First impressions of 3D TV...

xsiborg

so i'm just back from a demo of the Panasonic range of 3D tv's and i gotta say, I had such high hopes, but left feeling surpisingly underwhelmed! i was all ready and geared up for Sky 3D launching soon, thinking i'll get a 3D tv and all, (no, i didnt think i'd mind wearing the glasses, but more on them later).

so we were presented first with a 50 inch display running an xbox 360 game in 3D, i put on the glasses, expecting to be blown away by the effect (i'd never seen 3D before, not even avatar), but, no 3D, i figured maybe the glasses were turned off? nope, they were turned on, but i just wasnt getting the effect.

so next we were ushered upstairs to another room with a 65inch display, same again- on with the glasses. only this time all they did, for me anyway, was change a blurred screen to a clear picture, fine i thought, but the tint in the glasses makes the picture look darker.

i waas told that's because of the glasses flickering on and off (whatever, over my head already, unimpressed), but the best bit was little johnny up front in the audience:

little johnny: the glasses keep fallin off my head
sales rep: your head's too small, here's a clip of astroboy... IN THREE DEE...
little johnny: how long does the battery last (in the glasses)
sales rep: you can watch 72 hours of tv

as soon as i heard that, i was outta there, having handed back the glasses of course! but for a tv thats gonna cost the guts of €5k, with two pairs of glasses included (extra pairs cost €150), and then even the glasses aint rechargeable, they take a small coin battery.

i have to be honest, i was more impressed by the move from SD to HD. anyone else have any experience of 3D tv? and have you considered purchasing one for the 3D channels coming to SKY in the near future?

after what i've seen tonight, they've still got a long way to go!

John mac

I saw Avatar in the Cinema and based on that i wont be rushing out to get a 3d tv..
(that was my first experience of 3d)

I cant believe the glasses are powered and cost 150 :eek:

am waiting for holographic tv..


holo deck anyone.

Wizard007

John mac wrote: »

I saw Avatar in the Cinema and based on that i wont be rushing out to get a 3d tv..
(that was my first experience of 3d)

I cant believe the glasses are powered and cost 150 :eek:

am waiting for holographic tv..


holo deck anyone.

And teleportation

pelisor2000

Wizard007 wrote: »

And teleportation

i go tomorrow to install a 3d tv in the pub . i've been to the demo of sky 3d in the pub in dorset street (free food) ..it ok if you are close but personal i get headaches and i feel like i want to take the glasses off(pasive glasses)

xsiborg

ah yes, that was mentioned too, but the panasonic rep said they had eliminated that problem (motion sickness, migraine) by using "active sync" technology. but as i mentioned earlier, the problem with this is that it feels like you're watching tv with sunglasses on! you get a minimal 3D effect and none of the vibrant colors! oh, and turn your head fast to hear what someone is saying to you- picture goes blurry, very annoying!

when he mentioned that it was going to be installed in pubs though, my first thought was-

they're making sure people are handing back the glasses and theres only ten of us, how is this going to work in a pub situaton with an audience of a hundred? and not all of them obliging or sober either!

how often will we hear the cry "GOALLLL... crap! you sat on my glasses!"

Smokin_Aces

There's a 3D projecter coming out, or is already out, looks awesome and does not cost alot, 500-700 so perhaps it might be better than 3D TVs.

kippy

From what I have seen to get the best out of 3D you need a Massive screen/viewing area.
I think its a bit of a fad to be honest for consumer units but it works okay in the cinema provided it is done well.

Does anyone know the ins and outs of the technology? Does the event have to be filmed in 3D? Where does the processing occur?

mailrewop

tbh i think they should just leave 3d to the cinemas.

xsiborg

well the panasonic rep says that the processing is done by the tv, a bit like the way your HD tv upscales SD broadcasts. so basically the skyHD box you have now, is capable of receiving 3D broadcasts, but only at i think 570p (i dunno where he got that figure, i could have misheard him say a more likely 720p), but basically what happens is the tv itself will take care of the upscaling to 1080p, until i presume sky some time next year bring out a 3D HD box capable of 1080p on its own, just in time for their sky sports 3D broadcasts of the 2012 london olympics... :rolleyes:

johnmcdnl

having to wear the glasses makes it not worth it... simple as that... in fairness...

amacachi

The price of the TVs is an absolute sham, all they have over a decent spec HD telly is an infra-red emitter.
I couldn't be arsed with 3D TV at all tbh.

lord lucan

Many people,me included,considered the move up to HD worth it for the picture quality. I can't see 3D having the same impact tbh. It'll be quite some time before the cost of a new 3D TV set comes down,the glasses are very expensive (and not re-chargeable as noted by the OP) and the fact that you have to wear glasses to watch tv will put many off i reckon.

