As much as I like doing my own research, I think it's useful to see what other people are buying before making a final purchase on any item. Here are the top selling 3D products at Amazon.com as of December 29, 2011. Click on any of the links to get pricing information or to read user reviews on the products listed below.
Apparently LG couldn't wait another 2 weeks to show off its new 84-inch "Ultra Definition" 4k 3DTV. This TV sports a resolution of 3840 x 2160 - 4 times the resolution of today's full 1080p HD.
If theory this means that LG's passive 3D will be able to display full HD per eye on this TV (vs. 540 per eye on existing LG Cinema 3DTVs).
But given that the existing cable/streaming infrastructure and current Blu-Ray specs are unable to support 4k resolution it remains to be seen if and when such a TV will be able to make practical use of its increased resolution.
Users can also access LG’s Smart TV ecosystem, which comprises over 1,200 apps and gives users access to a growing range of premium content services such as the 3D Zone where viewers can select from a wealth of 3D movies.
"SENSIO Technologies Inc. is back again this year at the 2012 International CES with some big news to share! The company will announce the launch of a revolutionary product that will help counter the low adoption of 3D. Once more, SENSIO will break boundaries through content, quality, usability and compatibility, allowing consumers to have the ultimate 3D experience right in their own living rooms!"
Those are strong words. Most likely they are referring to their previously announced video-on-demand 3D store which has yet to launch. The company has reportedly been negotiating with major Hollywood studios for the better part of the year to ensure a large catalog of quality 3D content in SENSIO 3D format (previous reports had already suggested that the rights to most if not all of the major IMAX 3D documentaries, like Under The Sea, had already been secured earlier this year).
The SENSIO Hi-Fi 3D format allows visually lossless streaming of high definition 3D images across existing 2D cable, internet and satellite infrastructure.
As if passive 3D glasses weren't already that much lighter than their active counterparts, LG has just announced even lighter and better looking passive 3D glasses. In addition to LG's passive Cinema 3DTVs, these glasses will also work with any other other passive 3DTVs (e.g., Vizio) and at your local 3D movie theater.
Sure, some 3D pop out effects can be a bit gimmicky. But let's face it, if you want to show off your 3DTV those gimmicky effects are the way to do it.
So what are the very best 3D pop out moments that will impress your friends and family? What scenes will make you pause the Blu-Ray disc and try to touch the 3D image?
Here are the 10 very best 3D pop out scenes currently available on Blu-Ray, and exactly where on the discs you can find them!
Ok, I lied. Currently the list is a "Top 6" list. That is because I have yet to view 10 truly amazing pop out effects worth making the list. If I didn't feel the urge to pause the film and rewatch the scene multiple times then it didn't make the cut. As new material gets released on Blu-Ray I will update the list. But for now, here's the Top 6...
(Click on the title links to read more customer reviews on Amazon.com)
1. IMAX Under The Sea (Potato Cod - 20m:58s)
- By far the best 3D pop out moment I've seen so far.
- The potato cod practically comes right up to your face (my wife actually got scared and tried to back away).
- This is the scene that LG uses to demo their 3DTVs at Best Buy.
2. Yogi the Bear (Flying Nachos - 1m:45s) - This is a close second to the Potato Cod scene in Under the Sea.
- Great slow motion 3D scene with nachos flying around your living room.
- This scene alone is worth the price of the Blu-Ray - usually under 20 bucks at Amazon.com
3. The Ultimate Wave Tahiti - (Animated Planets - 2m:43s)
- This movie has some of the best animated 3D effects I've ever seen.
- It is impossible to convey in a 2D pic how truly incredible these scenes really look.
- This is another title that you can pick up for dirt cheap - usually $12.99 on Amazon.com
4. Despicable Me (Parking the Spaceship - 1h:15m:36s)
- Great scene as the tip of the space ship extends right through the screen.
- A lot of really good 3D moments in this entire film.
- The scenes near the credits are also very impressive.
5. Drive Angry (Coin Flip - 25m:05s)
- The coin in this scene comes out about 1/2 way between you and the TV.
- Plus I really enjoyed this movie (unlike many other reviews I read).
6. Tangled - (Floating Lanterns - 1h:08m:54s)
- A couple of the lanterns look like they're floating in your living room.
- The movie itself is absolutely fantastic (for both kids and adults).
- This particular scene showed some minor crosstalk on my Sony HX800, or I might have ranked it higher.
Are you looking to buy a new HDTV this year? Are you asking yourself, "Should I buy a 3DTV?".
If you plan on getting a decent sized screen (at least 40") then you may as well buy a 3D-capable TV - whether you really want one or not. The premiums for 3DTVs have come down dramatically over the past year, with 3DTVs costing only $100-200 more than comparable 2DTVs in many cases.
