• Why it's not the right time to go 3D

    Why it's not the right time to go 3D

    Roydon Cerejo, Nov 04, 2010 1206 hrs IST

    As tempting as they may seem, they are not really worth the hefty price tag

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As if choosing a LED LCD TV wasn't tough enough we now have the option of 3D TV thrown in, which just complicates things even more. If you walk into a mall today, you are bombarded by large posters and cutouts of movies that are now available in 3D. While the store demos undoubtedly look good, ask yourself this, if you were to buy the TV and set it up at home, for how long can you show off the demos to your friends or watch the two or three movies that are now available in 3D?

Many people have asked whether it is worth investing in a 3D TV. We weighed the pros and cons of that decision before starting out on this article, and the sad fact is that the cons outweigh the pros by a mile. So if you are planning to buy a TV right now, don't buy into the marketing hype because the fact of the matter is, it's just not worth it.
Without sounding too negative let's start off with the two pros we were able to conjure up. First of all if the movies are recorded well in 3D, then the depth and layering is very apparent in the scenes. Cloudy with a chance of Meatballs is one such movie that is done well in 3D and a good amount of depth is perceptible. Also, if you have a PS3, you'll be able to enjoy a few games that have been patched to work with 3D TVs.

The other advantage is that you'll be able to brag about your shiny new 3D TV to family members and friends and get a lot of gasps and 'Wow!' from them. Sadly, this is where the advantages end. Let's take a look at why investing in a 3DTV right now does not make much sense.



No escaping the 3D glasses

Let's start off with the basics. In order to watch anything in 3D today you will need a pair of 3D glasses, which may be shutter based or passive. To make things worse, if you're are bespectacled, then wearing 3D glasses becomes a hassle. Today, everyone is bundling a pair of 3D glasses with their 3D TVs, but what if there are a number of people watching television at home? You'll have to buy separate glasses for them, which don't come cheap. Also, these glasses have to be charged and you can't have people sitting on the extreme right or left of the screen, as the effect is not that good. So you see it's actually more of a headache rather than enjoyment. Till the time we won't need these glasses to view 3D content or better still, holographic displays, I'd hold off.

Minor collection of good 3D Content

The second most important thing that's missing is the availability of good 3D content. A couple of Hollywood movies have been released in the recent past but that's about it. More often than not movies just get a '3D patch' to cash in on the hype but they don't provide the best experience. The latest version of Power DVD 10 adds a capability of converting your existing 2D movie collection into 3D, but not all are very convincing.

Another thing that only certain genre of movies are worth watching in 3D, for instance, Avatar, but other genres like Drama and Comedy won't benefit much. Finally, you'll be watching cable TV most of the time, which isn't going to get the 3D treatment anytime soon in India. So does it really make sense to pay a premium for an occasional 3D movie that you'd watch?
 
3D performance is not uniform across manufacturers

The 3D TVs available today all use active shutter glasses, which are similar to what Nvidia uses in their 3DVision. The problem is that these glasses aren't interoperable, which means 3D glasses from an LG TV would not work properly, or not work at all, on a Sony or Panasonic and vice versa. The 3D performance isn't uniform across all manufacturers as well. The results on LG's flagship LX9500 is a bit of a mixed bag. Also, there was a considerable amount of flicker noticeable while wearing those glasses, which gave us a bit of a headache after a while. 




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Discussion Board
(10) Comments
Cityboy
,Delhi, on Nov 13, 2010 12:54 AM
This is all about your choice. If you can afford it, it is the best visual technology available for home viewing till date and if you cannot afford it than grapes are always sour as they are out of your reach!!
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Austex
,Mumbai, on Nov 04, 2010 07:12 PM
But what do you do if you want to buy a high end TV right now and want to future proof. Isn't it a good idea to buy a 3D TV now and atleast enjoy the limited content and snob value for a year or so; rather than buy a high end TV w/o 3D and then wait for 5-6 years for the next TV purchase for 3D.
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Pankaj Gupta
,Patiala Punjab, on Nov 04, 2010 08:16 PM
dude, 3D wont be that much popular in India anytime soon it will take atlest 5-6 years to come properly here in terms of all the channels till then you can buy High End ones without 3D. and after 5-6 years, when 3D becomes popular in India ( which i still doubt ), the Prices of 3D tv won't be much high as they are today and also may be some new technology, improved one might come. the technology right now available is very very naive and i its nascent stage and not uniform throughout. so in my opinion you can wait 5-6 years wihout any regret or loss of money
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Raymond
,Kollam, on Nov 07, 2010 10:18 AM
A new NPD (leading North American market research company)Group survey reports that 20 percent of consumers are intrested by in-store 3D,and what about the rest 80%?.and out of 20 how many actually buy this so boomed 3DTV? not up to 5%,because its not worth at all.It is really waste of hard earned money.
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sachin
,Lucknow, on Nov 05, 2010 12:06 AM
When We Watch 3D Then The Stress And Strain Is More Than 80 % In Compasrion To 2D ANd In 3D The Color Are Less Stunning In Compared To 2D.
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sachin
,Lucknow, on Nov 05, 2010 12:02 AM
ONE OF THE BEST ARTICLES EVER..................EVER VERY INFORMATIVE SAINT JOAN OF ARC BLESS
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Pankaj Gupta
,Patiala, Punjab, on Nov 04, 2010 04:22 PM
Thanks for the wonderful article Roydon Cerejo. :) It was very insightful to know all the details and the research you have done into this. It was good to know the reference of Power DVD 2D to 3D conversion. I myself tried the software but wasnt convinced about the quality. Yes you are right, especially india, it makes no sense buying a 3D TV as long as popular channels are still 2D and not even HD. Nice article . Keep it up ..!!
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Vinod
,Bangalore, on Nov 04, 2010 04:16 PM
good commnet by tech tree.
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Arun
,Hyderabad, on Nov 04, 2010 02:39 PM
A very well put article. Wish it had come earlier to save me some confusion! Last week, I almost bit the bait of the Sony 40" HX800 bundle retailing for 1.2Lakhs. Then, after putting in some thought and seeing it in action, I realized that the while the 3D effect is present, it is not immersive like in the theaters. Also, the content is scarce and 99.98% of the time, we will be seeing 2D content only. Eventually, I went for the Panasonic 50" Plasma (50V20D) for 1.04L and I am one happy chappie. HD content in 2D on the 50 incher is way more immersive than 3D on a 40 incher. 3D is the way forward, but unless the effect is immersive, it will fail to impress.
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Anonymous
,Chennai, on Nov 04, 2010 12:54 PM
A meaningful article... Much appreciated
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