3D Glasses for a Projector: DLP-Link, RF, or an Emitter

A DLP-Link pair: XGIMI's active shutter glasses, which XGIMI lists for its own and "other DLP-LINK 3D projectors". Image: XGIMI.

Which glasses your projector takes

1. Read the 3D page of the manual. It names the glasses or the system. Optoma's data sheet for the HD146X: "3D content can be viewed with DLP Link active shutter 3D glasses" [4]. Epson's guide for the Home Cinema 3200 and 3800 asks for "a pair of Epson RF 3D glasses (not included with your projector)" [2].
2. Or open the projector's 3D menu. An Optoma user manual (its cover names no model, only "DLP® Projector") has a setting called 3D Tech with two choices: "DLP-Link: Select to use optimized settings for DLP 3D Glasses" and "3D Sync: Select to use optimized settings for IR, RF or polarized 3D Glasses" [5].

What each maker's own page names, and the pair it sells:

Prices are the makers' own US store listings, read from outside the United States.

Last checked October 11, 2026: prices and listings.

Do you need an emitter?

With DLP-Link, no. Projector Reviews' technical overview says "no separate transmitter/emitter is needed" [25]. By Wikipedia's account, the projector keeps the glasses in step by "embedding briefly-flashed white frames" between pictures, "which are picked up by the LC shutter glasses" [1]. XGIMI says its pair "only turn on when it receives DLP-Link’s signal" [8].

With Epson's RF models, none is listed. The guide for the Home Cinema 3200 and 3800 lists a 3D video device, an HDMI cable and the glasses, and has you pair the glasses with the projector [2].

With JVC's DLA-NZ800 and DLA-NZ900, yes. The manual: "By using the 3D Glasses (PK-AG3) and 3D Synchro Emitter (PK-EM2), both sold separately, you can enjoy 3D video images" [3]. JVC's US page calls the PK-EM2 an "Optional 3D RF Emitter" [24].

A kit with an emitter for a DLP projector. The Optoma manual has a separate setting for glasses that are not DLP-Link: 3D Sync, the choice "for IR, RF or polarized 3D Glasses" [5]. It does not say what else they need.

Glasses from another brand, or from a 3D TV

The makers tie the answer to the sync system. We have not tested any pair.

On a BenQ projector, BenQ says another brand's DLP-Link pair is compatible: "Any 3D active shutter glasses that support 96 to 144Hz frequency and synchronous DLP-Link are compatible with BenQ projectors with 3D features" [6]. XGIMI, from the glasses side, lists its pair for "other DLP-LINK 3D projectors" [8].

BenQ attaches two conditions:

• The frequency range. BenQ asks for 96 to 144 Hz [6], and the Optoma manual says a 1080p 24 Hz 3D input "will run in 144Hz" [5]. A pair whose listing stops short of 144 Hz does not meet BenQ's condition.
• Reception. BenQ adds that "there may be differences in signal reception capabilities for different brands", which affect the picture and the distance at which the glasses stay in sync [6]. Its buying article goes further and advises glasses "produced by the same manufacturer as your projector" [15].

On an Epson RF projector, Epson's answer, published in 2013 on the Home Cinema 2030's support page, is that "3D active shutter glasses with Full HD RF 3D certification are compatible", shown by a Full HD RF 3D logo, and that "Epson does not guarantee the performance of Epson compatible RF 3D active shutter glasses" [16]. Epson's own pair, the ELPGS03, is marked "Discontinued" on its product page [13].

Glasses from a 3D TV face the same conditions: DLP-Link for a BenQ [6], the Full HD RF 3D logo for an Epson [16]. Which signal each TV brand used is in 3D glasses for a 3D TV.

When a pair will not sync, or the 3D looks wrong

Each fix is the named maker's, for its own projectors. Another maker's menu may differ.

If the projector's 3D mode itself will not turn on, see 3D greyed out or not working.

What owners report

Three owners' own accounts from Blu-ray Forum, one person each. We have not tested any glasses.

• Swapped eyes on bright scenes (an Optoma, October 2022). An owner whose Optoma pairs were no longer available bought three cheaper ones; with each, "each time there's a big flash on screen" the 3D reversed. Two days later: "I tried changing the 3D settings on the projector last night to reverse the 3D at the source, and bingo! The glasses sync perfectly now" [20].
• Green flashes (BenQ TK700STi, March 2025). An owner sent the projector back to BenQ before finding the cause: "It turned out that it was the glasses. Several different brands of glasses did not work." XGIMI's pair "worked with almost none of the 'green flash' issue on bright images" [21].
• A lost emitter (Sony HW30ES, January 2025). An owner who "originally had the IR emitter" and lost it: "I’ve looked for a replacement online but I can’t find anything in stock". Later that month, after trying two cables another member suggested: "nothing has worked so far" [22].

Not every owner in those threads had trouble. One with an Optoma, October 2022: "my Chinesium and XPand 3D glasses all seem to come back in sync correctly" [20]. One with BenQ projectors, February 2024: "Brightness of a scene has never caused any problems" [21].

Frequently asked questions

Can a home projector use passive glasses, like the cinema's?

BenQ's answer is no: "Projectors only work with active 3D display standards" [23]. The passive routes in our 3D projectors guide take a polarizing add-on or two projectors. How each kind of glasses works is in types of 3D glasses.

Does the screen matter for the glasses?

It can. JVC warns that its PK-AG3 glasses "may not work with certain polarized/Ambient Light Rejecting screen materials", where the picture "may be excessively dark" [3].

Do the glasses come with the projector?

Not with the three we checked. Epson's guide says its RF glasses are "not included with your projector" [2], Optoma's data sheet for the HD146X says glasses "are sold separately" [4], and JVC sells both the glasses and the emitter separately [3].