3D TV, worth waiting for?
Discussion
Having recently watched a load of CES 2010 podcasts the big thing for TV and Blu ray manufacturers this year seems to be 3D TV.
The first 3D Blu ray players, discs, compatible TV's and glasses are set to be released later this year by the big players, Panasonic, Sony, Samsung, Toshiba, LG etc.
The downside to it all is you need a new 3D compatible TV, it needs a high refresh rate, 400Hz often quoted and a decent processor. You also need a compatible Blu-ray player for 3D film playback and the glasses (active or passive depending on the system).
From the reviews I have seen people have been blown away by it with typically people who slate it being the ones who haven't actually watched it.
I'm indifferent but then again I haven't actually seen 3D at the cinema, something I need to check out soon.
What also appeals is the PS3 will be updated this year to become 3D compatible...for 3D Blu ray and 3D gaming. 3D gaming sounds good to me, that could certainly help sell it.
The big downside to it all is for full benefit broadcast material will have to be filmed in 3D which I can't see being taken up by many companies especially considering the slow state of HD uptake over here.
I must admit 3D TV has taken me out of the blue, I didn't see it coming let alone being taken up by the big players so soon. The next big leap I thought would be OLED screens and that is the only reason at the moment I would upgrade but a decent sized and priced screen is I reckon at least about 5 years away.
So the big question will 3D TV be worth it? Fab or fad? Would you buy into it just for 3D alone?
I guess if you need a new TV people might be advised to wait for a 3D compatible TV, even if you don't use the 3D, 400Hz refresh has to be a bonus.
The first TV's go on sale in March I think across the pond, over here, who knows?
The first 3D Blu ray players, discs, compatible TV's and glasses are set to be released later this year by the big players, Panasonic, Sony, Samsung, Toshiba, LG etc.
The downside to it all is you need a new 3D compatible TV, it needs a high refresh rate, 400Hz often quoted and a decent processor. You also need a compatible Blu-ray player for 3D film playback and the glasses (active or passive depending on the system).
From the reviews I have seen people have been blown away by it with typically people who slate it being the ones who haven't actually watched it.
I'm indifferent but then again I haven't actually seen 3D at the cinema, something I need to check out soon.
What also appeals is the PS3 will be updated this year to become 3D compatible...for 3D Blu ray and 3D gaming. 3D gaming sounds good to me, that could certainly help sell it.
The big downside to it all is for full benefit broadcast material will have to be filmed in 3D which I can't see being taken up by many companies especially considering the slow state of HD uptake over here.
I must admit 3D TV has taken me out of the blue, I didn't see it coming let alone being taken up by the big players so soon. The next big leap I thought would be OLED screens and that is the only reason at the moment I would upgrade but a decent sized and priced screen is I reckon at least about 5 years away.
So the big question will 3D TV be worth it? Fab or fad? Would you buy into it just for 3D alone?
I guess if you need a new TV people might be advised to wait for a 3D compatible TV, even if you don't use the 3D, 400Hz refresh has to be a bonus.
The first TV's go on sale in March I think across the pond, over here, who knows?
Mrod said:
3D TV, worth waiting for?
Nope. I can't see 3D images.I can't be alone in that either; saw an article last week saying that TV companies were keen to transmit football matches in 3D. Not a huge problem personally, as I don't follow football, but when a whole genre of programming is switched, they're going to lose a whole portion of the audience!
I wouldnt buy one specifically for 3D alone, the same way I didnt buy one for Nicam, then Widescreen then HD. Ill buy a TV when the one I have packs in an i cant fix it. The only thing that did make me buy one was when Plasma became affordable enough for the masses so i could get it up on the wall thereby freeing up living room space.
I saw a demo of a 3D plasma and it was amazing. I have no doubt it will be the next big thing, but will take 2-3 yrs to get off the ground due to lack of films and expensive hardware. I have not bought a decent AV system and looking to do so in 6-8 months, very tempted by a 3D set-up depending on price.
Also on the demo I felt on a small screen 3D would be a waste of time, you would need a 50inch plus to make it worth while.
Also on the demo I felt on a small screen 3D would be a waste of time, you would need a 50inch plus to make it worth while.
