3-DTV - Seen One Yet?
Discussion
Just been for a look around Best Buy and was excited to see that they had a room with four 3-DTVs to view. I've been interested to see what they were like since I first heard of them and I was absolutely blown away - it really was amazing. Obviously the lack of much content to display through them at the moment is an issue, but that'll obviously improve with a little time. They had both the active shutter and polarized types, and the former was far superior, for me at least.
Just wondering what others thought of it when you saw it for the first time? To my eyes it was awesome and really moves the home cinema experience on, but my girlfriend didn't really see the point and wasn't all that impressed. Saying that, she claims to not even be able to see the difference of HD and said if it were up to her she'd just have a 15" portable! Oh dear. Anyway, I think she was expecting it to provide novelty 3-D like in Disney World, where something comes right at your face out of the screen. Yes, it can do this when required, but the beauty of it for me was the sheer depth it provided to the picture. There were some simple shots of walking through a house, for instance, and the way things seemed to appear 'inside' the screen was just incredible. Well impressed!
Just wondering what others thought of it when you saw it for the first time? To my eyes it was awesome and really moves the home cinema experience on, but my girlfriend didn't really see the point and wasn't all that impressed. Saying that, she claims to not even be able to see the difference of HD and said if it were up to her she'd just have a 15" portable! Oh dear. Anyway, I think she was expecting it to provide novelty 3-D like in Disney World, where something comes right at your face out of the screen. Yes, it can do this when required, but the beauty of it for me was the sheer depth it provided to the picture. There were some simple shots of walking through a house, for instance, and the way things seemed to appear 'inside' the screen was just incredible. Well impressed!
Yeah, I've tried one. I have to say the genuine 3D content looked fantastic, the 2D converted to 3D just looked like one of those cheap 3D effect posters you can buy.
One major downside for me, is that I begin to feel dizzy and sick after about twenty seconds. Similar to when you have that one drink too many, but sober! It took me a good quarter of an hour before I felt any better. I'll not be investing, I'm out.
A mate of mine is diabetic, and apparently it can cause him retinal damage! And Samsung have issued a health warning........
One major downside for me, is that I begin to feel dizzy and sick after about twenty seconds. Similar to when you have that one drink too many, but sober! It took me a good quarter of an hour before I felt any better. I'll not be investing, I'm out.
A mate of mine is diabetic, and apparently it can cause him retinal damage! And Samsung have issued a health warning........
Samsung said:
3D Viewing Conditions
- To watch in 3D mode, you need to put the 3D Active Glasses on and press the power button on top of
the glasses. Fluorescent lighting may cause a flickering effect and direct sunlight may affect
the operation of the 3D glasses. Turn off all fluorescent lighting and block sources of direct sunlight
before watching in 3D mode.
Photosensitive Seizure Warning and Other Health Risks
- Some viewers may experience an epileptic seizure or stroke when exposed to certain flashing images or
lights contained in certain television pictures or video games. If you or any of your family has a history
of epilepsy or stroke, please consult with a medical specialist before using the 3D function.
- If you experience any of the following symptoms, immediately stop watching 3D pictures and consult a
medical specialist: (1) altered vision; (2) lightheadedness; (3) dizziness; (4) involuntary movements
such as eye or muscle twitching; (5) confusion; (6) nausea; (7) loss of awareness; (8) convulsions; (9)
cramps; and/or (10) disorientation. Parents should monitor and ask their children about the above
symptoms as children and teenagers may be more likely to experience these symptoms than adults.
- Viewing in 3D mode may also cause motion sickness, perceptual after effects, disorientation, eye strain,
and decreased postural stability. It is recommended that users take frequent breaks to lessen the
likelihood of these effects. If you have any of the above symptoms, immediately discontinue use of this
device and do not resume until the symptoms have subsided.
- We do not recommend watching 3D if you are in bad physical condition, need sleep or have been
drinking alcohol.
- Watching TV while sitting too close to the screen for an extended period of time may damage your
eyesight. The ideal viewing distance should be at least three times the height of the TV screen. It is
recommended that the viewer's eyes are level with the screen.
