Why buy a 3D TV?

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3601 posts

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# 967210 14-Jan-2014 23:18

tehgerbil:
ruben999: Thanks very much everyone, I think the consensus is clear.

Its true the price of 3D TV is already marginal vs their equal 2D versions:
2D Samsung UA50F5500 $1500-1700
3D Samsung UA50F6400 $1700-2000
(pricespy.co.nz)

Hm, I see what a few people have been saying,

You do get..
5500: 6400:
3x -4x HDMI
2x -3x USB Slots
Built in WIFI

If you intend on using the built in Apps (like TVNZ on demand) or using the TV to play content from a compatable uPNP player (like a Samsung cellphone) having built in WIFI is actually quite a mint feature.

Plus the ability to plug in an extra HDMI device and USB device are again (Perhaps for power users with a lot of peripherals especially) worth an extra 100 or so dollars.

Also, the UA50F5500 is 50Hz, while the UA50F6400 is 100Hz.
Oh yeah, and the UA50F6400 has that dated 4-legged stand (so a strike against it there).

Dunnersfella

3601 posts

Uber Geek

# 967211 14-Jan-2014 23:20

StarBlazer:Personally I've never been interested in 3D at home. I enjoy it at the cinema but wearing two pairs of glasses is a pain so I can't imagine being sat at home watching normal tv with them on!

You could buy some clip-on 3D glasses from LG, and use them at the local Hoyts. They work with passive TV's from Sony / Panasonic / LG too.
A friend of mine reckons it's the best solution hes found to date.

ruben999

24 posts

Geek

# 967323 15-Jan-2014 09:00

One person supports this post

You could buy some clip-on 3D glasses from LG, and use them at the local Hoyts. They work with passive TV's from Sony / Panasonic / LG too.
A friend of mine reckons it's the best solution hes found to date.

So does Samsung not do passive 3D TVs?

Active 3D glasses = bad, right?

TwoSeven

1385 posts

Uber Geek

# 967457 15-Jan-2014 11:32

I think the death of 3D TV was actually decided by the consumers not the manufacturers. I think it was just not acceptable to require people to wear glasses to watch a consumer device (different at the movies).

I don't really see consumer grade TVs having the compute power to handle 3D and 4K at the same time for a reasonable price range either.

Software Engineer

dclegg

2688 posts

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# 967459 15-Jan-2014 11:34

ruben999:
You could buy some clip-on 3D glasses from LG, and use them at the local Hoyts. They work with passive TV's from Sony / Panasonic / LG too.
A friend of mine reckons it's the best solution hes found to date.

So does Samsung not do passive 3D TVs?

Active 3D glasses = bad, right?

IME, Active 3D glasses = night time viewing only. When we use our Panasonic Active 3D glasses during the day, the flicker of the glasses doing their stuff is very noticeable and quite distracting. When we use them at night, we can't notice the flicker, and the experience is acceptable.

jonathan18

4163 posts

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Subscriber

# 967465 15-Jan-2014 11:42

ruben999:
You could buy some clip-on 3D glasses from LG, and use them at the local Hoyts. They work with passive TV's from Sony / Panasonic / LG too.
A friend of mine reckons it's the best solution hes found to date.

So does Samsung not do passive 3D TVs?

Active 3D glasses = bad, right?

The active glasses with my Panasonic plasma have been used a handful of times; only full-length movie I watched left me with a tic that lasted a couple of weeks! Given this and the eyestrain more generally, the need to have a darkened room, the artificiality of the effect means we just don't use them anymore - my wife's even ordered me not to get any 3D discs out! (Though we watched Life of Pi last night on 2D bluray - it's interesting watching a film shot for 3D in 2D as it's often so obvious what directorial decisions have been made to make the most of the 3D effect).

Anyway, I can't imagine passive glasses will lead to issues like tics, though my one experience with watching a 3D TV with passive glasses was so completely underwhelming I concluded I'd never bother again as the quality was just so poor. The effect was much like that of those big old rear projections, where the image was disrupted by black lines. Have others experienced this, or do they rate the passive experience?

