definition multimedia interface (HDMI) cable and a coaxial cable. This configuration does not allow the full sound quality to pass through the home's speakers since the coaxial cable cannot transfer the sound from the 3D Blu-ray™ correctly through the older wiring technology. As a solution, a 3D receiver — which only requires one HDMI cable — can be added to the home's theater system. The Blu-ray™ player's rich sounds will emanate through the home to enhance the 3D experience.

Many homes use various electronics in the main living space, like cable boxes, compact disc (CD) changers, MPEG-2 Audio Layer III (MP3) players, and turntables. The 3D receiver can have multiple electronics attached to its components to allow sounds and images to play through the home's theater system. As a result, only one remote control would be needed to control multiple devices, rather than several controllers within one living space.

Each manufacturer offers different features for the 3D receiver. One main feature is power rating. Less expensive receivers will only support a small power output, which produces reduced volume across the attached speakers. Consumers should verify the power needed for each attached speaker before purchasing a 3D receiver. Many electronics stores will help configure a system specifically for a customer's particular home theater system.

Households with many electronic devices may want to consider a 3D player with Bluetooth® technology. Bluetooth® capability can allow sound playback through the 3D receiver from nearby devices without a hard wired connection. In fact, some 3D receiver models have an accessible Universal Serial Bus (USB) port on the front panel to allow auxiliary device connections, such as from a compact flash card storage holder.