Don't Buy A 3D TV Until You Read This!

A lot of discussions on 3D TVs these days have to do with active vs. passive TVs.

However active vs. passive is not really the "format war" many writers would have you believe. Both formats are compatible was all existing stereoscopic 3D content. The decision to buy an active or passive 3D TV is really a matter of choice. Some consumers prefer active while others prefer passive. At some point all manufacturers may shift to one or the other (or eventually glassesless 3D TVs), but choosing the "wrong" format today will not be like buying a Betamax vs. a VHS player 25 years ago.

 The real "format war" has to do with how the 3D signal is sent to the TV. By definition 3D signals have two separate video streams, one for the left eye and one for the right eye. In order to broadcast these signals across existing 2D infrastructure the left and right signals are typically compressed and combined into a single frame. The most common methods for doing this include:

- Side-By-Side
- Top and Bottom (or Over/Under)
- RealD
- SENSIO Hi-Fi 3D

Unfortunately all of these methods (except SENSIO Hi-Fi 3D) result in reducing the
resolution of the original picture by about 50%. SENSIO Hi-Fi 3D uses a patented compression algorithm which results in virtually lossless resolution when compared to the original picture.

Eventually one of these formats may win out, but it is too early to say which one that will be. And in the meantime we are forced to deal with multiple formats.

The good news is that most 3D TVs are capable of processing multiple formats.

My Sony Bravia 55HX800 3D TV for example can handle Side-by-Side and Top and Bottom. The new Vizio 3D Theater line of TVs on the other hand can handle Side-by-Side, Top and Bottom, SENSIO Hi-Fi 3D and RealD formats.

The bad news is that most TVs can't automatically recognize which signal is being received and therefore the user must manually setup the TV each time he wants to view 3D content.

As far as I know, only Vizio 3D TVs can detect which signal format is being received and automatically configure the TV to display the 3D picture without the need for the user to manually configure the TV each time. Vizio 3D TVs incorporate SENSIO Autodetect which does all the work for the user.

This may not sound like a big problem, but believe me it's a huge pain when you want to watch 3D content.

To give you an idea of what I mean, the following illustrates what I typically go through every time I try to watch a 3D video on my Sony TV. In this case I am attempting to watch a 3D video I have saved on my PS3 in the side-by-side format. I would need to follow the same procedure if I was watching a live 3D sporting event on cable, streaming 3D content over the internet, or replaying 3D content saved on my PVR. The exception to this is if I am watching a 3D movie on Blu-Ray (which I rarely do).

Step 1: Select 3D video to be played. The TV at this point does not realize that it is receiving a 3D signal (in side-by-side format).

Step 2: Press '3D' button on remote. Every time I press the 3D button I hope that somehow my Sony TV will simply display the 3D picture, but unfortunately it never does. It just puts the TV into "3D Mode" and by default assumes I want to see 'Simulated 3D' and simulates a 3D effect on the entire side-by-side picture.

Step 3: Press 'Menu' button on remote. This is actually a mistake, but I almost always push the 'Menu' button here when I actually need to press the 'Options' button to pull up the '3D Menu'.

Step 4: Press 'Return' button on remote (to get out of 'Menu' mode)

Step 5: Press 'Options' button on remote

Step 6: Scroll down to '3D Menu' on remote. Oops. At least 50% of the time instead of pressing the 'Down' button I end up pressing the 'Menu' button by accident. This is due to the layout of the Sony remote which puts the 'Menu' directly under the 'Down' button. This of course puts me back to where I was after Step 3.

Step 7: Press 'Options' button on remote. Dammit! Out of frustration I immediately push the 'Options' button without first pressing the 'Return' button to exit out of 'Menu' mode. So instead of going to the main options area as in Step 5 I am presented with the option to add the existing setting to my favorites. Arrrgggghhh!!!

Step 8: Press 'Return' button Twice.

Step 9: Press 'Options' button again.

Step 10: Scroll down to '3D Menu' - being very careful not to press the 'Menu' button instead of the 'Down' button on the remote.


Step 11: Press 'Enter' Yeah! I finally made it to the '3D Menu' !!!

Step 12:  Scroll down to '3D Format' on remote. Again, being very careful not to press the 'Menu' button instead of the 'Down' button on the remote.

Step 11: Press 'Enter' button on remote

Step 12: Scroll down to 'Side-by-Side' on remote. Again, of course, being very, very careful not to press the 'Menu' button instead of the 'Down' button on the remote. If I were to hit the 'Menu' button by accident here I would probably throw the remote through the TV screen!!