But, passive or active, 3D's not for me... I suggest you spend a bit of time watching using both systems to see if 1. you care enough about 3D to use it and 2. which of the technologies you find acceptable from a perspective of both (dis)comfort and quality.

As others have said - unless 3D is truly a feature you need, select the TV on the other features it comes with. For many of us, 3D is a (typically unused) "extra" that came with selecting a mid-to-high-range TV, purchasedd for its other features (whether this be picture quality, connections, whatever).

Jaxson

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# 967494 15-Jan-2014 12:31

Passive approaches tend to half the vertical resolution, hence the jaggies Jonathan.

jonathan18

4163 posts

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# 967511 15-Jan-2014 12:56

Jaxson: Passive approaches tend to half the vertical resolution, hence the jaggies Jonathan.

.

Yep, Richard, that's what I recall reading when I researched it following my one-off observation - I was so shocked at the quality I read up as to whether it was just me, just that example, or a fundamental flaw in the technology.

Surely, for this reason alone, passive 3D should be acknowledged to be a POS?

dclegg

2688 posts

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# 967518 15-Jan-2014 13:03

jonathan18:
Jaxson: Passive approaches tend to half the vertical resolution, hence the jaggies Jonathan.
.

Yep, Richard, that's what I recall reading when I researched it following my one-off observation - I was so shocked at the quality I read up as to whether it was just me, just that example, or a fundamental flaw in the technology.

Surely, for this reason alone, passive 3D should be acknowledged to be a POS?

Here is an excellent write up of the strengths and weaknesses of both systems.

tl;dr version: "Sorry, no winners, only whiners. Both 3D methods are flawed in serious ways. Glasses-less (autostereoscopic) 3D, if it ever makes it mainstream, is going to have its own major flaws."

ilovemusic

1244 posts

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# 967674 15-Jan-2014 17:07

as far back as early 2012 toshiba had a 55" glasses-free 3d, 4k tv for sale in the eu.

model 55zl2.

reviews say picture quality was very good but 3d was so-so.

ruben999

24 posts

Geek

# 967675 15-Jan-2014 17:10

Thanks again everyone for your insightful information.

I have decided to use my Westpac hotpoints and get:

Panasonic Viera THL50E6Z 50in

Not 3D !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

(I mean what would you guys have said if i had have bought a 3D TV after all this)

sidefx

3338 posts

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# 967681 15-Jan-2014 17:27

ruben999:
(I mean what would you guys have said if i had have bought a 3D TV after all this)

Probably nothing, because if it had other features that you want then fair enough.

As has been pointed out a number of times in the thread often models with 3D also have additional benefits. 3D is usually not the only reason they are priced more. Setting out to NOT buy any TV because it includes 3D might mean you miss out on other features.

Just a thought

ruben999

24 posts

Geek

# 967726 15-Jan-2014 19:07

Probably nothing, because if it had other features that you want then fair enough.

As has been pointed out a number of times in the thread often models with 3D also have additional benefits. 3D is usually not the only reason they are priced more. Setting out to NOT buy any TV because it includes 3D might mean you miss out on other features.

Just a thought

Yeah it was just a joke.

driller2000

728 posts

Ultimate Geek

# 967729 15-Jan-2014 19:15

perfectly happy with the active 3d glasses on my samsung plasma...

suggest you view the tv you are interested in action and see what works for you....

dmartora

57 posts

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Lifetime subscriber

# 967768 15-Jan-2014 20:43

Got a 55" LG 3D with passive specs about a year ago.

I stream all our movies via Apple TV and the 3D movies are ok. I've a herd of kids and they really enjoy watching all the pixar and marvel movies in 3D.

The fact that the LG 3D specs are only a few dollars a pair, means I tend not worry about them being misplaced or damaged.

I enjoy the odd 3D movie too. Something like Avatar is certainly not like being at the movies, but then very little is when you're watching on TV, but watching it in 3D at home is still entertaining.

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