Why can't some monitors do lightboost?

[Logun]

What is it that lightboost does that some monitors cannot handle? I wanted to try it out on my a Dell U3011 but it's not listed as LightBoost compatible.....

[sharknice]

It requires a special backlight that can be strobed and special hardware in the monitor that accepts a signal for it to be strobed.
They originally added it for better 3D which is why it is only in 3D monitors.

[Logun]

Is it specific to monitors or will something like a 3D capable Plasma TV be able to do the same?

[sharknice]

Is it specific to monitors or will something like a 3D capable Plasma TV be able to do the same?

It is specific to monitors with the LightBoost 2 technology, there are only a couple monitors that have it. Even 3D monitors with the original LightBoost 1 technology cannot do it.

[Logun]

K Thanks!

[Chief Blur Buster]

Is it specific to monitors or will something like a 3D capable Plasma TV be able to do the same?

Non-3D capable plasmas are already flickering like LightBoost. Plasma doesn't need LightBoost.

LightBoost is a strobe backlight.
See high speed video of LightBoost:

phpBB [video]

Strobing/flickering eliminates motion blur, regardless of tech (CRT flicker, plasma flicker). LightBoost is just a method of allowing an LCD to flicker (hopefully beyond your flicker fusion threshold) for the purpose of motion blur elimination. In a more detailed explanation -- the LCD can turn off backlight while waiting for LCD pixels to finish transitioning in the dark. Flickerfree displays (of today's refresh rates) are always high-persistence and create a lot of motion blur.

Animation of how high persistence creates motion blur: http://www.testufo.com/eyetracking
Animation of how flicker reduces motion blur: http://www.testufo.com/blackframes