From bulky Cathode Ray Tube TVs to wall sized, paper thin Plasma TVs, technology has come a long way from blurred black and white movies to crisp, clear HD video experience.
And now, we have 3D making its way into your living rooms! Since you saw your first 3D movie at an IMAX, you must have been longing for the same breathtaking experience at the comfort of your home! With decreasing prices and improving performances, a 3D TV might just fit your budget now. But, it still remains an expensive buy. So before you jump into the 3D experience, there are a few useful tips which you should take into consideration.
1. LCD or Plasma, which is the best for 3D TV?
With LCD and Plasma both entering the 3D TV foray, which one to buy is a serious question for which buyers scratch their heads.
Plasma TVs have faster refresh rates (very important for a 3D experience) and better viewing angles. The faster refresh rates are favorable for fast paced action like sports.
LCD TVs have better resolutions and screen brightness. If you use 3D glasses, the brightness level drops, hence here, brighter LCDs score a point over Plasmas.
Both technologies are extremely capable, but at present Plasmas hold the edge over LCDs if you consider 3D visuals.
2. Active or passive glasses
Depending on which TV you buy, you will either need active or passive glasses. At present 3D Plasma TVs use active glasses while most LCDs use passive ones, though a few use active glasses as well.
Passive polarized glasses have different polarizing filters on each lens giving a different image to each eye, thus giving the feel of 3D. These are inexpensive costing about $20.
Active shutter glasses on the other hand are expensive. They have a battery and an IR transmitter. Each lens alternately shuts on and off about 120 times a second or more. Each eye separately observes a different image and a 3D image is perceived. These cost about $150 a pair.
Glasses free 3D TVs are still in their nascent stage, and haven’t yet been mass produced.
3. 3D content
Before you buy a 3D TV, make sure you have 3D viewing content. You need a 3D blu-ray disc player and need to upgrade your satellite box to 3D.
More and more 3D movies, games and television shows are coming up but it will be quite a while before a substantial amount of 3D content is available. Fortunately, many 3D TVs come with real time conversion of 2D movies and games to 3D. Make sure your TV has it!
4. 3D TV settings
Most often the factory settings of your 3D TV will not be perfect for your home. Especially in the case of Plasma TVs the ambient light is very important. Make sure you fiddle around with the settings to get your best viewing results.
Some TVs will have preset configurations for sports and cinema. If they don’t, you will have to manually change your settings.
You will have the normal brightness and contrast settings which you might have to increase for the brightness loss that occurs for viewing through 3D glasses. There will also be a frame refreshment setting or processing setting. For sports where you might need a faster refreshment rate you could increase the processing setting.
5. Audio considerations
Audio considerations do not change when you add a 3D TV to your home theater system. The only problem might be connecting your 3D video source like your blu-ray player or satellite box to your home theater. You can buy a 3D receiver which will pass your signal from the blu-ray to your 3D TV. If this doesn’t fit in your budget yet, you can simply connect the blu-ray to your TV and the audio from the player to your home theater using a separate cable.
6. See it for yourself
One TV of a certain company will never be the same as a TV from a different company even if the specifications are exactly the same. With so much competition in the market, it is imperative that you do a thorough research and test out several modes before you choose your TV.
7. Budget wisely
While buying a 3D TV it is important that you consider the added costs of blu-ray disc players, 3D satellite TV connections, 3D glasses, cables and so on.
3D technology being new, you are sure to get offers, so look out for them.
So, get your 3D TV, but be prepared to duck the next time Beckham hits a shot!
