Expo: Carl Zeiss plans improvements to Cinemizer video eyewear

An updated version of the Cinemizer video eyewear from developer Carl Zeiss will add a high-resolution LCD screen to the iPod accessory.

The Cinemizer looks like a pair of glasses that come equipped with screens where the lenses would be. Connect it to your iPod and you’re able to watch movies and TV shows stored on the device via the eyewear.

In addition the high-resolution LCD screens, the new Cinemizer plus gives users the ability to individually adjust the focus of the screens for clear viewing, even if the user wears glasses (the non-video-playing variety, that is). The image is optically tuned to appear as a virtual 45-inch diagonal screen, as viewed from six feet away.

Like its predecessor, the Cinemizer plus has on-ear headphones, but this latest version has the ability to override the built in headphones. Users can therefore plug in high-end audio equipment.

Other changes address comfort. Two additional nose-pad adapters and sliding earpieces, made of softer material, provide for a better, more customized fit. Users will also find the controls have been moved from the cables to the battery pack.

Both the original and plus versions of the Cinemizer feature a 3-D mode. Both products are designed to work with iPod devices that show video as well as the original and 3G iPhones.

Carl Zeiss says the Cinemizer plus will be available in the U.S., UK and Germany after March 2009. The original Cinemizer is still available for $449 in the U.S.