I am just not convinced that 3D will take off in the home. I think you will need a large screen (50' or above) and apparently you need to be sitting at 90 deg to the screen with the 3D effect diminishing if you are away from that angle. So if you have a dedicated cinema room with a projector I think it could be great, if you are in a standard British living room with say a 42" screen I just don't see a family being able to all watch a movie in 3D.
Beardy10 said:
I am just not convinced that 3D will take off in the home. I think you will need a large screen (50' or above) and apparently you need to be sitting at 90 deg to the screen with the 3D effect diminishing if you are away from that angle. So if you have a dedicated cinema room with a projector I think it could be great, if you are in a standard British living room with say a 42" screen I just don't see a family being able to all watch a movie in 3D.
Yeah my thoughts precisely, with most homes TV size limited usually by aesthetic considerations and/or SWMBO large scale adoption seems thwarted, plus most of those wanting to adopt must explain to their partner why the spangly new TV and blu-ray player they bought "only the other year" is now defunct. I wouldn't be surprised if 3D in it's current proposed form went the way of laserdisc, with limited popularity only with those really keen. Public appetite is difficult to gauge, DVD was a super-success because it was forwards and backwards compatible and offered many tangible benefits over VHS, blu-ray has been a lot slower to catch on as it offers what is to most consumers "only a little more" at great cost and equipment upgrades. You can't count out the possibility of 3D becoming the must-have craze gimmick with a lot of people that weren't that bothered with HD.FlossyThePig said:
As I said two weeks ago
3D TV the new VHS/Betamax HD-DVD/Blu-ray squabble :-P
Different manufacturers will have different display systems but they'll apparently all work with the blu-ray 3D format.3D TV the new VHS/Betamax HD-DVD/Blu-ray squabble :-P
Beardy10 said:
apparently you need to be sitting at 90 deg to the screen with the 3D effect diminishing if you are away from that angle.
Not according to the article.http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_...
I'm sure there'll be other issues, but nothing that won't be sorted in time.
Thudd said:
GForce game on the 360 was in 3D. Awful. Likewise the Toy Story game on the Wii.
R/G 3D looks awful, the colours are really distorted.
Gave us all a headache and we played both games in 2D instead.
The 3d being proposed is not red/green .. that's so 80's.R/G 3D looks awful, the colours are really distorted.
Gave us all a headache and we played both games in 2D instead.
Have you been to the movies to see Avatar in 3D?
You retain the detail and colour because the lenses are polarized.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ozTH2zIKwC0&fea...
No idea how you display two polorized images on a TV though.
EDIT - After reading around, they are using LCD "shutter" glasses .. shame.
Edited by Bibbs on Monday 25th January 12:17
Edited by Bibbs on Monday 25th January 12:25
Bibbs said:
Thudd said:
GForce game on the 360 was in 3D. Awful. Likewise the Toy Story game on the Wii.
R/G 3D looks awful, the colours are really distorted.
Gave us all a headache and we played both games in 2D instead.
The 3d being proposed is not red/green .. that's so 80's.R/G 3D looks awful, the colours are really distorted.
Gave us all a headache and we played both games in 2D instead.
Have you been to the movies to see Avatar in 3D?
You retain the detail and colour because the lenses are polarized.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ozTH2zIKwC0&fea...
No idea how you display two polorized images on a TV though.
EDIT - After reading around, they are using LCD "shutter" glasses .. shame.
Edited by Bibbs on Monday 25th January 12:17
Edited by Bibbs on Monday 25th January 12:25
The switch to 3D will be the same as HD so you'll get SD, HD and 3D versions of the same channels.
We broadcast the Liverpool v Spurs game last week in 3D and apparently it was fantastic. I have seen the demo set in work and it's great. I do however think it maybe too early for mass adoption at the moment as HD tv's have only just become popular and people aren't going to want to get another set for a few years which just leaves the early adopters to test it out.
I've not seen a 3D TV so can't comment on that but I did see Christmas Carol and that was a bit meh. Yet to see Avatar so will hold my opinions on that one.
Personally I'm not convinced it's got the killer app, 1 movie is not enough.
Plus, you need the glasses, how many are going to be included? 2,3,4? how do you get more? Times artical said £50 each. Can you watch without. Plus batteries and charging for the active shutters.