I'm excited by new technology but i think i'll pass on 3D tbh.

Minstrel27

mailrewop wrote: »

tbh i think they should just leave 3d to the cinemas.

Agreed. 3D is pointless on a small screen imo. Sky can hype this all they want but I wont be buying a new television and glasses to take advantage of it..

azzeretti

xsiborg wrote: »

well the panasonic rep says that the processing is done by the tv, a bit like the way your HD tv upscales SD broadcasts. so basically the skyHD box you have now, is capable of receiving 3D broadcasts, but only at i think 570p (i dunno where he got that figure, i could have misheard him say a more likely 720p), but basically what happens is the tv itself will take care of the upscaling to 1080p, until i presume sky some time next year bring out a 3D HD box capable of 1080p on its own, just in time for their sky sports 3D broadcasts of the 2012 london olympics... :rolleyes:

A 1080p broadcast?? I'll believe it when I see it (or don't see it, if I don't have the glasses!)

xsiborg

azzeretti wrote: »

A 1080p broadcast?? I'll believe it when I see it (or don't see it, if I don't have the glasses!)

shoot the messenger why dont ya!

no i understand what you're saying, phenomenal broadcasting bandwidth required (BBC dropped the ball and thought nobody would notice), but, BUT, another "feature" is that you can get crappy quality youtube clips on a 65inch tv that you paid €7k for, that doesnt float your boat?

John mac

as a matter of interest was the upstairs part of the demo using the new panasonic 3d blu ray? and if so was it a film or promo stuff?

xsiborg

yep actually, you're right, now you bring it up, it was all demo clips on a blu-ray dvd panasonic dvd player, a basketball hoop shot, baseball play, guy throwing the ball, one guy piped up was womens volleyball available? (i think we all perked up for THAT 30 second clip ), but yeah, i could imagine the tv quality would have been good on a normal blu ray, but god have a good supply of batteries ready if you forget to turn off the glasses after you're finished watching tv because the picture is unwatchably blurred without them! :rolleyes:

kippy

From what I've seen this consumer 3D stuff is nothing but a fadd and an expensive on at that.
Will hang around and keep my HD TV until some other more worthwhile advancement appears.

Manc-Red

kippy wrote: »

From what I've seen this consumer 3D stuff is nothing but a fadd and an expensive on at that.
Will hang around and keep my HD TV until some other more worthwhile advancement appears.

5 different friends have all viewed 3d & all said the same - Its a gimmic.

HD will do for me, wearing of the glasses and not to mention how silly it looks should be kept for the cinema experience.

In the future they'll sort it bit until I hear a genuine Jo soap say "its now an amazing experience" - I wont be investing.

Fighting Irish

lol @ people even thinking of buying into the whole 3d BULLSH1T

Sam Russell

Manc-Red wrote: »

HD will do for me, wearing of the glasses and not to mention how silly it looks should be kept for the cinema experience.

Why do you think they dim the lights in the cinema when showing 3D movies?

gtg60

Sam Russell wrote: »

Why do you think they dim the lights in the cinema when showing 3D movies?

ROTFLMAO

longhalloween

Its another technology that will take 3 years to take off fully. Same with the Apple iPad. IT doesnt look good now but it has the POTENTIAL to be great. Just play the waiting game and soon enough prices will drop and quality will improve.

Manc-Red

Sam Russell wrote: »

Why do you think they dim the lights in the cinema when showing 3D movies?

:D:D:D:D

Sam Russell

longhalloween wrote: »

It has the POTENTIAL to be great.

No, it is daft to expect people in their own homes to watch telly with a pair of cardboard specs on their noses to watch the odd bit of action in 3D, when most scenes will display only marginal 3D. Films will be shot to exagerate the effect. People will be shot to exagerate the effect. I expect that blood and gore will be used to demonstrate just how graphic 3D can become.

No thank you.

gtg60

I have a projector, I only watch movies that are in HD on it, maybe once or twice a month, it is brilliant for this type of usage.
This is where I see the 3D market going, in fact my next projector will (more than likely) be 3D but that'll be in 5~8 years time!

