Panasonic 3-D TVs Sell Out

Toolfan66

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=auzWxPLpD9SE

cstmar01

eh not suprised really. There are people that will always jump on the newest stuff. Guys over at AVS are getting their 3D projectors and all but I think I'm pretty happy with standard stuff without having to wear those stupid glasses.

Polkersince85

I heard a news blurb here in Augusta that CBS will broadcast the Masters in 3D.

mantis

I'm on the fence with 3D , ok it's cool but to get into it you have to replace the entire chain from the player to the display. Sucks. Why can't they just roll it out over exsisting 1.3 HDMI technology.

BIZILL

i'll wait a few years or shorter if the market "standardizes". i can see some things working for awhile after you upgraded from hdmi 1.3 to 1.4 and then two months later you'll need 1.5a, b or c...

hopefully prices will be down. early adopter...not this time.

Tony M

As Above from OP,
I just read in my Crutchfield cat. the new listings for 3-d TV's...WHAT?..Already. OK, Christmas wish #1 for this year on a lot of peoples minds.If the economy strengthens

So I guess 2009/10 Avatar and a couple of other movies changed the way people will be watching TV from now on as it comes into our lives like THIN panels slowly did.

Technology is in 5th gear and we only have a 6-speed 4door..LOL...WOW on this to.

comfortablycurt

That's not surprising...some people have to be on the brink of the latest technology at all times.

I still don't see this taking off really. I don't think the average person can afford to upgrade every piece of HT equipment they own right now. Most people have just recently upgraded to a HD flat panel set...and I don't think many people are going to be willing to upgrade again anytime real soon.

Keep in mind, that the average person isn't insane about the audio/HT hobby such as ourselves.

There's a lot of overhead involved in switching to 3D. You need a new Blu-ray player...if you're running video through an AVR, that also needs to be upgraded...and you also need to upgrade to a 3D TV set. Add in the $150 per set for glasses, plus the additional cost of upgrading your HDMI cables to v1.4 spec...and you've got a pretty penny invested in it.

I just don't see it taking off. I don't have any interest in ever having 3D in my home. Even when the technologies come down in price...I'll have no interest. I don't see myself watching a movie at my house while wearing a pair of 3D goggles.


I'm just waiting for the Monster Cable brand 3D goggles to start coming out. They'll probably come with a bargain price of only $599 each, and guarantee a 100% improvement of 3D imaging. It will then be realized that the cheapo "stock" glasses are a waste of money...and everyone will recommend the aftermarkets at 3x the cost.

mrbigbluelight

If you use a PS3 for BluRay, Sony has announced a software d/l that will allow the PS3 to run BluRay 3D.

cnh

I heard that about the PS3 as well...but there may be some limitations. In any case...did you all know that some labs take out the cell processors from PS3s, link them all together and can fashion a SUPERcomputer on the cheap in this way? Goes to show you how much more RAW power the PS3 processor has than many other items available on the market?

cnh

wutadumsn23

mrbigbluelight wrote: »

If you use a PS3 for BluRay, Sony has announced a software d/l that will allow the PS3 to run BluRay 3D.

You beat me to it, saw that last week. Still not too worried about it, just nice to know that if I did want to, I atleast wouldn't need a source.

cnh wrote: »

I heard that about the PS3 as well...but there may be some limitations. In any case...did you all know that some labs take out the cell processors from PS3s, link them all together and can fashion a SUPERcomputer on the cheap in this way? Goes to show you how much more RAW power the PS3 processor has than many other items available on the market?

cnh

Sounds like you love the PS3 almost as much as I do C, lol.

-Jeff

Sherardp

I just can't get used to those freaking glasses 24/7 though. I just got out of the theater watching Alice and though it was ok, I'd just hate to have to wear them all the time when watching. Not in on this one, at least not for awhile to see what the technology does anyway.

Toolfan66

I went to Best Buy and sat down in the demo area for the 3D TV.

First I thought it was awesome and the new powered glasses were not that bad, they were built better then the glasses at the movies. I myself would still wait a year or two before I went out to buy one.