- Watching TV while wearing 3D Active Glasses for an extended period of time may cause headaches or
fatigue. If you experience a headache, fatigue or dizziness, stop watching TV and rest.
- Do not use the 3D Active Glasses for any purpose other than viewing 3D television. Wearing the 3D
Active Glasses for any other purpose (as general spectacles, sunglasses, protective goggles, etc.) may
physically harm you or weaken your eyesight.
- Viewing in 3D mode may cause disorientation for some viewers. DO NOT place your television near
open stairwells, cables, balconies or other objects that may cause you to injure yourself.
- To watch in 3D mode, you need to put the 3D Active Glasses on and press the power button on top of
the glasses. Fluorescent lighting may cause a flickering effect and direct sunlight may affect
the operation of the 3D glasses. Turn off all fluorescent lighting and block sources of direct sunlight
before watching in 3D mode.
Photosensitive Seizure Warning and Other Health Risks
- Some viewers may experience an epileptic seizure or stroke when exposed to certain flashing images or
lights contained in certain television pictures or video games. If you or any of your family has a history
of epilepsy or stroke, please consult with a medical specialist before using the 3D function.
- If you experience any of the following symptoms, immediately stop watching 3D pictures and consult a
medical specialist: (1) altered vision; (2) lightheadedness; (3) dizziness; (4) involuntary movements
such as eye or muscle twitching; (5) confusion; (6) nausea; (7) loss of awareness; (8) convulsions; (9)
cramps; and/or (10) disorientation. Parents should monitor and ask their children about the above
symptoms as children and teenagers may be more likely to experience these symptoms than adults.
- Viewing in 3D mode may also cause motion sickness, perceptual after effects, disorientation, eye strain,
and decreased postural stability. It is recommended that users take frequent breaks to lessen the
likelihood of these effects. If you have any of the above symptoms, immediately discontinue use of this
device and do not resume until the symptoms have subsided.
- We do not recommend watching 3D if you are in bad physical condition, need sleep or have been
drinking alcohol.
- Watching TV while sitting too close to the screen for an extended period of time may damage your
eyesight. The ideal viewing distance should be at least three times the height of the TV screen. It is
recommended that the viewer's eyes are level with the screen.
- Watching TV while wearing 3D Active Glasses for an extended period of time may cause headaches or
fatigue. If you experience a headache, fatigue or dizziness, stop watching TV and rest.
- Do not use the 3D Active Glasses for any purpose other than viewing 3D television. Wearing the 3D
Active Glasses for any other purpose (as general spectacles, sunglasses, protective goggles, etc.) may
physically harm you or weaken your eyesight.
- Viewing in 3D mode may cause disorientation for some viewers. DO NOT place your television near
open stairwells, cables, balconies or other objects that may cause you to injure yourself.
dalos260 said:
Yeah, I've tried one. I have to say the genuine 3D content looked fantastic, the 2D converted to 3D just looked like one of those cheap 3D effect posters you can buy.
One major downside for me, is that I begin to feel dizzy and sick after about twenty seconds. Similar to when you have that one drink too many, but sober! It took me a good quarter of an hour before I felt any better. I'll not be investing, I'm out.
A mate of mine is diabetic, and apparently it can cause him retinal damage! And Samsung have issued a health warning........
I wouldn't be too worried about that, that is just a general catch all, you Americans cant sue us for $1m if you fall down the stairs or spill coffee on yourself whilst or soon after watching.One major downside for me, is that I begin to feel dizzy and sick after about twenty seconds. Similar to when you have that one drink too many, but sober! It took me a good quarter of an hour before I felt any better. I'll not be investing, I'm out.
A mate of mine is diabetic, and apparently it can cause him retinal damage! And Samsung have issued a health warning........
Samsung said:
3D Viewing Conditions
- To watch in 3D mode, you need to put the 3D Active Glasses on and press the power button on top of
the glasses. Fluorescent lighting may cause a flickering effect and direct sunlight may affect
the operation of the 3D glasses. Turn off all fluorescent lighting and block sources of direct sunlight
before watching in 3D mode.
