The Future of 3D TV

I admit it, I like having the latest technology when it comes to my TV ... not always the smartest decision out there! Especially since it seems like they release new TV capabilities as often as new cell phones are released ... which is all the time!

I'm really intrigued by the future of 3D TV - especially with so many cable/satellite companies releasing intentions of having 3D stations, and sports in 3D ... just wow!! I think for now I could handle wearing some bulky glasses for selected programming/movies.

The biggest question is ... is it worth dropping the money now, or do I wait 3 months, 6 months to see what other products hit the market?

-Steve

 

Thanks for the welcome!

Thanks for the welcome! I researched a bit in my area, and it seems that the full stations are hitting in about a month and a half.

Still plenty of time to do my research and find just the right television for me, and give the other names out there a chance to produce something.

I've been doing a lot of reading up on what is available - and it seems some companies are already selling more than they expected.

 

Well, I think you should wait for a couple of months as technology will just get better in coming times. I hope you could afford to wait for at least 2 months as we are expecting some more advancements in the field of 3D tv..

 

Ok.. it is now nearly December.. what say you now.. do you guys have a favorite? Samsung, Sony, Panasonic???

 

I'm new here. I'm not an expert, by any means, but I can relate my experience.

Just a bit of background... unlike most folks here, I've been out of the HDTV loop. My wife is a bit of a luddite and very frugal, so she's been in the camp of "our 16-year-old 27-inch Sony Trinitron works fine, we're not buying a new TV 'til it dies." So a gadgeteer like myself is a bit out of luck. And to be fair, the old Sony tube TV has been great.

But hey, I felt like the kid who is still watching a black and white TV in 1978... I craved the new!

I finally convinced my wife it was time to upgrade. We worked out a budget, and off I went!

I did some quick research before going to look at sets. I'll be honest and say that I limited myself to non-3D TV's. I thought they would just be out of reach.... being a brand new product and all (though I knew if was not really new technology). I went to the local big box electronics store and took a look at the sets I had in mind (LED backlit Sonys and Samsungs). I had more or less ruled out a plasma screen becuase the room I have my TV in is subject to a lot of ambient light, especially in the summer, and I knew that plasmas were more limited in maximum brightness.

Long story short, I took a look at the sony and Samsung models and was leaving to go look for the best prices when the Samsung 3D set caught my eye. I thought I'd take a look for the heck of it. I was fairly impressed. The 3D effect was good! But the Samsung had some odd visual effects that I later learned was "crosstalk." Annoying. I was about to write off the tech as "immature," when I saw the Panasonic 3D display and checked it out. This set-up was very impressive. The 3D effect was excellent, and there was almost no crosstalk that I could detect. Stilll, the price on the set was high, and it was a plasma. In fact, even in the store, the plasma image was bit too dark through the 3D glasses. Still, I was close to considering boarding up my family room to darken it... the picture was THAT good. But there were two other factors that held me off... 1) The smallest model was too big for my TV armoir, which was non-negotiable. 2), it was about $500 over my budget.

Ah well. I was about to give up on a 3D dream when saleskid suggested I take a look at the Sony offering (the HX800). I really liked this set. The picture was bright, sharp and had good contrast (nerd-alert: I'm not really a videophile.... I can't really tell the difference bewtween a very good picture and a great one.... if you can, then don't take my word on issues of image quality!). But the 3D is what blew me away. It was almost (but not quite) as good as the Panasonic. I couldn't detect any crosstalk, and the image was still reasonably bright through the glasses. Still, the set was over my budget, considering the cost of the 3D "starter set" and I left a little disappointed.

I returned the next day to pick up a 2D set, when on my way in, I noticed the set had gone on sale.... and was now within my budget. I bought the Sony then and there.

I'm VERY happy with this set.... but there are a couple caveats I think.
1) This is a "3D-Ready" set... meaning that you need to spring separately for the sync transmitter and the glasses. That's not a big deal if the saleskid is up front with you about it (mine was) and the price including the bundle is competitve (it was).

2) The speakers aren't very good. I've seen some reviews that seem to like them. I don't get it. They sound tinny and thin to me. But then, so did the Samsung's. I think it's hard to get good sound out of these super-thin panels. I wound up getting a sound bar system that did the trick for me.

I hope that helps!

 

Yeah, that is another reason why I am very hesistant to make the jump to a new 3D TV.. where is the content?

 

Ok it's now April 2011.. I'm looking at the Samsung D8000 59" Plasma set...any comments???

 

If you have not yet checked out the passive 3D TVs - I think only LG and Vizio have these - you should really check them out. I recently bought an LG plasma Active 3D set which I am very happy with. Then a friend of mine bought the LG passive 3D (LW5500 series), and it is really good. I think the 3D effects on this set are a little better than mine and the 3D picture is much brighter as well. The 3D glasses are a LOT cheaper as well - $25 for two is a pretty common deal - as opposed to active shutter glasses which cost anywhere from $50 to $200 (each). The only downside with passive 3D is that you lose half the resolution of the image as opposed to active 3D, but if you cannot notice the difference (I could not) then its definitely a better investment.