The Samsung 3D TV that will come out sometime this year is supposed to only be 1/4" thick..

dave shepard

Very cool feature but having to replace every unit in the rack (except the amp) and the video (TV or Projector) would prove to be very costly and I just will not be doing it anytime soon. Hell we just got the format war over with and have just got the HD now we are being asked to look at this new stuff? Dam, just too much to soon. Some audio Mfg.'s still don't have a unit with the new codecs let alone are even ready to think about 3D.

Dave

wutadumsn23

dave shepard wrote: »

Very cool feature but having to replace every unit in the rack (except the amp) and the video (TV or Projector) would prove to be very costly and I just will not be doing it anytime soon. Hell we just got the format war over with and have just got the HD now we are being asked to look at this new stuff? Dam, just too much to soon. Some audio Mfg.'s still don't have a unit with the new codecs let alone are even ready to think about 3D.

Dave

Very good points Dave, I couldn't agree more.

-Jeff

john22614

My girlfriend and I saw the new Samsung 55" 3D at Best Buy last weekend and thought it was a visual marvel. The depth and clarity of the images was amazing. Now, I'm anxious to see how the Masters looks, so I'm going to stop by to see it then.

I think the upgrade will be well worth it when 3D sports becomes the industry standard.....but for now, there just isn't enough content unless you need to buy a new TV anyway. Plus, there's gotta be a way to make those stupid glasses more comfortable.

ryanjoachim

Most blu-ray players and receivers can handle your typical 3-D movie nowadays (otherwise, how would Hollywood have released several movies a couple years ago?).

For the new technology and glasses to have their full effect though, you need a TV with at least 120hz refresh rate. The older 60hz tv's just don't handle 3-D properly.

Oh, and those $120 glasses curt was talking about are an extreme case. Nearly every 3-D movie can be watched with the 50yr old red/blue glasses if you wanted to.

However, the newer 3-D specific tv's (such as the pannys) use a proprietary type of glasses, and those glasses will only work with those tv's because the tv sends information to the glasses via IR, which tells each lens on the glasses to open and close at what times.

Other brands with this type of TV (Samsung, LG) will have the same proprietary technology. That means that you are looking at $120+ PER set of glasses, and would need to buy extra sets if you wanted the rest of your family or friends to be able to watch.

cheddar

xcapri79 wrote: »

Not sure why special TV's and Blurays are needed.
Journey to the Center of the Earth has 3D with the existing old technology.

There's nothing special about the 3d itself. You just need to somehow send different pictures to each eye. So you can do it with color, like Journey to the Center of the Earth. Or you can do it with the active shutters or polarization. My guess would be if they just used colored glasses, people would complain even more about 'glasses' fatigue.

Here's a 65" polarized set from a Taiwanese company. The glasses cost less, but the TV may be more than a comparable active shutter set...

http://www.highdefdigest.com/news/show/65”_3D_Display_from_AUO_Uses_Polarized_Glasses/4407

cheddar

And companies are already coming out with universal shutter glasses. Hopefully, this will mean they will come down in price at some point.

http://www.highdefdigest.com/news/show/Industry_Trends/3D/XpanD/XpanD_is_Rolling_Out_Universal_3D_Glasses/4411

AGUERRA

is there even any 3d material out yet to use with those tv's

ryanjoachim

AGUERRA wrote: »

is there even any 3d material out yet to use with those tv's

There are actually several 3-D movies already on the market. The only difference between movies is how they're filmed. Movies like Avatar were created specifically in/for 3-D, whereas other movies (Land of the Lost, Spy Kids, etc) were filmed in 2-D, then converted to 3-D.

Sherardp

dave shepard wrote: »

Very cool feature but having to replace every unit in the rack (except the amp) and the video (TV or Projector) would prove to be very costly and I just will not be doing it anytime soon. Hell we just got the format war over with and have just got the HD now we are being asked to look at this new stuff? Dam, just too much to soon. Some audio Mfg.'s still don't have a unit with the new codecs let alone are even ready to think about 3D.