John mac

4,096 x 2,160 display :eek: thats high def ..

linkie

xsiborg was it one of these?

lord lucan

I'm dreading the incessant ads from Sky,every ad break telling you how you'll be missing out on "wonder telly"(HD is apparently 'super telly!!).:rolleyes:

xsiborg

John mac wrote: »

4,096 x 2,160 display :eek: thats high def ..

linkie

xsiborg was it one of these?

saw that tv on the sky news CES report actually, but the glasses remind me of a certain popular 80's tv show that i cant believe hasnt been thrown in already!



yep- V!

jedistev

i know it might off topic but relation to 3D


just came on few days ago that new Nintendo DS will have new 3D....and will called Nintendo 3DS

http://kotaku.com/5499697/nintendo-announces-new-hardware-the-nintendo-3ds


and strange but good that it wont need wearing stupid glasses...

http://www.itworld.com/personal-tech/102113/nintendo-3ds-how-will-it-offer-3d-graphics-without-glasses

maybe few years time we might watch 3D TV without stupid Blue Brother Glasses in household or Pub....

Dman001

Saw my first 3D film a few weeks back, and, as I expected, 3D is just a gimmick. I found it very hard to focus on some things on the screen, and I didnt think it added the same value as HD added to films.

I dont understand though why do the 3D glasses for 3DTVs require power when the ones in the cinema don't?

It's worrying when you see Sky and other major companies investing into 3D, when consumers are required to upgrade their TV which costs at least €5000, during a recession too. It's not going to be as big of a success as they think.

Sam Russell

The 3D effect is achieved by the eyes seeing slightly different images in either eye. The brain then constructs the 3d image. The purpose of the glasses is to allow each eye to see different image. In the cinema this is achieved using blue and red filters, requiring no power. For those without glasses, a blured image is seen. At home, the glasses have lcd shutters that blank the eyes alternately, in sync with the dispay. This is much higher tech, and much more expensive. [You would only get one pair of these specs per TV, extras cost, extra profit!]

I am not sure whether it will be broadcast on a different channel, or whether the 3d signal will be embedded in the signal the way colour is and the way stereo sound and 3d sound is. I need to read up on it. If someone canot see 3D, I am not sure what they will be offered.

bk

Sam Russell wrote: »

This is much higher tech, and much more expensive. [You would only get one pair of these specs per TV, extras cost, extra profit!]

~ €150 per pair!

However there are some companies working on interesting glassless 3DTV tech.

I'm still far from convinced, Avatar looked great, but it has been the only film designed from the start to be 3D and filmed as such. All other files were filmed in 2d and had the 3d added in post production and it shows. They are nothing but a cheap gimmick.

I wouldn't bother with 3dtv for at least 5 years, when the Avatar technique becomes the norm and glassless 3D TV's hit the market.

lcrcboy

jedistev wrote: »

i know it might off topic but relation to 3D


just came on few days ago that new Nintendo DS will have new 3D....and will called Nintendo 3DS

http://kotaku.com/5499697/nintendo-announces-new-hardware-the-nintendo-3ds


and strange but good that it wont need wearing stupid glasses...

http://www.itworld.com/personal-tech/102113/nintendo-3ds-how-will-it-offer-3d-graphics-without-glasses

maybe few years time we might watch 3D TV without stupid Blue Brother Glasses in household or Pub....

I heard that aswell.. how is that possible without the glasses if anyone knows please tell us.

I didint mind the 3d tv to be honest, but wont be looking at buying one untill it comes down in price

mustang68

lcrcboy wrote: »

I heard that aswell.. how is that possible without the glasses if anyone knows please tell us.

It's very simple, they are not going for a stereoscopic approach (two eyes see different things, hence glasses are needed to split the screen into two different screens for each eye). What they are doing is using the camera to track where you are in relation to the DS, then it moves the image accordingly (move to the right, it shows you more to the left), its enough to fool you. have a look at a POC that was made:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pWYgM1RGixM

While great for a DS or a single gaming experience, would not work at all on a TV for more then one viewer for obvious reasons.

Here is some really good stuff on a 3d wii done a while ago, similar concept: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jd3-eiid-Uw

danny004

This may be a stupid question but why do we need 3D TV's. I went to watch the football last saturday in 3D and the picture without the glasses was the two images (left and right eye) slighty out of sync ,surely the tv companies could do this process pre broadcast rather than having a tv do it post broadcast.

stesaurus

Will current tv models be possible to upgrade? Obviously not all but I'm thinking of pretty modern 1080P displays that should have pretty good refresh rates 100hz+

I'd like to give it a try but not if I have to buy a new tv.

trap4

Crikey, I'm surprised to hear all the negativity towards 3D. I went to see a the 3D LG unit in Harvey Norman (Limerick) on Tuesday and was highly impressed. Especially considering it's a passive system, using the same polarised glasses as were given out at the cinema. So there's no extra cost associated with the specs - just hold on to the ones you get at the omniplex.

