XpandD hopes you don't miss the boat on Universal 3D glasses

CANNES -- One of the pleasures of covering the Cannes Film Festival is the occasional yacht soiree. It's even better when I can get a worthwhile consumer tidbit along with the champagne.

XpanD, which provides 3D for the festival, hosted a party to show off what it says is the first Universal 3D glasses They can be used used for any 3D-ready television, theater screen or PC monitor equipped with active shutter technology. At $125 the glasses will cost about $25 less than the manufacturer-specific competition, the company said.

XpanD hopes to release the glasses in the third or fourth quarter. Retailers, XpanD spokesman Jonathan Ross told WalletPop, will be able to stock just one brand of 3D wear, rather than all the models and parts that are compatible with each TV manufacturer and incompatible with the rest. Those savings can be passed on to the consumer as well. Currently, for example, when you buy a Panasonic TV, you have to buy Panasonic glasses. (One pair is usually complimentary when you buy a 3D telly, but you have Mrs. Couch Potato and the little couch potatoes to equip, too, right?)