"Decent 80's type gore/T&A flick - in 3D!"
Score: 4.0 out of 5.0
I read a lot of other reviews on this movie before buying it, and basically 90% of them either love it or hate it. I actually thought it was pretty good. And my wife, who generally doesn't like 3D or horror films, really enjoyed this movie as well. She was still talking about it the next day and says that Piranha 3D is now her favorite horror movie.
The movie suffered from a little ghosting in a few scenes, but after tweaking my TV's settings most of the ghosting was fairly minimal. My Sony3DTV is somewhat prone to ghosting, so if you have a newer passive 3DTV you may not see any ghosting at all.
Showing posts with label Review. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Review. Show all posts
Sunday, March 18, 2012
Saturday, December 17, 2011
How To Buy A New 3DTV
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.
Click here to see our updated list of the top selling 3DTVs at Amazon right now
What 3DTV Should I Buy?
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?
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?
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.
Click HERE to read more about Vizio's line of Passive Theater 3DTVs
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To see my list of the Top 5 3D Blu-Ray Movies Click Here
To see my list of the Top 5 3D Games for the PS3 Click Here
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
3D Movie Review - Gnomeo and Julliet
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:
Top Five 3D Movies For Your 3DTV
Monday, December 5, 2011
3D Review - Batman: Arkham City
Game: (4.5 out of 5)
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)
Saturday, December 3, 2011
Top Five 3D Movies for your 3DTV
(Click on the images on each movie to read more customer reviews on Amazon.com)
Curious what the most popular 3D Blu-Rays are right now? Click here for our continuously updated list of the best selling 3D movies on Blu-Ray.
1. Tangled
1. Tangled
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.
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