Dave

Very true indeed Dave.

polkatese

perhaps this is a redundant question: what do you do if you are watching news or any programming materials that are not 3D? What is the chance that the rest of programming (movies, ads, news, talk shows, etc.) will follow suit?

packetjones

In my opinion this 3D will never really take off until the glasses are not required. There is no way that I am wearing those glasses in my own house. Not gonna happen.

comfortablycurt

polkatese wrote: »

perhaps this is a redundant question: what do you do if you are watching news or any programming materials that are not 3D? What is the chance that the rest of programming (movies, ads, news, talk shows, etc.) will follow suit?

Interesting...I never even thought of that.

Assuming that sooner or later, a lot of sports will be broadcast in 3D...what happens during commercial breaks? Do 2D commercials come on and look all crazy through your 3D glasses, forcing you to remove them? Or will all commercials during 3D broadcasts be in 3D as well?

I really can't see commercials going to 3D for the most part. The cost involved would be much more than the average company would want to dish out for advertising.

Even if some commercials are in 3D...how do they let you know to put on your 3D glasses? Let you know that the following commercial is in 3D, followed by a 30 second pause so you can grab your glasses?

It all seems like more trouble than it's worth to me. I could never see myself sitting at my house watching TV and wearing 3D glasses...so, I guess I'll just have to be content with 2D television.

That's ok though...I can see 3D images everyday in real life.:)

cnh

What about 4D...shades of Kurt Vonnegut....the ability to see not just 3D but the time dimension at the same time: forward and backward simultaneously!

Where are those sets? On some physicists drawing board or in the physical Imaginary!

With those sets we could see how long we're going to be around so we can plan our upgrades accordingly....lol.

cnh

wingnut4772

Do not want.

LuSh

I don't believe 3D is trying to appeal to a single person in this thread. So it's almost pointless discussing it. 3D technology will appeal to two very selective markets: Children (who will beg their parents) who want to watch that Disney movie they saw at the Theatres and 'relive' the experience. When a parent is deciding on their next purchase they might not go right for the 3D set but if it's between two televisions and Jr. really wants 3D and the price difference is a few hundred dollars...if you think I'm crazy remember the Cabbage Patch kids?

The second segment is for gamers. If there is one thing we know it's that gamers will purchase or find ways to secure the latest and greatest in gaming content. The gaming industry is bigger then the movie industry many times over. I think gaming could really open up 3D technology. I myself? I could care less, but then again many manufactures have stopped focusing on our niche years ago.

digitalvideo

Will current recievers work with the new 3D technology in audio, or does 3D just effect video from HDMI? I would assume the current Dolby True HD, DTS MA will work with next years HDMI 1.4 3D?

The thing is I have a Pioneer Elite Kuro PRO-151FD and it's not 3D, but would I get 1.4 HDMI through it?

cnh

Got me....I'd think not? Isn't the whole point of 1.4 an expansion of bandwidth and communication functions? Otherwise why do the new AVRs (I'm thinking of Onkyo's XX8 series) all have 1.4 HDMI?

cnh

comfortablycurt

One thing I've noticed...

It seems like most of the new 3D Blu-ray players that are coming out, are being equipped with two HDMI outputs. The new Sound and Vision had an article on the new Sony BDP.

It has one HDMI output for connection directly to the TV, and a second to connect to your AVR, if it doesn't support 3D pass through.

That was one smart move on their end. Many people have recently upgraded their AVR's to support the new codecs...I don't think many people would be too happy about needing to upgrade their AVRs again already.

On the flip side though...this also negates the HDMI pass through that AVR's offer. We're back to making one connection for video, and a second for audio.

Of course, if you have an AVR that supports 3D, you'll still be able to run 3D through your AVR, and not have to run a separate cable for video.

cstmar01

OK. So I stopped by a Best Buy today on my way home that had the 3D set up there with the glasses to try out and all that. I HATED IT. Seriously. Just blah, I was wearing my glasses at the time (didn't have contacts in) and it was annoying and made me feel so stupid with them on. Really didn't enjoy it at all and the guy working there said the display gave him a headache all day because he would have to help people with it (? not sure how you help putting glasses on?) and it just wasn't that impressive, and he said that most people that saw it were either really impressed or just felt it was kinda lame and said they wouldn't ever buy it. He stated about 80% said they probably wouldn't get anything soon and about 20% said they would but then again thats only one guys take from what he saw out of a ton more.