Photosensitive Seizure Warning and Other Health Risks
- Some viewers may experience an epileptic seizure or stroke when exposed to certain flashing images or
lights contained in certain television pictures or video games. If you or any of your family has a history
of epilepsy or stroke, please consult with a medical specialist before using the 3D function.
- If you experience any of the following symptoms, immediately stop watching 3D pictures and consult a
medical specialist: (1) altered vision; (2) lightheadedness; (3) dizziness; (4) involuntary movements
such as eye or muscle twitching; (5) confusion; (6) nausea; (7) loss of awareness; (8) convulsions; (9)
cramps; and/or (10) disorientation. Parents should monitor and ask their children about the above
symptoms as children and teenagers may be more likely to experience these symptoms than adults.
- Viewing in 3D mode may also cause motion sickness, perceptual after effects, disorientation, eye strain,
and decreased postural stability. It is recommended that users take frequent breaks to lessen the
likelihood of these effects. If you have any of the above symptoms, immediately discontinue use of this
device and do not resume until the symptoms have subsided.
- We do not recommend watching 3D if you are in bad physical condition, need sleep or have been
drinking alcohol.
- Watching TV while sitting too close to the screen for an extended period of time may damage your
eyesight. The ideal viewing distance should be at least three times the height of the TV screen. It is
recommended that the viewer's eyes are level with the screen.
- Watching TV while wearing 3D Active Glasses for an extended period of time may cause headaches or
fatigue. If you experience a headache, fatigue or dizziness, stop watching TV and rest.
- Do not use the 3D Active Glasses for any purpose other than viewing 3D television. Wearing the 3D
Active Glasses for any other purpose (as general spectacles, sunglasses, protective goggles, etc.) may
physically harm you or weaken your eyesight.
- Viewing in 3D mode may cause disorientation for some viewers. DO NOT place your television near
open stairwells, cables, balconies or other objects that may cause you to injure yourself.
- To watch in 3D mode, you need to put the 3D Active Glasses on and press the power button on top of
the glasses. Fluorescent lighting may cause a flickering effect and direct sunlight may affect
the operation of the 3D glasses. Turn off all fluorescent lighting and block sources of direct sunlight
before watching in 3D mode.
Photosensitive Seizure Warning and Other Health Risks
- Some viewers may experience an epileptic seizure or stroke when exposed to certain flashing images or
lights contained in certain television pictures or video games. If you or any of your family has a history
of epilepsy or stroke, please consult with a medical specialist before using the 3D function.
- If you experience any of the following symptoms, immediately stop watching 3D pictures and consult a
medical specialist: (1) altered vision; (2) lightheadedness; (3) dizziness; (4) involuntary movements
such as eye or muscle twitching; (5) confusion; (6) nausea; (7) loss of awareness; (8) convulsions; (9)
cramps; and/or (10) disorientation. Parents should monitor and ask their children about the above
symptoms as children and teenagers may be more likely to experience these symptoms than adults.
- Viewing in 3D mode may also cause motion sickness, perceptual after effects, disorientation, eye strain,
and decreased postural stability. It is recommended that users take frequent breaks to lessen the
likelihood of these effects. If you have any of the above symptoms, immediately discontinue use of this
device and do not resume until the symptoms have subsided.
- We do not recommend watching 3D if you are in bad physical condition, need sleep or have been
drinking alcohol.
- Watching TV while sitting too close to the screen for an extended period of time may damage your
eyesight. The ideal viewing distance should be at least three times the height of the TV screen. It is
recommended that the viewer's eyes are level with the screen.
- Watching TV while wearing 3D Active Glasses for an extended period of time may cause headaches or
fatigue. If you experience a headache, fatigue or dizziness, stop watching TV and rest.
- Do not use the 3D Active Glasses for any purpose other than viewing 3D television. Wearing the 3D
Active Glasses for any other purpose (as general spectacles, sunglasses, protective goggles, etc.) may
physically harm you or weaken your eyesight.