You are going to own this TV for many, many years. So you may as well try and future-proof your purchase the best you can. It's more than likely that within the next year or two ALL high-end TVs will be 3D-capable. It would be a shame to wish you had the option to watch 3D a couple years from now but not be able to - even if it's just to watch the occasional 3D movie like Avatar or Hugo (or watch the Olympics 2016 in 3D, or play that amazing new 3D game on your PS4). The worst case scenario is that you never use the 3D feature and simple watch everything in 2D, but at least you'll have the option.
Before you can determine what 3DTV is the best for your circumstances you need to ask yourself a few questions first:
Active vs. Passive 3D
Are you a videophile who will only be satisfied with the highest possible image quality?
Do you have young kids, a large family, or a lot of friends that will be watching the 3DTV?
If you have a large family then I would strongly suggest buying a passive 3DTV. Passive 3DTVs use the same lightweight, inexpensive glasses used in theaters (i.e., "free"). Active 3DTVs use the heavier, battery powered shutter glasses that typically cost anywhere from $50 to $150 a pair. So buying glasses for a family of four could cost you as much as $600. And forget about that 3D Superbowl party you were planning for your 20 closest friends if you own an active 3DTV.
The negative things about passive 3DTVs is that each eye does not see full a full 1080p image since each eye only sees every other line of the picture. However, in theory your brain puts the alternate lines back together to see the entire image anyway.
While videophiles often point to the "full HD" issue as a reason for preferring active over passive, most people report not noticing a difference in picture quality unless sitting very close to the TV.
The other benefit of passive 3DTVs is that people generally report less eyestrain or eye fatigue from passive 3DTVs vs. active.
I currently own an active 3DTV, but if I were buying a new 3DTV today I would strongly recommend looking at the Vizio Theater line of passive 3DTVs. You can get a 42" for under $800, and Vizio supports more 3D formats than any other manufacturer (including Sony or Samsung). See the link below to see what others on Amazon.com have to say about the Vizio line of 3DTVs:
My second pick would be to look at the LG Cinema line of passive 3DTVs. Both Vizio and LG use the same passive 3D panels (manufactured by LG Panel) and therefore should have similar picture quality. The LG 3DTV do not currently support the SENSIO 3D format (see below), however the LG series do have 2D-3D conversion which the Vizio 3DTVs do not. I've seen the LG 2D-3D conversion and it's actually pretty good (at least much better than my Sony). So if 2D-3D is important to you then you may want to consider the LG. Click HERE to see what others on Amazon.com have to say about LG's line of Passive Cinema 3DTVs.
How Big Of A Screen Do I Need?
When it comes to 3D, bigger is definitely better. I would recommend getting the largest screen you can afford that will reasonably fit in the desired space.
3D is all about immersion. You want the screen to capture as much of your field of vision as possible. While the 3D effects on a smaller screen are still impressive, there's nothing quite like the feeling of actually being there.
A larger screen will also allow you to sit further away from the TV, which means both the depth and pop-out effects will be more impressive. (A 3D scene that extends 50% of the way from the TV to the viewer means a 2-foot effect for someone sitting 4-feet away from the TV. That same scene will extend out 4-feet if you sit 8-feet away).
What Is The Difference Between Side-By-Side, Top/Bottom and SENSIO Hi-Fi 3D?
Side-by-Side (SbS) Top Over Bottom (T/B) and SENSIO are simply compression methods which allow 3D images to be broadcast over the existing 2D cable, satellite and internet infrastructure.
SbS and T/B each compress the image (either vertically or horizontally) to allow both the left eye and right eye image to fit on a single frame. The TV then decompresses the images to re-create the 3D picture. The result, unfortunately, is that the 3D image you see on your TV will only be 1/2 the resolution of the original. In a sense, it is like watching SD on a HDTV.
The benefit of SbS and T/B to TV manufacturers is that each methodology is in the public domain and is therefore free to use and incorporate into their 3DTVs.
SENSIO on the other hand, is a patented technology which compresses the original 3D image in such a way that when decompressed by your 3DTV the resulting image is visually identical to the original. Therefore by using SENSIO 3D format you can watch Blu-Ray quality 3D video over cable or internet.
In addition to 3D compression, SENSIO also provides other features to improve the viewer's 3D experience, like SENSIO Autodetect (which automatically detects the 3D format being received) and SENSIO S2D Switch (which allows viewers to view recorded or streaming 3D content in 2D if desired).
Unfortunately, as the the date of this article, Vizio is the only manufacturer currently supporting the SENSIO 3D format. Hopefully by the time you are reading this more and more manufacturers will adopt the format as more and more content becomes available in SENSIO 3D.
