Nvidia Launched 3D Vision Pro For Professional Graphics Applications

Nvidia on Monday released its 3D Vision Pro technology -- a combination of software for graphics applications and peripheral hardware for its Quadro enterprise-level graphics processors -- through select channel partners.

3D Vision Pro includes Quadro processors, displays, projectors, wireless shutter glasses and an RF communication hub, as well as software for graphics applications with support for full stereoscopic 3D and HD. Aimed at the high-performance GPU space and based on Nvidia's Fermi architecture for parallel processing, 3D Vision Pro supports Windows XP, Windows Vista and both 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Windows 7 and Linux. It is available from PNY Technologies in the Americas and Europe.

The RF-based communication hub that comes with 3D Vision Pro is functional at a range of up to 100 feet, regardless of line-of-sight. Designed for multiple users, RF communication nevertheless relies on bi-directional communication between the stereoscopic glasses and the emitter.

Nvidia's 3D Vision Pro is aimed at professional 3D applications, such as video walls, theaters and studios, as well as digital content creation, production design, and medicine, according to a statement from Nvidia. In order to run those applications on Fermi-based Quadro graphics cards, high-end graphics users will require HD entertainment equipment, including a 120 Hz desktop LCD monitor.

Quadro is Nvidia's Fermi-based processor family for the enterprise space. In October, Nvidia released the latest Quadro GPUs, the Quadro 2000 and Quadro 600, for high-end and entry-level users respectively.

The Quadro 600 graphics card is for basic, entry-level users and features 96 CUDA processor cores, while the more powerful Quadro 2000 runs on 192 CUDA cores. The Quadro 600 is only half the height of the 2000 model but it can interact with larger more complex models and offers more efficient performance per watt.

Those entry-level users can take advantage of Nvidia's 3D Vision technology for the home entertainment space. Nvidia in October launched Nvidia 3D TV Play software, bringing a similar 3D hardware and software bundle to the consumer space. Nvidia's 3D TV Play allows users to connect notebooks and PCs with Nvidia's 3D vision technology to 3D HDTVs, bringing 3D games, photos and Blu-ray to 3D HDTVs.

In December, Nvidia launched the NVS 300 graphics processor, a Fermi-based parallel processing GPU for mission-critical applications including control centers and digital signage installations. The NVS 300 is capable of powering up to eight displays at resolutions of up to 2560x1600, while improving power efficiency.

Next: Rumors Regarding Nvidia's Tegra

Also on Monday, TechEye reported that it has obtained a slide intended for an Nvidia presentation to be held at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona next month featuring a 3D version of its Tegra 2 processor . According to the report, Nvidia will ship a Tegra 2 processor that will become the first mobile 3D graphics processor on the market in the first quarter of 2011. The processor will reportedly be based on a dual-core ARM Cortex A9 CPU clocked at up to 1.2 GHz.

The latest rumor follows reports from last week stating that Nvidia's upcoming Tegra 3 chipset will be unveiled at MWCnext month, and that Nvidia's Tegra processors will follow a yearly product refresh cycle.