- Viewing in 3D mode may cause disorientation for some viewers. DO NOT place your television near
open stairwells, cables, balconies or other objects that may cause you to injure yourself.
Pretty much all consumer electronics has similar disclaimers.
I saw this a few weeks ago and was sufficiently impressed to very seriously consider buying into it. However, at the very last instant, the temptation was resisted.
Why?
Well, to begin with while it is good, the like for like cost of a screen represents broadly double the spend. This is of course assuming that you can actually source one as in any size other than 40" (which personally I think is too small to really benefit from the effect at a sensible viewing distance) choice is very limited and availability scarce right now. Most stocks are in fact not expected in the country until AFTER the world cup finals - so they will not be making nearly as many sales as they could have upselling WC upgraders such as myself.
Add on to this £75-£100 per pair for all of those active shutter glasses that you will need for you, your family and any guests that you might have over to watch anything in 3D. Bear in mind also that their is not yet a standard, so your mates will only be bringing their own if they have the same make TV. Or will be wearing them upside down if one of you is Panasonic and the other Samsung.
Then there is material to watch on it. Sky have a test channel right now, but serious broadcasting is not expected until at least Autumn and other than CGI cartoons - there isn't that big a back catalogue of 3D material anyway. Next season's premiership football coverage seems to be the main inducement to go 3D. Though if you were looking for pre-recorded material then you will need a 3D capable Blu-Ray player too (the cheapest of which is the Sony PS3, but if you have moved on from gaming then you won't necessarily have one. Other options are of course in limited supply and not at the bargain end of the spectrum).
So basically I reckon that if you are buying a TV now (as I am) then you can get a non-3D one, wait a year for the bugs to be worked out, the material to become available, the premium to fall, the glasses to become standardised in some way and then buy ANOTHER TV at that time with 3D and still end up in pocket from the current premium. If it takes off and you still want it by then.
Why?
Well, to begin with while it is good, the like for like cost of a screen represents broadly double the spend. This is of course assuming that you can actually source one as in any size other than 40" (which personally I think is too small to really benefit from the effect at a sensible viewing distance) choice is very limited and availability scarce right now. Most stocks are in fact not expected in the country until AFTER the world cup finals - so they will not be making nearly as many sales as they could have upselling WC upgraders such as myself.
Add on to this £75-£100 per pair for all of those active shutter glasses that you will need for you, your family and any guests that you might have over to watch anything in 3D. Bear in mind also that their is not yet a standard, so your mates will only be bringing their own if they have the same make TV. Or will be wearing them upside down if one of you is Panasonic and the other Samsung.
Then there is material to watch on it. Sky have a test channel right now, but serious broadcasting is not expected until at least Autumn and other than CGI cartoons - there isn't that big a back catalogue of 3D material anyway. Next season's premiership football coverage seems to be the main inducement to go 3D. Though if you were looking for pre-recorded material then you will need a 3D capable Blu-Ray player too (the cheapest of which is the Sony PS3, but if you have moved on from gaming then you won't necessarily have one. Other options are of course in limited supply and not at the bargain end of the spectrum).
So basically I reckon that if you are buying a TV now (as I am) then you can get a non-3D one, wait a year for the bugs to be worked out, the material to become available, the premium to fall, the glasses to become standardised in some way and then buy ANOTHER TV at that time with 3D and still end up in pocket from the current premium. If it takes off and you still want it by then.
I checked one out in at a Sony centre. The TV frame spoiled the whole effect for me. I found myself being distracted by it rather than concentrating on the 3D picture for some strange reason,
You need to be somewhere like the giant IMAX cinemas where the screen fills your whole field of vision for it to be convincing in my opinion.
You need to be somewhere like the giant IMAX cinemas where the screen fills your whole field of vision for it to be convincing in my opinion.
They had some in a John Lewis I visited today.
The big Panasonic had a great picture quality but the 3D on the demo disk was a bit hit and miss, some looked brilliant and the rest looked OK and some looked fuzzy. What I didn't like was the flicker I got from the active glasses. OK if you looked straight at the screen, but in my peripheral vision it flickered like mad, very distracting. The sales guys suggested this was because the room was bright, not convinced.