So you've got a new 3DTV and a PS3 and are wondering what are some of the best 3D games you can get to enjoy and show off your system? Here is my list of the Top 5 3D games currently available for the PS3. All games were tested on my Sony HX800 and rated based on a combination of :
(1) Game Play
(2) Picture Quality
(3) 3D Effectiveness
(4) Crosstalk/Ghosting
(Click on the links to view my review of each game)
Maybe it's just that there's been so many really good animated features released over the last few years, but this one was truly a disappointment. The story was flat and the characters were not interesting. It actually took me about 3 or 4 attempts to get through the entire movie. Even my young children were not interested in watching it. The animation itself was also lacking. The colors were dull and the images lacked the type of details we've become accustomed to seeing in Pixar/Disney animated features. As far as animated films go, there are much better choices. If you really want to see this film I would recommend it as a rental.
3D Effect: (1 out of 5)
Gnomeo and Juliet has by far the worst 3D effects of any animated 3D film I've seem to date. It's not that the 3D is "bad", it's that the 3D is virtually non-existent. This is one of those 3D films where you spend half the movie talking your 3D glasses off to see if you can spot any difference (in most cases you can't).
If you're looking for some good 3D movies to rent or buy I suggest reading my 'Top 5' blog:
I'm still working my way through the main story but I can say one thing for sure, this is one helluva long game. I've been playing for hours and hours, yet I've only completed about 16% of the game (including side missions). So this game will definitely give you your money's worth.
I have yet to play the original Batman game (Arkham Asylum), so the controls took a little getting used to. Once you spend a few minutes it becomes second nature, but there are a few subtle differences in the controls vs. your standard FPS games like COD or Uncharted. As well there seem to be a few references to the characters or the plot of the original game, but it doesn't really take away from the enjoyment if you haven't played the first game.
The graphics are slick and the game is a lot of fun to play. The voice acting as well is quite good. The fighting (which there is a lot of) never seems to get boring. And the boss levels, while hard, are varied and enjoyable. If definitely not the same thing over and over again.
My only complaint is what happens when you die during the game. In most games when you die the game automatically does a quick reload and sends you back to the last checkpoint. In Arkham City you first get the pleasure of one of the bad guys mocking you for 5-10 seconds, and then you have to select whether you want to retry the level (or quit), and then finally it reloads the game to the last checkpoint. Unfortunately the load times for restoring a checkpoint are too long, which can get very frustrating when one of the bad guys keeps killing you over and over again.
Overall, however, there's very little to find fault with in Batman Arkham City. I can't wait to finish the game and see what other surprises the game has in store.
3D Effect: (4 out of 5)
I've been playing this game in 3D on my Sony55HX800 and I have yet to see even one instance of minor ghosting/crosstalk. The resolution looks fantastic, even in 3D, and I've experienced no issues with the brightness in the game.
Arkham City just might be the best looking 3D game I've played on the PS3 as far as picture quality goes. The 3D effects themselves are pretty good, but I think there's less depth and popout on average vs. some over titles like Uncharted 3 (which is maybe why there's less crosstalk). That being said, there were a couple scenes where bad guys/monsters jump out at you where the 3D really adds to the realism.
Overall I am really enjoying playing this title in 3D. Definitely one of the top 5 3D games for the PS3!
(Click image below to read more customer reviews on Amazon.com)
Below are what we consider to be the best 3D movies currently available on Blu-Ray. Avatar would have been included in this list, except for the fact you have to buy a Panasonic 3DTV or Blu-Ray player to get it.
(Click on the images on each movie to read more customer reviews on Amazon.com)
Tangled is fantastic, both myself and my kids really enjoyed watching this movie (several times). The story and the 3D are top notch. The colors are crisp and vibrant with practically zero ghosting in the entire picture. A few scenes, such as the floating lantern scene, are truly mesmerizing. This is definitely the most played 3D disc in my house.
2. IMAX - Under The Sea
This is the movie you want to show your friends and family to show off your new 3DTV. The potato cod scene at the 21min mark is the best pop-out 3D effect I've ever experienced in a 3D movie. It's absolutely amazing. The large fish slowly swims more than 1/2 way out of the TV and appears to be swimming right in front of your face. They use this disc to demo LG 3DTVs at Best Buy.
3. Despicable Me
A great story that is as much fun for the adults as it is for the kids. Some great 3D scenes in this one.
4. Cars 2
Some of the jokes in this movie seemed to be aimed more at the adults than the kids, but the picture quality and 3D is some of the best I've seen.
5. Drive Angry
It's still tough to find a good 3D flick that's not targeted at children. This movie won't be for everyone, but if you're willing to turn off your brain and enjoy this movie for what it is, then you won't be disappointed. The depth is very good and there are a few really good pop-out effects that make this a worthy purchase.
As much as I like doing my own research, I think it's useful to see what other people are buying before making a final purchase on any item. Here are the top selling 3D products at Amazon.com as of December 29, 2011. Click on any of the links to get pricing information or to read user reviews on the products listed below.