Step 13: Press 'Enter' button on remote

Step 14: Press 'Return' on remote.


VOILA! The appropriate 3D settings have now been properly set and the 3D image is being properly processed and displayed by the TV.

Now all I need to do is get my active 3D glasses, turn them on, and sit back and enjoy the 3D video. However by this time about a minute or so has passed so if I forgot to pause the video at the start of the process I'll need to rewind it back to the beginning.

Unfortunately, now that the 3D settings are set the TV interprets every signal it receives as a side-by-side 3D signal. So God forbid I need to change some of the settings on my PS3 since all of the PS3 menus are now be stretched to double their original size and overlapped, making them unreadable on the TV.

Likewise if I want to choose another 3D video to watch all of the PS3 menus are distorted and barely readable.

To be able to properly read the PS3 menus I need to turn off the 3D settings on the TV. This is quickly and easily done by pressing the 3D button on the remote.

Of course if I want to select a second 3D video to watch I'll need to repeat all of the above steps once again to reconfigure the 3D to read the side-by-side signal properly. :(

Is it any wonder why I'm the only one in my house who actually knows how to watch 3D on my 3D TV?

I am fairly tech savvy, so if I find this process confusing and cumbersome my wife or kids have zero chance of ever watching a 3D video on my Sony TV on their own.

The next time I'm in the market for a 3D TV I am going to make sure that whatever TV I choose is intelligent enough to recognize and decode the 3D signal without me have to go through the steps above. It will make for a much more enjoyable viewing experience.

If I were to choose a 3D TV today I would give serious consideration to Vizio's Theater line of 3DTVs. The LG's line of Cinema Passive 3DTVs also look fantastic (minus the SENSIO technologies).

Read what others have to say about these passive 3DTVs at Amazon.com by clicking the images below:

Samsung Reduces Price Of 3D Glasses

One of the key complaints of 3D TVs (other than lack of content) has been the cost of additional pairs of 3D glasses. 

Well this week Samsung announced that, in addition to including 2 pairs of glasses with every 3D TV, they will be dropping the retail price of additional 3D glasses from $129 to just $50.

This should come as welcome news for existing and prospective owners of 3D TVs, and is a huge step forward in affordability for buyers of 3D TVs. Hopefully Sony will follow suit soon, as I could use a few extra pairs for my Sony 3D TV...

Read the full article here

3D Review - MLB 11 The Show (Demo)

Game: (4 out of 5)

I haven't played any of the previous games in the MLB The Show series, so I don't have a baseline to compare this year's version to. But from what I saw in the demo the graphics look great, and the game seems like it's a lot of fun to play.

You definitely have to be a baseball fan to want to play a game like this. But for those that are I can't imagine anything else out there that does a better job of bringing the feel of live major league baseball into the living room. I look forward to playing the full version when it's released.

3D Effect: (1 out of 5)

Two words... Ho Hum.

My impression of the 3D in this demo didn't start off good. For one, it took me about 15 minutes to figure out how to turn the 3D on in the first place. Once I was finally able to turn on the 3D things got better, but not by much. 

Note: For those looking for how to turn on the 3D option: press the start button, and then press the right d-pad to get to the video settings. From there you will be able to turn on 3D. Press X to save your new settings. 

Like most 3D games, you have the option to adjust the intensity of the 3D effect. At the minimum level it looks almost 2D. At the maximum level it immediately caused significant eye strain and massive amounts of ghosting. The optimum intensity level seemed to between 2/3 to 3/4 for me.

With the intensity level set, I was ready for some sweet 3D action. Unfortunately all I got was minimal 3D effects. 

I don't understand why some games don't seem to take full advantage of the 3D options available to them. If games like Motorstorm Rift can produce amazing 3D effects, why can't MLB 11 The Show? If live sporting events look awesome in 3D, then why doesn't MLB 11 The Show?

About the only thing that looked decent in 3D were things like the menus and scoreboards that pop out in front of the action. But where are the scenes of baseballs zooming by my head? Of players sliding into home? Why doesn't the massive stadium show incredible depth?

For me, if I'm going to pay for a 3D TV, and wear the 3D glasses to play a game like The Show, I don't want subtle 3D. I want jaw dropping 3D.

3D has the potential to make average games truly fun to play (for example Avatar: The Game or Super Stardust HD). But the 3D in MLB 11 The Show did nothing to make me want to play it any more than I would in 2D.

C'mon guys, try a little harder and let's get it right in 2012.