I then looked at a smaller screen which was showing monster v aliens it seemed very dark but the effect was better than the demo disc running on the big screen. Flicker was less obvious as well.
The real kicker for me though was the glasses, you get 2 pairs with each T.V. they didn't work with other makes and to buy extra you were looking at £80-£100 per pair. So more than 2 people wanting to use this and it more cost. They also seemed quite fragile to me.
Conclusion - I won't be buying in for the time being, cost of ownership is too high but the flicker problems really put me off. The effect was generally good though, much better than I expected but I have a worry that it's a me too gimmick on the back of avatar. One for early adopters and techno bachelor pads only at the moment.
The big Panasonic had a great picture quality but the 3D on the demo disk was a bit hit and miss, some looked brilliant and the rest looked OK and some looked fuzzy. What I didn't like was the flicker I got from the active glasses. OK if you looked straight at the screen, but in my peripheral vision it flickered like mad, very distracting. The sales guys suggested this was because the room was bright, not convinced.
I then looked at a smaller screen which was showing monster v aliens it seemed very dark but the effect was better than the demo disc running on the big screen. Flicker was less obvious as well.
The real kicker for me though was the glasses, you get 2 pairs with each T.V. they didn't work with other makes and to buy extra you were looking at £80-£100 per pair. So more than 2 people wanting to use this and it more cost. They also seemed quite fragile to me.
Conclusion - I won't be buying in for the time being, cost of ownership is too high but the flicker problems really put me off. The effect was generally good though, much better than I expected but I have a worry that it's a me too gimmick on the back of avatar. One for early adopters and techno bachelor pads only at the moment.
I have the Samsung LED 55" 3D TV.
Wife and I had been saving up and looking around for ages at large (55"+) LCD's for a while. It wasn't until we wandered into Best Buy and tried the system for ourselves that we thought... f
k yeah!
I completely understand the tech is at a premium just now but we scored a great deal from Fry's Electronics in San Marcos which boiled down to a 2009 year 55" lcd NON 3d Samsung (B8000 IIRC) or $280 more for the 3D TV with package.
The HD picture from our tv is simply stunning and Blu Ray really makes everything else look naff.
3D gets rolled out for friends or movies, Avatar still looks amazing in 2.5D But I use the 3d conversion feature a fair amount with regular TV.
The one thing that pissed me off is the amount you have to spend on "extras" new HDMI cables, 3d blu ray player and the 3d compatible reciever/amp.
That said I doubt we'll be buying another tv for a long time (7-10 years).
If requested I can do the custard test...
Wife and I had been saving up and looking around for ages at large (55"+) LCD's for a while. It wasn't until we wandered into Best Buy and tried the system for ourselves that we thought... f
k yeah!I completely understand the tech is at a premium just now but we scored a great deal from Fry's Electronics in San Marcos which boiled down to a 2009 year 55" lcd NON 3d Samsung (B8000 IIRC) or $280 more for the 3D TV with package.
The HD picture from our tv is simply stunning and Blu Ray really makes everything else look naff.
3D gets rolled out for friends or movies, Avatar still looks amazing in 2.5D But I use the 3d conversion feature a fair amount with regular TV.
The one thing that pissed me off is the amount you have to spend on "extras" new HDMI cables, 3d blu ray player and the 3d compatible reciever/amp.
That said I doubt we'll be buying another tv for a long time (7-10 years).
If requested I can do the custard test...
Had a shuft at 65inch Panasonic panel in Yodobashi Camera yesterday. I will admit that the 3d effect in films is a bit hit and miss. The screen was set up near a door so there was not too much artifical light about.
However: Motorstorm on a 3D enabled PS3 was awesome. Games designers are going to have a field day with it.
It is certainly the way of the future but the panel I was looking at was Y670,000 (over 5 grand....)
However: Motorstorm on a 3D enabled PS3 was awesome. Games designers are going to have a field day with it.
It is certainly the way of the future but the panel I was looking at was Y670,000 (over 5 grand....)
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