I stood watching for about 10 minutes as the demo cycles through different programs - animations, U23D, American football. I was able to see the 3D effect consistently throughout and it was especially impressive on the footie as I could so easily determine the flight of the ball, distance of the throw, etc.

IMHO this is going to be huge for sports so I can't understand the negativity. The rep told me they'd had a large audience of shoppers throughout the week standing in front of the telly, almost universal in their praise of what they were seeing. He said a number of pubs have put in pre-orders. Of course a passive system like this is way more appropriate than active (shutter specs) in a pub situation.

IrishKev

trap4 wrote: »

Crikey, I'm surprised to hear all the negativity towards 3D. I went to see a the 3D LG unit in Harvey Norman (Limerick) on Tuesday and was highly impressed. Especially considering it's a passive system, using the same polarised glasses as were given out at the cinema. So there's no extra cost associated with the specs - just hold on to the ones you get at the omniplex.

I stood watching for about 10 minutes as the demo cycles through different programs - animations, U23D, American football. I was able to see the 3D effect consistently throughout and it was especially impressive on the footie as I could so easily determine the flight of the ball, distance of the throw, etc.

Yeah I saw the 3DTV display in Harvey Norman in Limerick aswell, I was very impressed. The animation especially was impressive, the little clip with the small cartoon character was amazing, it really looked like you could reach out and grab him! But €2699, it's a very expensive price, even for something so impressive.... I think a lot of HDTV's will work with 3D though, there was another post not too long ago in one of the 3D threads with a fella who bought a HDTV for around €600 and I think he said there was a socket at the back with "3D Output" or something like that written over it, for a thing to go into it to wirelessly connect to the active glasses, so if the active glasses work on that TV I'm guessing the passive ones would too? Big difference between €600 and €2700, and I checked the back of the 3DTV in Harvey Norman's and saw no such socket, so how would active glasses wirelessly connect to that TV? If I could watch 3DTV at home for €600 I'd nearly be pushed, but 2 and a half grand? Not a chance.

enfant terrible

IrishKev wrote: »

trap4 wrote: »

Crikey, I'm surprised to hear all the negativity towards 3D. I went to see a the 3D LG unit in Harvey Norman (Limerick) on Tuesday and was highly impressed. Especially considering it's a passive system, using the same polarised glasses as were given out at the cinema. So there's no extra cost associated with the specs - just hold on to the ones you get at the omniplex.

I stood watching for about 10 minutes as the demo cycles through different programs - animations, U23D, American football. I was able to see the 3D effect consistently throughout and it was especially impressive on the footie as I could so easily determine the flight of the ball, distance of the throw, etc. QUOTE]

Yeah I saw the 3DTV display in Harvey Norman in Limerick aswell, I was very impressed. The animation especially was impressive, the little clip with the small cartoon character was amazing, it really looked like you could reach out and grab him! But €2699, it's a very expensive price, even for something so impressive.... I think a lot of HDTV's will work with 3D though, there was another post not too long ago in one of the 3D threads with a fella who bought a HDTV for around €600 and I think he said there was a socket at the back with "3D Output" or something like that written over it, for a thing to go into it to wirelessly connect to the active glasses, so if the active glasses work on that TV I'm guessing the passive ones would too? Big difference between €600 and €2700, and I checked the back of the 3DTV in Harvey Norman's and saw no such socket, so how would active glasses wirelessly connect to that TV? If I could watch 3DTV at home for €600 I'd nearly be pushed, but 2 and a half grand? Not a chance.

Yes I think some older DLP RPTV's used the checkerboard 3D system which can be adapted to work with the new 3D system's.

lcrcboy

trap4 wrote: »

Crikey, I'm surprised to hear all the negativity towards 3D. I went to see a the 3D LG unit in Harvey Norman (Limerick) on Tuesday and was highly impressed. Especially considering it's a passive system, using the same polarised glasses as were given out at the cinema. So there's no extra cost associated with the specs - just hold on to the ones you get at the omniplex.

