3D TV Buyer’s Guide: 2011 Edition 2011

Subject: 3D TV Buyer’s Guide: 2011 Edition 2011 Sat Jan 22, 2011 10:25 pm

Keep pace with the rapidly shifting world of 3D TV with our 2011 3D TV buyer’s guide.

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Owning
a 3D TV last year was a lot like owning a puppy. It’s novel, your
friends come over to see it, and you can’t wait to get home and play
with it after a day at work. But it still makes messes on the floor,
whines at night, and doesn’t do Big Dog Things like playing fetch and
gnawing the hands off home invaders.
That
changes in 2011. The unique thrill of owning a 3D TV may have worn off
due to growing numbers (the industry reportedly sold 4 million last
year), but the quality, level of content and downright livability has
never been better. Which is why, fresh off the show floor at CES
2011 and with a clear picture of this year’s 3D landscape in sight,
we’re completely revising our guide to 3D.
Here’s everything you need to know to buy a 3D TV in 2011.Can I get a 3D TV without glasses yet?

Sorry,
still no. But they’re coming. Companies have exhibited glasses-free (or
“autostereoscopic”) TV prototypes for years now, but CES 2011 brought
the first models destined for consumer distribution from Toshiba.
They’ll launch in the second half of the year for a price almost
guaranteed to snap credit cards.
All
displays of this type (including Sony’s prototypes at the same show)
use parallax barrier technology, which basically produces “zones” around
the TV where viewers can stand and experience a full-fledged 3D effect.
In our experience, the effect was maximized at dead center, and slight
body movements sometimes broke apart the 3D image. In other words, even
if the first models weren’t prohibitively expensive, you wouldn’t want
one in your living room anyway. Not yet, at least. But 3D TVs that
require glasses have advanced with the addition of passive glasses.What’s the difference between active and passive glasses?

Active
shutter glasses are heavy, expensive, require batteries, and need to be
in constant communication with an IR transmitter on top of the TV to
stay in sync. They’ve been the norm for consumer TVs up until now.
Passive glasses are the same kind you use at a movie theater when you go
see a movie like Avatar,
and now, they come with some TVs. They’re lightweight, inexpensive (you
can pretty much walk out of a theater with a pair), don’t require
batteries, and because they don’t need to communicate with the TV at
all, they’re universal. Your passive glasses will work with a friend’s
TV.
Active 3D glasses
On
a technical level, active glasses work by flicking open and shut LCD
lenses thousands of times per minute to make sure the right eyes
receives images for the right eye, and vice versa. Passive glasses work
with polarized lenses that correspond with the polarization of images
shown on the TV. Besides making them much cheaper and lighter, this
design also minimizes crosstalk.What is crosstalk?

Crosstalk
occurs when images intended for one eye unintentionally appear to both
eyes, producing a flickery, ghost-like image. The symptom mostly springs
from the inherent imprecision of trying to get a pair of glasses and a
TV to perform a coordinated dance of split-second maneuvers 60 times per
second. It’s not always going to be perfect. Since passive glasses
aren’t subject to the same razer-slim margins for error, they help
minimize crosstalk.Who makes active and who makes passive?

In
2011, both LG and Vizio will offer televisions with passive display
technology – but not every single TV in their lines. LG will migrate all
of its new 3D LCD televisions to passive tech, but all of its 3D
plasmas will remain active. LG will offer passive technology on its
flagship televisions, like its 65-inch Theater 3D edge-lit LED HDTV.How much do new active-shutter glasses cost?

Pretty
much $150 a pair, but you can get them a little cheaper if you shop
around at online outlets like Amazon. Here’s a breakdown of MSRP prices
for major manufacturers:
Sony TDG-BR100: $149.99
Samsung SSG-2100AB: $149.99
Panasonic TY-EW3D10U: $149.95
LG AG-S100: $179.99
Toshiba FPT-AG01U: $169.99
Sharp AN3DG10S: $149.98
Vizio VSG101: $129.99
Monster
also makes “universal” 3D glasses called Max 3D, but they cost $169.95
per pair and you need a $250 base station for them to operate, so you’re
probably not going to realize much in savings.
How much do new passive glasses cost?
You
can nab cinema-style passive glasses for $5.75 a pair at online
retailers like Amazon.com, but a number of companies are also making
designer passive glasses, like Oakley’s 3D Gascan, which retail for
$120.What can I watch in 3D?

Last year, the answer was pretty bleak, but this year, we’re happy to say the situation has improved.
Besides high-profile titles like Avatar, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs and Despicable Me,
the 3D Blu-ray scene includes a growing number of smaller titles, like
nature films. We would list them all, but 3DMovieList already does a
phenomenal job.
As
for TV, DirecTV now offers three 3D channels, the joint venture between
Sony and IMAX is supposed to start broadcasting in early 2011, and you
can view ESPN3D’s schedule of upcoming 3D broadcasts here.
Sony
has made a major push with 3D gaming on the PlayStation 3. Besides
pushing out the update that allows it to work as a 3D Blu-ray player,
Sony has pushed out a number of 3D games including WipEout HD, Super Stardust, PAIN, MotorStorm: Pacific Rift and Gran Turismo 5. And there are many more to come.
MotorStorm: Pacific Rift
If
you’re a fan of shooting your own home movies and photos, you’ll be
happy to hear the selection of 3D cameras and camcorders will increase
significantly this year. Sony and Panasonic both announced 3D camcorders
at CES 2011, and updated their still camera lines to take 3D
shots. Fujifilm makes some, too.
As
we reported last year, a number of 3D TVs including models from
Samsung, Toshiba and Sharp can convert 2D content to 3D as well, but the
technology won’t woo you as much as you think. It’s pretty crude.Do I need a special Blu-ray player and receiver for 3D?

Yes.
Because 3D Blu-rays require extra processing and the signals are
fundamentally different, both pieces of hardware will need to be updated
with your 3D TV. (Obviously, you’ll only need to update your receiver
if you plan to use the HDMI passthrough feature.)
We
posted a list of last year’s 3D-capable Blu-ray players and receivers
last year when they were harder to find, but most major manufacturers
now have at least at a few models in their lines that will handle 3D.What is HDMI 1.4?

HDMI
1.4 is the data transmission standard required to send full 1080p 3D
content. All the actual devices in your home theater network, including
your Blu-ray player, television, and A/V receiver (if you have one) will
need to comply with the HDMI 1.4 standard to play nice together in 3D.
(Note that HDMI 1.3 devices can technically handle 3D content, but only
in 1080i, not 1080p.)
Here’s
where it gets weird. Oddly enough, you don’t actually need an HDMI
1.4-spec cable to carry 3D content. A standard HDMI 1.3 cable will work
just fine. This is made even more confusing by the fact that cables are
no longer branded with version numbers. The organization that licenses
HDMI now uses a jumble of names including standard, standard automotive,
and high speed to differentiate different grades of cable. Any cable
bearing the “high speed” certification will do.How big of a screen do I need?

You
may recall from our HDTV buyer’s guide that we dismissed the caveman
“bigger is better” mentality when it comes to TVs, favoring one that
fits the room instead. Well, grow out your unibrow and grab yourself a
club, because the reverse is true with 3D. Let’s state this bluntly: You
need a big TV to appreciate 3D. Immersion is the name of the game, and
the more the screen fills your field of view, the more you feel like
you’re “there.” Fortunately, TV manufacturers seem to realize this as
well, since we haven’t seen a single 3D set under 42 inches. If you have
the extra money to throw at a luxury like 3D TV, make sure to go all
the way and buy the largest screen you can reasonably afford or fit in a
room, because it will drastically affect your 3D experience.

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