3D Non-sense

The tech is still so primitive. When I can sit in my living room and watch "3d" without glasses I might bite. The tech now is way too infantile.

Are we talking about autostereoscopic 3D displays or will these 3D PDPs require some type of glasses or other head gear?

Is 3D programming even available from TWC or w/Blu-ray disc?

Sounds like a sales gimmick to me. I'd recommend saving your upgrade $ for a BIG screen OLED.

ESPN is launching a 3D channel in June and will produce up to 85 live sporting events in 3D in the first year. Whether or not the cable and satellite providers will carry it is another question. Some people who have seen it say that it is truly impressive.

From everything I've read, all 3D TV that are going to be produced will require active shutter glasses, which will require batteries. The glasses will cost about $100 each. TV manufactures will include a pair of glasses with new TVs.

There will be 3D blurays. The Playstation3 for instance will require a firmware upgrade to play them.

Sony, IMAX, Discovery, have teamed up to come out with a 24/7 3D channel by 2011.
DirectTV has plans for a 3D channel, which I'm assuming will be available when D12 satallite will is functional.

I'm not biting until you don't need glasses.

^^ sounds like a extra cost option some may not need nor warm up to.

plus, something else to break (tech issues).

ya but is the tech really out there ( and has high resolution and cheap ) to do 3d without glasses? All the people saying they want without glasses.. ok maybe in 20 years

Thanks for the confirmation. I'm not currently in the market for a new display so I have not been keeping up w/the latest technology.

I suspect that 3D TVs w/glasses will go over about as well as the CableCARD and tru2way displays have.

Of course they will - you obviously don't think that 3D will be offered as no-cost option do you? The manufacturers aren't suddenly going to add $500 (or more) to every single tv that's being made. "Regular" (2D) sets will only stop being manufactured when it's not financially a viable medium. Can you buy a 1024x768 plasma anymore? Doesn't make sense when a 720p set is so cheap. How many RPTV CRT sets are still available? Not many, if at all.
If (big "if") the present 3D technology takes off, in 5 years you wouldn't even consider buying an old/outdated 2D set anyway and the prices will be in line with the current model.

Companies are making dedicated 3D sets. You won't have to buy one as all manufacturers will continue to make their regular HD sets without 3D tech embedded. IMO 3D sets will not make it past the gimmick stage.

Imagine having a Superbowl party and having to furnish all 10 or more of your friends with 3D glasses just to watch in 3D. Yeah ok.

You've heard of BYOB, right? BYOG.

I'm sure you can still view 2D pictures on a 3D set, so you don't necessarily have to watch the Superbowl in 3D (if your friends forgot to bring their own glasses).

My biggest concern with all of the 3d nonsense is sacrificing what I care about (real PQ) in favor of a novelty. Having sat through Avatar twice over the holidays, the 3d effect appears to be a cute novelty for about ten minutes. After the point, your brain becomes accustomed to it and you don't really notice anymore. Additionally, wearing the glasses dims the image significantly and (at least for me) created a distracting, hazy effect that frequently took me out of the experience.

I'll pass on the upcoming generation entirely and wait for holograms.

Avatar in the the theater look impressive.

IMO, 3D could potentially be nice for movies however for 3D to really be immersive you need a big screen and a 65-70" TV isn't that big unless you sit on top of the TV. LOL

On the other hand, who wants to wear glasses for standard TV? Also, you room needs to be dark for the best 3D experience. 3D makes sense for movies but for everything else? I dunno.

It would have been nice if manufactures put more focus on PQ before they did on features, gadgets, etc. Sometimes I think our TVs are going to be capable of making us dinner before they can perfect black levels.

Well, I for one am going to withhold judgement on the whole 3D home viewing experience until I see it for myself. Might be great, might just be a gimmick that I turn on when company comes over-but I'm certainly not going to lose a minute of sleep over it for at least a couple of years when things might begin to stabilize.

"Pay the man Shirley."

totally agree, everyone keeps jarring on how they love 3D because they were blown away watching avatar at the IMAX, well sorry to tell you but unless you can have a screen the size of your wall and sit less than ten feet away from it, its just not gonna happen, at least for most of the people out there and not us tv lovers who love buying the biggest tvs we can, most people dont want to spend the money or want to buy a tv that large. 3D is great, but i think its something that will be best viewed at the theater.

From what little I have read, one of the industry guys was talking 5-10 years for it to get up to speed. And like others have said, who wants to wear glasses? Hell, I am still not that impressed with BD, some stuff, but not all by a long shot. It is the BD audio that makes me a fan, not so much the PQ and even less so the content, if you get my drift.

In fact I will bite ONLY if they use the shutter glasses. I hope this is the way they will proceed for most sets. That hope is based on one simple fact. The technology used with the shutter glasses doesn't need to fundamentally change the basic 2D operating principles of the TV. In other words, 3D is just a special mode in which the TV can operate where it alternates the two images and provides a sync pulse the glasses can pick up that causes one or the other eye's shutter to close. So in that mode, a 120 HZ frame rate becomes 60HZ to each eye.

The set does not need to change anything inherent in how the panel is constructed, or any compromises other than the fact that they write the software so that it can go into this alternating frame mode. It will require more bandwidth only capable over HDMI 1.4 for full 1080P resolution (and so will most likely be presented as a 1080i or 720p mode), but I can't think of any way this fundamentally changes how they build the set for 2D.

Undoubtedly they will pour engineering effort into this that could be better used to increase PQ, implemented this way, it shouldn't detract from 2D PQ. I'd be vehemently against any 3D technology that would require them to fundamentally change how the set is built, as that most certainly would come at the expense of PQ.

-Jim

I can't imagine sitting in my chair, watching a show, and having these stupid glasses on my face. Wearing regular eye glasses is bad enough.

No one is making you do it ... you do not have to get a 3d tv ... or if you do get a 3d tv you don't have to watch it in 3d when you don't feel like it.

I am a bit worried myself though about the shutter glasses and how they will fit on my with my glasses.

I hope this dies a quick, quiet but painful death.

ATSC and HD programing in general are just starting to mature, why throw something else in to ruin it all?

The providers say they don't have enough bandwidth now, I would think 3D will take even more, and if not, will it require 2 feeds, one for 3D and one for everyone who dosen't want the stupid glasses?

Of course no one is making me watch 3D, but my point is that the technology needs to be further explored as to where the glasses are not needed. I can't imagine many people will want to sit down every night and put on 3D glasses. It's just not enjoyable.

I'm sure it will be a nice feature for movies for those who want it but it just isn't an everyday thing no matter how much these companies push it.

^^ .. agree - I envision a SNL skit coming in the next Year or when/if released.

Do I just wear them right over my glasses Clark?

I'm already switching between a pair of readers when I'm on the wireless laptop and my regular glasses to see what's on TV.

Eh, I guess I shouldn't complain about wearing (3) different pair of glasses to watch 3D TV when I am already using (5) different remotes to operate the components for my HT.

The teach is out there but is the compay going after the tech or ur wallet?
once 60% or more bought the 3d tv with glasses. than they will push out the set that dont needs glasses. just to screw ur wallet all over again. once they'r done with the none glasses they will push out 2160p and call it true hd... is 2000 all over again.

Gee, kind of glad my two and three year old gear is already set for the 'new' 3D spec

Reading this is kinda funny. I like seeing so many people bitter over new technology.