3D or not to 3D

GhallTN6

Looking to upgrade my Panasonic 32" LCD to a 42" Panasonic Plasma, so the big question is, do I spend the extra 500 notes for a 3D one (including glasses), will 3D will be on BBC/ITV etc (don't do sky) in a couple of years time, I don't want to buy twice! Anyone got 3D and what are your opinions.

this is what I'm looking at
http://www.ssav.com/products/productdetail/part_number=TX-P42GT30B/1765.0.4.3

albo

I don't get this 3-D boom.

It gives me a headache after an hour or so... Many others have said the same.

Does it affect your eyes/head?

nicklouse

my next BD player will be 3D able and will have 2 HDMI outs. But my it.TV will not be able until I have to replace it.

Anonymous

Personally I'd steer clear of any active shutter based 3D TVs (most of them). They depend on a high frame rate to project two frames fast and have LCD shutters in the glasses flick between the two for left and right eye. Result is some nasty flicker. I've not liked what I've seen so far of these.

In the cinema 3D works with the polarised method, which simply is the left/right frames projected at the same time with different polarisation and you have passive glasses with different polarisation in the lenses. No flicker (beyond normal cinema flicker).

TVs may be moving towards polarised. I don't know. It's more difficult for them to make as they need to produce the two polarised images.

Aside from that, I see 3D still as no more than a gimmick just as it was in the 50s and 60s. The effects are too in your face and despite "natural" claims it appears to produce floating elements in the picture. Much like those old stereo viewmaster things. Looks nice for photos but a bit strange.

Hollywood hasn't got a clue what it's doing with 3D and is only doing it for pure effect rather than film making, to get a few more quid at the box office to rent out the 3D glasses. Plus most 3D films are just 2D films sent off to Taiwanese companies who shove them through a computer to generate a 3D effect in some scenes. Some don't even do 3D all the way through the film. A few rare ones are actually shot in proper 3D (or generated at source in 3D for CG films), but even with the likes of Avatar, they're nothing more than gimmick films.

Oh, and on Sky, there's only Sky 3D channel which costs and very little of interest on it.

I'll get 3D if it comes with the equipment, but have zero plan to use it and will not buy a TV or player just because of it.

spongtastic

Most of the major film studios are pulling 3D because the major audience centres (US, Asia) aren't willing to pay the additional costs to see a 3D movie, plus the effect is limited in viewing and never seems to be as good as the specially made adverts. For these reasons I didn't bother with a 3D Tv and went for the best LED TV I could afford.

andy46

I've only been to see one 3d film at the cinema, Transformers 3. I was really looking forward to it, and as said above the adverts before the start for LG and SONY were fantastic, I remember thinking to myself this is going to be brilliant!

It wasn't... everything just seemed blurry and really strained my eyes, at the end me and my girlfriend both had redness in the whites of our eyes, it just didn't work for me so I won't be buying a 3d TV.

Gazlar

no, steer clear, you know youre not actually in the programme, theres no point in pretending or trying to be either, I'd much rathe watch good quality tv in 2d that watch a flickering 3d presentation, which i probably not as good substance wise as its getting by on the fact its 3d

cat_with_no_tail

I have only ever seen 1 film in 3D, that was at the cinema and it was the TT film earlier this year (out to buy next week by the way).

I was absolutely blown away by it!

I think a lot of recent films have jumped on the 3D bandwagon and have made 3D films just for the sake of it. But the TT one really did seem to use the 3D effect in a way that actually improved the overall viewing experience.

The local TV shop will be running demos of 3D TVs in the upcoming weeks using this film as a tester. I'll be popping down to try it out and see for myself if it's any good on the small screen but my opinion thus far is that 3D can work very well on a big screen when done tastefully, but it's not really suitable for home use (yet).

A bit like films designed around IMAX, they are great on the big screen, but lose some of the lustre when downsized for the home viewer.

Gazlar

Last year the pantomime in Wolverhampton said it was 3d, but surely any stage production with real people is 3d

GhallTN6

I think I'm going to go for that TV anyway, even just for the quality of the 2D, it's supposed to be one of the best Plasma's out there, and with built in Freesat it means I can just plug it straight into the Sat dish with no sky costs. The 3D will keep the kids amused and that's worth the money for a couple of hours quiet!

nicklouse

well it looks like my big old Pioneer plasma will be going. Moving it from Sweden to Germany may not be worth it.

so I may be looking at a 3D PC monitor (for fun) and a beamer for the bigger image.

nicklouse

Well that is the BD player bought.

Now the monitor........... That may wait a while.