Nice picture huh? Shame it is a marketing tool instead of reality. Here we try to answer questions about 3D TV. Check back often for updated info.
Q: What components are absolutely necessary for me to view things in 3D in my home?
A: Bare minimum, a 3D capable HDTV, a 3D source (DirectTV 3D channel or 3D Blu-Ray Player), 3D glasses. If you want to take advantage of your home theater speakers however, your receiver must also be 3D capable (HDMI 1.4).
Q: I heard any TV with a 120Hz refresh rate can do 3D, is that true?
A: No. Two things are important for a TV to do 3D, 120Hz or higher and a 3D emitter that will work with your glasses. For example, Mitsubishi DLP HDTV's for the past 3 years have been 3D capable, but you have to purchase the 3D kit with the emitter and glasses that you plug in and enjoy. HDTV's without the built in emitter MUST have a port on the TV to plug in an emitter. Newer 3D HDTV's have built in emitters in the TV's so all you need are the glasses.
Q: Will any 3D glasses work with any 3D TV?
A: At the moment no. Each manufacturer has a specific type of emitter/glass combination for their specific brand. Mitsubishi glasses will not work on Samsung, Toshiba, or LG, and vica versa. There is a company that is coming out with a "universal" set of glasses. When they do, it will be available on our site.
Q: Does everyone who wants to view 3D have to have glasses?
A: Yes.
Q: I have a Mitsubishi DLP HDTV and I have the 3D starter kit, but I want to watch 3D streams from my PC, my Playstation 3, and DirectTV ESPN3D. The starter kit comes with one 3DA1 adapter and two pairs of glasses. Do I need a 3D adapter for each source?
A: Everything depends on your receiver. If your receiver is HDMI 1.4a/3D capable (All 2010 Onkyo and Yamaha receivers are from the bottom up) then you only need one between the receiver and the DLP. If you don't, you will need one adapter per source.
Recommendation, if you don't have a brand new receiver, you should consider upgrading. In just the past couple of years the number of HDMI ports has increased and processing of both audio (MasterDTS-HD and DolbyHD) and video make it worth the investment, and the prices start at $250 for a basic model.
Q: In regards to 3D HDTV's, which is the best?
A: Every manufacturer will tell you they are the best. They are supposed to, that is how they sell TV's. We have found the key to a great 3D experience, you need to have what is known as immersion into the TV. Most manufacturers will tell you that you need to sit closer to the TV so the screen fills your vision. That means closer than the 1.5 times the size rule you are supposed to follow. Screen sizes for 3D TV's start at 47" and go up to 82" in the Mitsubishi DLP line. What to watch for is brightness (which becomes a factor in 3D since the screen dims to 1/2 of the 2D level), and viewing angle. LCD's are known to have a narrower viewing range, while DLP's have a wider angle, along with being the cheapest way to get a large screen (60" for less than $900) 3D. If you have seen 3D movies in the theater, they use the same DLP technology that is used in the Mitsubishi line. Other retailers will tell you that LCD/LED is the only way to go, not true for the cost of entry into the 3D world being much lower, along with having an excellent 2D HDTV.
Q: When I look at the 3D picture, I can't see anything different. Is the 3D defective?
A: There is a percentage of the population that is incapable of seeing 3D. If everyone can't see the 3D depth, then something is not hooked up correctly. If all but you can see 3D, then you could very well be one of a handful of people who can't perceive 3D.
Q: Do I have to have special cables for 3D?
A: What happens with streaming 3D (like from a 3D Blue-Ray player), is you get two 1080p signals going down the line to your TV. HDMI 1.3a can't handle that much bandwidth. You would get the signal downgraded to two 1080i signals. That might not be a big deal unless you have a big screen (60" and over) HDTV. Now the source will make the difference. The signal from DirecTV 3D is 1080i. That means in HDMI 1.3, your signal is downgraded to two 540i signals. Generally that looks like crap in 3D, especially on big screens.
We at Wicked Home Theater are firm believers in forward thinking. The HDMI 1.4 specification allows for the higher bandwith for 3D, along with 2K/4K capability and ethernet over HDMI. Now you don't have to have super expensive cables (read: Monster) to get great viewing, and Wicked Home Theater will have HDMI 1.4 cables by Perfect Path that will do as well as the more expensive Monster cables.
The Sony Playstation 3 and the DirectTV HD receiver are both 1.3a and can do 3D, but the difference is built into the HDMI 1.3a specification where you can have a Standard HDMI and High Speed HDMI. High Speed HDMI can do 3D (not at the quality of 1.4), but all components must be high speed to do it and the visual difference is similar to the difference of a DVD at 480p, and a Blue-Ray at 1080p, works, but not at the best quality.
Q: I would like to get to 3D eventually, but right now I can't afford all the parts. What are your recommendations?
A: If you just purchased a new HDTV that is not 3D capable, then I would work on the other parts first since they cost less than the actual screen. If you have an aging receiver, upgrade to a new one by Yamaha or Onkyo. Even their lowest end receivers are 3D/HDMI 1.4 capable. Plus with today's modern receivers, they have better video and audio processing and upcoverting capabilities.
3D Blue-Ray Players are capable of 3D, Blue-Ray and DVD upconverting, and as with everything that is electronic, the price will be dropping over time as capablities increase.
Q: What are the drawbacks of 3D?
A: One of the key things mentioned by viewers is the brightness of the 3D movies not being as bright as their 2D counterpart. If you think of it logically, you are viewing two signals, slightly out of sync with each other on a set that normally will show at 120Hz, suddenly showing content at 60Hz per eye. The brightness will naturally dim to one half that of standard to allow for the 3D sequencing to occur smoothly. If the contrast and brightness were as bright as a 2D, you would have more issues with the 3D being "mushy" and "jaggy".
As far as 3D gaming is concerned, Sony released their firmware update to the PS3 console allowing for 3D movies and games. Now because of the technology behind 3D involves splitting the signal from one into two parts, and each is running at half the Hz rate of standard 2D, that makes the frame rate drop to 1/2 the speed of 2D. So a 60fps game will become 30, but a 30fps game will go down to 15fps, which is virtually unplayable. Always remember one thing when dealing with console platforms. The architecture is locked and will not get better unless the manufacturer makes a change, which for graphics and hardware ports, won't happen unless you have 1) a special edition, or 2) a whole new platform. |
