Sexy TV needed immediately

Passive technology you probably want to look at LG and Vizio. You've eliminated all plasmas with the passive requirment, Sony makes some good sets but these use active technology.

Actually you've eliminated all displays since passive 3D technology with full 1080p resolution does not exist.

+1
Passive 3D has less resolution than active 3D. I'd only go active 3D, and Panny plasma ST50 would be an excellent choice.

How's this for a sexy TV?








Ian

But if he wants SEXY wouldn't the gt50 fit the bill better or a 55" vt50..

Pretty sure he wants passive simply because it's a much better viewing experience then any active 3D display out there.

Bah, it'd take passive over active any day. Much more comfortable and enjoyable.

For the better resolution. I don't watch much 3D content, so for the occasional 3D movie, I don't find the active glasses that heavy or uncomfortable. And I can't see buying a 1080p display and not being able to watch 1080p content. IMO, PQ is better with active, and the active displays such as the Panny ST50 or VT50 get the best reviews. But I can see the other point of view that the passive glasses are lighter and more comfortable. If you will be watching a lot of 3D, then passive may be better for you. If it's one 3D movie every few months (like me), then I'd go active. But nobody but you can determine which is better for you.

Better viewing experience? In what way? The best displays (based on reviews and shootouts) are the active ones (the VT50 won the recent VE shootout). IMO, the best viewing experience is the best PQ.

Nothing better then flickering lights while watching tv. Passive is more comfortable 10-1. As for active 3D being better. It's only on places like AVS that people prefer active. Even then. It's just about numbers here. "Active can give full 1080P while passive can't." Who cares? 9/10 people wouldn't know that ti begin with. Passive is super lightweight. Cheap. No horrid flicker. Best viewing experience.

Horrid flicker is so overblown. I don't see flicker from either my Samsung or Sony displays.

The way you say it, it sounds like people are being carried out on stretchers with flicker sickness. Lighten up!

I don't watch TV in a pitch black room. As soon as you have random lights on the stupid flicker begins!

True, if you use fluorescent lights in your living room or home theater it flickers. If you living room looks like a Best Buy showroom you'll see flicker. Most people are able to dim the lights if they watch a movie. if you have a lot of kids or like to watch while doing other things, sure fine, flicker would be a problem.

Flicker free or flicker argument is pointless. The problem is passive 3D in 60". LG, Vizio, and Toshiba are the only higher performing sets that do passive 3D. Reviews on LG and Vizio LED tv's for 2D picture have been fairly mediocre because of poor black levels and shadow detail. Besides as far as i can tell they're only made in 65". Have yet to see a review on Toshiba's new cinema series but it is on my sales floor and from what i see it won't perform much better if at all. Yes panasonic or samsung D7000 or 8000 plasmas will smoke passive LED's in 2D PQ will still handling a brighter room quite well (ie. Louver filters). So you need to decide if passive 3D or 2D PQ is more important. You can find a pana TCP60ST50 for under 2k which would be my choice. Btw samsung LED's are available in 60" as well with again better 2D PQ than most LED's but again they use active glasses.

Not sure most would agree with that statement. IMO, Panasonic has best quality/reliability. ST50 is a great display to consider.

+1.

I use to rep many product lines when I was in the car audio/video industry. My most reliable products were from Pioneer and Panasonic.
Sony was the least reliable. For years Consumer Reports listed Panasonic as one of the most reliable brands and from my own
personal and professional experience, I have found that they offer great quality.



Ian

Actually, flickering lights with active glasses is not a given. Sony's active shutter glasses work by switching polarization so that only the display gets shuttered, rather than the entire eye being blocked: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yo5cuhM_aAQ#t=1m16s&hd=1

Never had a problem with the weight of Sony's 3D glasses over the course of 3 or 4 hours (a couple of films) because they distributed the weight very well. I have had lighter pairs of glasses (nothing to do with 3D) that were less comfortable for that length of time.

Both forms of 3D are a huge compromise right now though. Even if the room lights aren't flickering, the display does, you have lots of crosstalk, and I definitely find my eyes strained after a while of using active 3D.
Passive 3D is much more comfortable, but the resolution is terribly low, and you have horrible interlacing in the image. There's still plenty of crosstalk as well. (there may actually be more in some cases, but it can be less distracting)

Personally, after owning a 3DTV for a year and a half, I have zero interest in 3D right now. I spent a while the first week or so after getting the TV, trying out a lot of different 3D sources, and the trade-offs just weren't worth it in my opinion. I've tried it again every so often and my opinion hasn't changed at all. I've yet to see any pre-recorded 3D content (films, TV, web clips etc.) that has impressed me, and I find it to be particularly distracting when watching films.

3D has a lot of potential with games, but with the current HDMI specs, we are limited to full 720p60 or 1080p SBS resolution when gaming, and crosstalk is a significant issue.

The only time I have been impressed with 3D at all was using Sony's HMZ-T1 head-mounted display for PC gaming. It uses 720p native OLED display panels, so images are displayed with 1:1 mapping, and because each eye has its own display, there's zero 3D crosstalk. It's by far the most natural and impressive 3D I've ever seen. Unfortunately, the image was small, the optics are poor quality, contrast wasn't great, and the ergonomics of that device are terrible, so I didn't keep it.


Until we either have 4K native panels with passive 3D that allow for full 1080p resolution 3D, or new HMDs that have better optics and are comfortable for long periods of time, I've completely lost interest in 3D.
Maybe I'm wrong, but it sounds like your priority is 2D content, with you theoretically maybe wanting to use 3D some time in the future. In that case, I wouldn't pay any attention to how the set achieves 3D and focus on getting the best 2D display you can find to suit your needs. (not necessarily 2D only, but you're making big compromises on 2D if you buy any of the current passive 3D displays)
Actually, a glossy finish is better than a matte screen in a bright environment. A matte screen diffuses the light, creating large patches that you can't see, and completely washes out the display. A modern display with a good AR coating and glossy finish will display crisp reflections, but avoids glare, maintaining high contrast, and if you position the display correctly, you can avoid most/all direct reflections.

See here for an example: http://www.avsforum.com/t/1353234/lcd-matte-glare-advantage-i-dont-think-so-pics/0_100#post_20823935 The Samsung is not even a display that I'd consider to have a very good coating, but look at how much better it is in a bright room compared to the Sharp with a matte finish.


As for ranking manufacturers of flat panels, today I would probably put it as:

1. Panasonic / Sony
2. Samsung
3. Sharp / Toshiba
4. LG
5. Other

Toshiba actually have some very interesting models at the high end, but they're a bit strange on their availability. The best models they make tend to stay in Japan, or sometimes make it out to Europe, but I don't think they ever really took off in America. Similar to how Mitsubishi has been selling projection displays in America for years, but pulled out of Europe years ago, I suppose.

I agree with BillP. Panasonic plasmas are excellent. I have two myself. Especially this years models. They are brighter than any plasma has ever been and have a very effective anti reflective filter. CNET reviews the vt50 as this years best tv and the st50 as the third best tv for PQ. The vt50 won the ve shootout and the st50 got an excellent review in hometheater magazine this month. The reviews are rather overwhelming.

In that case, plasma is not for you. Go with LED.

active 3d is horrid to watch. passive 3d is better. Sony, vizio are good one!