I stood watching for about 10 minutes as the demo cycles through different programs - animations, U23D, American football. I was able to see the 3D effect consistently throughout and it was especially impressive on the footie as I could so easily determine the flight of the ball, distance of the throw, etc.

IMHO this is going to be huge for sports so I can't understand the negativity. The rep told me they'd had a large audience of shoppers throughout the week standing in front of the telly, almost universal in their praise of what they were seeing. He said a number of pubs have put in pre-orders. Of course a passive system like this is way more appropriate than active (shutter specs) in a pub situation.

Peter Clohessys pub in the city centre has one installed already looks very impressive saw the demo a week ago, Im diffently interested in buying one

Manc-Red

Must say I'm extremely impressed by 3d, amazing picture & at times I thought the ball was going to hit me!

eddiem74

For those might like a look, see demo evening here:

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055890946

jd30

xsiborg wrote: »

so i'm just back from a demo of the Panasonic range of 3D tv's and i gotta say, I had such high hopes, but left feeling surpisingly underwhelmed! i was all ready and geared up for Sky 3D launching soon, thinking i'll get a 3D tv and all, (no, i didnt think i'd mind wearing the glasses, but more on them later).

so we were presented first with a 50 inch display running an xbox 360 game in 3D, i put on the glasses, expecting to be blown away by the effect (i'd never seen 3D before, not even avatar), but, no 3D, i figured maybe the glasses were turned off? nope, they were turned on, but i just wasnt getting the effect.

so next we were ushered upstairs to another room with a 65inch display, same again- on with the glasses. only this time all they did, for me anyway, was change a blurred screen to a clear picture, fine i thought, but the tint in the glasses makes the picture look darker.

i waas told that's because of the glasses flickering on and off (whatever, over my head already, unimpressed), but the best bit was little johnny up front in the audience:

little johnny: the glasses keep fallin off my head
sales rep: your head's too small, here's a clip of astroboy... IN THREE DEE...
little johnny: how long does the battery last (in the glasses)
sales rep: you can watch 72 hours of tv

as soon as i heard that, i was outta there, having handed back the glasses of course! but for a tv thats gonna cost the guts of €5k, with two pairs of glasses included (extra pairs cost €150), and then even the glasses aint rechargeable, they take a small coin battery.

i have to be honest, i was more impressed by the move from SD to HD. anyone else have any experience of 3D tv? and have you considered purchasing one for the 3D channels coming to SKY in the near future?

after what i've seen tonight, they've still got a long way to go!

after reading your comments i cant help but wonder where you got this demo? i work for an electrical retailer and had the benefit of the training from panasonic in limerick recently and also have seen the 50 inch working in portugal where i just returned from holiday( was great by the way!) if you didnt see 3d there is something very wrong most likely the batteries were dead in the glasses ( this happened on my first look in portugal) because as i can assure you after they were changed the effect was absolutely stunning i saw it along side the samsung 55 inch and as expected the panasonic plasma was a clear winner even though i was impressed with the samsung, we should have the panasonic here in ireland by the 1st week in june and will retail at 2499 but if you can haggle you should get another 100 off that run it with the panasonic 3d blu ray and trust me you will not be dissapointed,
p.s i totally agree with you on the batteries they should have gone with the rechargeble style like samsung!!

Minstrel27

jd30 wrote: »

we should have the panasonic here in ireland by the 1st week in june and will retail at 2499 but if you can haggle you should get another 100 off that run it with the panasonic 3d blu ray and trust me you will not be dissapointed

€2499? They are really aiming for the man on the street aren't they.

jd30

it is possible to upscale a 2d image to 3d using active glasses but it is very dissapointing anyone who went to see clash of the titans will know what i mean! it was not filmed in true 3d and this is why the most forward image is in focus but everything behind is not but unfortunately u will still need a 3d tv to do this, this 3d output on a hdtv is just not true if you dont want to fork out 2 and half grand on a new tv check out the new philips range at the end of june you will be able to pick up their 40 inch for 1499 and even less if you can haggle!!

Minstrel27

If someone wants to sell me a tv then they should advertise it at the lowest possible price. I like to leave the haggling crap to Harvey Normans and co.

Manc-Red

A good friend of mine in the UK who had purchased a 3d Panasonic is now sending it back, family & himself is complaining of feeling nauseous after viewing 3 content.

I too felt weird for a few days after viewing it in the pub - thats not to say that 3d mixed with alcohol is a health hazard lol:D

I wont be buying until there completely bug free & prices come down

John mac

Review here of panasonic 3d tv ..