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3-D displays and source, what's your impression?

DIYer

Well-Known Member
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I was at Best Buy today for the first time in 2 years and noticed that they have a 3-D demo with pole mounted glasses which you can adjust the height. It was playing Avatar and I wasn't all that impressed with the latest 3-D. Often it looks like a few 2-D images in foreground and background. Was it any different in theaters when they showed 3-D movies (I no longer go to theaters)?
 
I have a 3D TV and have only watched the 3D content on DirecTV.

Most of it is pretty cool, but I can't say I could sit through an entire 2 or 3 hour movie.

I think most of the stuff I have watched has been educational based, but there was a Cult guitar center concert that was pretty cool.

Even with a 55" screen I would tell you that 3D in the home requires 100" plus to be impressive and immerse.

D
 
Funny. I was at a BB today and saw the same display (probably). They were showing ESPN in 3D. I had pretty-much the same impression. The field looked flat and 2D and the players looked like pop-up book illustrations.

I've seen a couple of 3D movies and was much more impressed with the theater presentation.
 
I saw that same 3D display at BB today, I think.

One of the scenes had a car racing down the track. It looked slightly better than the last 3D demo I saw, which was some lame flying taradactal things. There was a sense of depth, but like the others said I agree that it somewhat was like a "pop-up book"---just different layers of 2D to create a 3D effect. And I agree that it needs to be on a bigger screen than that sub-50incher they had in the store. As such, it wasn't immersive at all. Rather, it was almost like looking out a window. Regardless, I still thought it was kind of cool despite it being very gimmicky. Besides, it's probably the best gimicky 3D we've had at home yet. Though, it's maybe not yet any more realistic than, say, good regular 2D HDTV.

I don't really care much about 3D, and I'll probably never buy a 3DTV unless it becomes the standard for all TVs. But, if I did happen to own a 3DTV capable set, I could see maybe watching the occasional novelty movie or playing the occasional novelty videogame in 3D. I think the sensation was too weird to watch a lot of it, though.
 
Interesting that some of you mention screen size issues. Have any of you tried sitting much closer than normal to see if it helped or hurt?

I've only seen Avatar at the movies in 3D and nothing else. One of the problems I had was I think I was seated too far away. I sat in the sweet spot for audio, but unfortunately that put me far enough away from the screen where I could still see the frame of the screen in my field of vision which made 3D (to me) unrealistic.

I am still curious about 3D and plan to "demo" a few sets while I'm off next week and give it another go. If I like it, then maybe a 3D projector might be in the future. The biggest thing I want to see is sports. I want to see how a game looks in 3D. That's what has my curiosity peaked the most.
 
The demo that I saw had the glasses mounted so that you could adjust their height but not the distance to the screen. FWIR it was actually pretty darn close.
 
Towen7 said:
The demo that I saw had the glasses mounted so that you could adjust their height but not the distance to the screen.......

I know for speaker demoing, you can't listen to your own CDs. Instead, they have this console with different selections on it. I don't know why Best Buys are like that, but that really irritates me not being able to truly demo gear.

Has anyone been to a HHgregg? I wonder if their 3D demo is the same way.
 
Towen7 said:
The demo that I saw had the glasses mounted so that you could adjust their height but not the distance to the screen. FWIR it was actually pretty darn close.

I saw the same type of display at a Sam's Club and was not impressed.
 
Yesfan70 said:
Towen7 said:
The demo that I saw had the glasses mounted so that you could adjust their height but not the distance to the screen.......

I know for speaker demoing, you can't listen to your own CDs. Instead, they have this console with different selections on it. I don't know why Best Buys are like that, but that really irritates me not being able to truly demo gear.

Has anyone been to a HHgregg? I wonder if their 3D demo is the same way.
Pretty much the stores use the display that the manufacturers provide. I've seen the exact same display (adjustable height glasses) from panasonic at BB, hhgreg, Costco, 6th ave etc....
 
Magnolia inside BB has a setup with 3D glasses tied to cable (so that they don't disappear) which you can put on and move around a bit. Guess what, out of 2 they had, both were malfunctioning. :angry-cussing: That's when I walked over to the other demo I wrote about in the opening post.
 
I wonder how clean those demo glasses are at the store? Hope there isn't an outbreak of forehead herpes because of this.
 
I really don't like the "3D" crap at all. I have always thought every 3DTV I have seen is just what you guys are saying... "Layers of 2D".

It's a big distraction in my opinion. I couldn't watch a full movie like that.

I like the "Pop-Up Book" analogy. That's accurate in my opinion.
 
It is all about the quality of the content. I've seen demos with well produced content which blown me away. I've also seen demos with poorly produced content, often converted 2D junk, which suck. Just like HD TV before it, 3d will take a year or two for the content creators to catch up with the capabilities of the hardware.

I vividly remember defending HDTV over at our old home while dozens of people whined o n and on about their poor demo experiences.History is repeating itaelf. Trust me, the conte t will arrive, but just like HD we should just patiently give it some more time.
 
We are talking about the "DEMO" material put out by the manufactures themselves, not the quality of what someones cable company is broadcasting.

The best the manufactures can show in their "in store displays" is terrible. I'm sure in a few years there will be some real changes and might be worthy of watching but for now..... it's crap!
 
Doghart said:
Cult guitar center concert


D


WHAT!!!! You mean THE CULT??? What channel?

3D has been fairly impressive from the demos I've seen, but honestly I don't want to watch movies in it....just too distracting.
 
Yeah, The Cult.

Songs, interviews... all in 3D.

It's Channel 103 on Directv... not sure if that helps?

D
 
I haven't seen an in-store demo worth a damn yet, the most remarkable demos I have seen have been at tradeshows...I have seen the same exact demo material used on Panasonic displays that were also used at CEDIA that looked like pure shyt in the store and were amazing at the show. I think we're another 12-18 months away from really seeing what the tech is capable of in homes. And of course the bigger the screen the better...3D in my opinion, should be as immersive as possible and anything less than a big-screen experience just doesn't translate at all. I would recommend a 58-65" screen minimum to get the most out of what 3D has to offer.
 
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