  

Review: NHL Heritage Classic In 3D

Feb 20, 2011

NHL Heritage Classic in 3D: Montreal Canadiens vs. Calgary Flames

Rating (4.5 out of 5)

I finally had the chance to watch my first live 3D sporting event tonight. Well technically that's not true - I did watch part of a 3D golf broadcast last month - but golf doesn't really count as a sport does it?

I'm not sure if it's the way the 3D was shot, or if hockey is just a more natural subject for this medium, but the 3D effect in the Heritage Classic was much better than what I remember from the golf broadcast.

I watched the game on my Sony Bravia 55" HX800 3D TV. It was broadcast by CBC, shown on Rogers Channel 900 in side-by-side 3D format.

Overall the 3D broadcast was a huge win. The picture look great, the colors were bright and vivid, and the depth was absolutely incredible at times. The 3D really added to the enjoyability of watching the game. It's a bit of a cliche, but it really was almost like being there. A truly immersive experience.

Even little things, like a shot of the players from the side of the bench, suddenly became breathtaking 3D images that seemed to go on forever behind the TV. And other events, like the live music before the game and between the 2nd and 3rd periods, both looked and sounded awesome.

On the downside, there were definitely a few glitches along the way (primarily during the first period). On several occasions the picture blacked out, or started scrolling up and down like an old VHS tape. There were also some losses in the audio early on. I can only assume these issues had more to do with CBC still trying to figure out this new technology, as well as the challenges of broadcasting from an outdoor location, than anything else.

As well, my Sony TV seemed to have problems properly displaying some of the overlays near the bottom of the screen (such as a player's name or other statistic). These overlays appeared to show a lot of ghosting. But yet if I closed one eye I still saw the ghosting effect. Which leads me to believe the problem is either a result of the way these images were broadcast, or a problem with the way my TV is decoding these images. This all has me a little confused, since similar displays at the top of the screen (such as the score) looked fine.

But glitches aside, watching the NHL in 3D is truly a step forward and a huge improvement over standard 2D. All I have left to say is...

Dear CBC: MORE 3D PLEASE!!

3D Review: James Cameron's Avatar: The Game

Game: (3 out of 5)

As far as movie-based games go, this game is actually pretty good. Sure, it's no Killzone or COD, but it's not bad. The story line itself is almost non-existent. And if you haven't seen the movie then you really won't have much of a clue as to what is going on.

As well, the game play itself can get a little tedious at times. I'm not a big fan of games where you are sent off to complete a mission. Then when you return, you are sent off to complete another mission. That's pretty much what the entire game is. But the graphics are very well done which makes the game bearable in that respect.


3D Effect (5 out of 5)

This is where the game really shines. The 3D effects are absolutely stunning. The first 20-30 minutes doesn't really do the game justice. But once you get deeper into the game the 3D becomes truly immersive. For example when your flying one of the dragons it literally looks like it's flapping its wings right in front of your face. If you're looking to find a game that can showcase your new 3D TV then this is definitely the one. Plus you can usually find used copies on the cheap on eBay or at your local used game store.

(Click on the image below to read more customer reviews at Amazon.com)

3D Review: Killzone 3 (Multiplayer Beta)

Game (3 out of 5)

I know this is just a beta, with no campaign mode and limited multiplayer modes, but my initial reaction is that it is just "ok". I was hoping for a little more. Hopefully I am more impressed when I get the opportunity to play the full game later this month.


3D Effect (3 out of 5)

The first thing I noticed about the 3D in this game is that it felt very natural. That is, it succeeded in showing increased depth, but at the same time it didn't really feel like I was "watching 3D". On one hand, that is a good thing, as the 3D is not distracting. On the other hand, this is a first person shooter fighting game. I WANT to see crazy 3D effects. The other problem I found is that much of the screen menus seemed somewhat dimmed and difficult to read in 3D mode. The game designers were obviously going for a certain "look", but in 3D mode I found it distracting.

EDIT: I was giving this game a second chance last night. As I was running into one of the rooms a robot shot some sort of missile at me from across the room. It literally looked like it was coming right at my face. Enough so that I actually jumped for a second. This has made me a little more optimistic that once I get a chance to play the full version I will be more impressed.

3D Review: Super Stardust HD

Game: (2.5 out of 5)

What can I say, this game is basically Asteroids on steroids. It is pretty, but there's not a lot to it.

3D Effect: (5 out of 5)

Wow, this is what 3D is supposed to look like. The 3D effects are simply stunning in this game. It takes a very basic game and actually makes it playable. The visuals are crisp and clean. I saw virtually zero ghosting. And when your ship explodes, little bits and pieces of it come flying out of the screen at you. I can't wait until I see these types of visuals on a more enticing game.