Until 3D can be delivered without glasses then I really can't see it taking off short term.
£1500 is not a bad price but you can get 2-3 'normal' TV's for that. Plus of course the replacement cycle for alot of people is a long one (see the CRT thread).
Personally I'm not convinced it's got the killer app, 1 movie is not enough.
Plus, you need the glasses, how many are going to be included? 2,3,4? how do you get more? Times artical said £50 each. Can you watch without. Plus batteries and charging for the active shutters.
Until 3D can be delivered without glasses then I really can't see it taking off short term.
£1500 is not a bad price but you can get 2-3 'normal' TV's for that. Plus of course the replacement cycle for alot of people is a long one (see the CRT thread).
Bullett said:
I'm sure I read about someone doing this without glasses.
Something like those cards that change depending on viewing angle. I think they said even at that point the problem was that you haqd to sit in exactly the right place.
Philips have a TV that can display 3D without glasses although you have to be in one of nine (I think) fixed positions to view it. They have just increased from a single viewpoint.Something like those cards that change depending on viewing angle. I think they said even at that point the problem was that you haqd to sit in exactly the right place.
Active Shutter glasses when used with Frame Sequential 3D tvs is the way to go. Panasonic are using this system. This offers a far better 3D experience than basic polorised glasses system which LG are using with Sky to show football broadcasts in the pubs and Clubs.(this is not 1080p and no where near as good as the offering from Pana...still not bad though)
Plasma is also far better suited to 3D as it has a far higher refresh rate than LCD.Wither the set is 100HZ,200HZ 400HZ OR 600HZ WILL NOT MAKE A BIT OF DIFFRENCE TO 3D TV IT IS THE refresh rate that will make all the diffrence. Bearing in mind that the tv has to output 2 pictures one for left eye and one for the right eye the refresh rate of the TV is critical to maintain picture quality and PLASMA does this far far faster than any LCD based TV.....FACT.
To get 1080p HD 3D you will require a blu-ray 3D player which will be launched at the same time as the tvs.
Active shutter glasses and a 3D Plasma will give you stunning quality and a proper 3D experience. Allowing you to sit at a wide viewing angle from the screen as opposed to polarised glasses (LG,Samsung)which will require you to sit right in front of the TV. And remember what flat panel offers the widest viewing angle???..............Plasma, so higher refresh rate, 1080p and wide viewing angle, along with better black level so if you want a proper 3D experience it has to be PLASMA.
3D Plasma is the way to go and Panasonic have this coming to the market.
Is it any suprise that Panasonic 3D plasma won best product at the CES show in Las Vegas last month as well as most inovative product. And yes all other manufacturers were showing there offering at the show as well.
3D will be a slow burner but I'm sure it will be stunning, make sure you see it on a FULL 3D HD PLASMA before you make your choice though.....
Plasma is also far better suited to 3D as it has a far higher refresh rate than LCD.Wither the set is 100HZ,200HZ 400HZ OR 600HZ WILL NOT MAKE A BIT OF DIFFRENCE TO 3D TV IT IS THE refresh rate that will make all the diffrence. Bearing in mind that the tv has to output 2 pictures one for left eye and one for the right eye the refresh rate of the TV is critical to maintain picture quality and PLASMA does this far far faster than any LCD based TV.....FACT.
To get 1080p HD 3D you will require a blu-ray 3D player which will be launched at the same time as the tvs.
Active shutter glasses and a 3D Plasma will give you stunning quality and a proper 3D experience. Allowing you to sit at a wide viewing angle from the screen as opposed to polarised glasses (LG,Samsung)which will require you to sit right in front of the TV. And remember what flat panel offers the widest viewing angle???..............Plasma, so higher refresh rate, 1080p and wide viewing angle, along with better black level so if you want a proper 3D experience it has to be PLASMA.
3D Plasma is the way to go and Panasonic have this coming to the market.
Is it any suprise that Panasonic 3D plasma won best product at the CES show in Las Vegas last month as well as most inovative product. And yes all other manufacturers were showing there offering at the show as well.
3D will be a slow burner but I'm sure it will be stunning, make sure you see it on a FULL 3D HD PLASMA before you make your choice though.....
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