3D TV 2 weeks later

[DJ-Daz]

It's been just over 2 weeks since I received my rather large package of a Samsung 50inch plasma 3D TV.

I can now say for certain what living with 3D is REALLY like, after all the first impressions have worn off and I'm used to living with the TV on a daily basis.

Movies:
I have several movies now, some purchased and some free (time unlimted demos **cough**). I have to say that I have enjoyed all the movies I've watched - even the kids films, there is one major drawback, there just isn't enough consumable material. The list is growing, but growing very very slowly. I am looking forward to Tron 2 in April, but thats well over a month away.

It's not a major problem though, youtube does have quite a lot of 3D trailers and home movies, and even some fashion TV shows at over an hour in length. But it's not exactly edge of the seat stuff. Most of it is experimental or too short to be interesting.

I've hunted high and low for other videos too an I did come across some instore tech demos too. But sadly they also were too short to really enjoy.

Digital 3D photography:
I also bought the Fujifilm finepix W3 digital 3D camera and HD video recorder.
It's very different to normal photography obviously, and it shows. Early on I struggled like crazy to even take one or two decent pics, but with practice I managed it, and I've now got some excellent 3D photos.
I'm also considering buying a windscreen camera mount, I really should as it's only £12 inc P&P, but I'm put off by the amount of vibration the video camera will pick up. There is no active stability control for the video camera, so it'll definitely be hard to watch most of the time, but to experiment with driving and recording 3D, it should be great.

I can say though that taking 3D pictures has extended my enjoyment of my 3D TV enormously. But it will take a lot more time and practice to get really good with the camera. Like I said 3D is VERY DIFFERENT to 2D photography.


3D Gaming:
I suppose this is the part that everyone here really cares about.
Oh it's good, it's really fucking good - to quote Trainspotting.
But it's the exact same problem as movies, there just isn't enough quantity of games to consume in 3D.
Wipeout HD is fantastic, Auditorium is gorgeous, GT-5 is better in 3D than 2D but it's still the same game, and Super StarDust is amazing.
Sony really do need to get a good number of 3D patches out for older games, and get some newer games to patch it in, or go 3D for all new games too. I can see this being a bit awkward for some developers, but Sony need to get off their backsides and sort this NOW. Microsoft are considering doing the 3D thing for the 360, and if they have any sense at all, they will release a universal 3D patch. Universal 3D works well on the PC, so why not the PS3 or 360, and if Microsoft do a universal patch to the 360, I'll be getting a 360 almost immediately.



Conclusion.
yes 3D was worth the cash, and worth the wait, but it's seriously lacking in backwards support. You can use pseudo 3D or 2D-3D upscaling, but it's inadequate and can cause visual distortion problems, some games look good, some look terrible.
The list of games and movies are increasing, but it's too slow a process, with Killzone 3, motorstorm apocalypse and uncharted 3 being the only 3 really must have games that also support 3D it's also too short a list.
Leave it for 6-12 months and things should improve though. One thing I think is for certain, 3D TV's are getting better and cheaper, and by that time, so should the catalogue of games and movies.

[InfiniteStates]

If the lack of content is the only major criticism, that's a good thing - that will only improve, surely? I personally don't think a global recession was a great time to make everyone need a new TV, but I'd love to get in on the action. If only for Killzone, Motorstorm, Wipeout and Superstardust.

[DJ-Daz]

I've had some minor problems with the TV since I got it, and I've just spoken to Argos who are happy to exchange the TV.

The problems are:
1. Buzzing from the back of the TV set. With my 5.1amp, PS3, and laptop all with fans running constantly, the noise from the TV drowns all them out.
2. Glasses loose sync with the TV
3. The plasma has already left a burn mark.

The burn is from a certain game that shall remain nameless (secret beta). With a total playing time of 6 hours, and much of that time playing the game I'm shocked at how quickly and easily it has burned in. I also made sure that the settings for the lamp, contrast and brightness were turned down for the first two and a half weeks.

In anycase, Argos have been excellent and are swapping the TV from a plasma to an LCD.
It's slightly smaller and does'nt have the same high spec, but the new TV does have internet access. So no real loss.

[InfiniteStates]

Plasma's suck for playing games on period. Not HUD-friendly at all. LCD FTW baby

[DJ-Daz]

I finally got my new TV yesterday.
Samsung LE46C750R2 46" LCD.
It's defininately better, much much better than the plasma.

Tech:

Audio

* Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby Pulse
* SRS Theatre Sound
* Dts 2.0 + Digital Out
* Sound Output (RMS): 10W x 2
* Speaker Type: Down Firing

Input & Output

* HDMI: x4 (Side: 1, Back: 3) (V1.4 With 3D, Audio Return Channel)
* USB x 2 (side)
* Component In (Y/Pb/Pr)
* CI Slot (side)
* Digital Audio Out (Optical)
* DVI Audio In (Mini Jack): 1 (Common Use For PC Audio In)
* Ethernet (LAN)
* CI Slot (side)
* Scart x 2
* Headphones
* PC Audio In (Mini Jack)
* PC In (D-sub)
* RF In

Dimension

* Package Size: 1375 x 820 x 180mm
* Set Size (With Stand): 1119.1 x 742.7 x 304.7mm
* Set Size (Without Stand): 1119.1 x 679.4 x 80.3mm

Display

* Ultra Clear Panel

Feature

* Samsung 3D
* Internet@TV
* Allshare (Powered by DLNA)
* USB: JPEG, Movie
* Personal Video Recorder Ready
* BD Wise
* Channel List USB-Clone
* Anynet+ (HDMI-CEC)
* Auto Channel Search Available
* Auto Power Off Available
* Auto Volume Leveler Available
* Caption (Subtitle)
* Clock & On / Off Timer
* EPG
* Game Mode
* OSD Languages: 25 Languages (Europe)
* Picture-In-Picture: 1 Tuner PIP
* Sleep Timer
* WiFi Adaptor Support
* Digital Noise Filter
* Teletext (TTXT): Mega TTX
* Wireless Remote Control
* User interface : Single Live

Design

* Normal Design
* TV Set Colour: Black
* Quad stand (4 Legs)
* Swivel (Left / Right)

Weight

* Package Weight: 25.4kg
* Set Weight (With Stand): 20.1kg
* 17.6kg

Video

* Screen Size: 46" (116cm)
* Resolution 1920 x 1080
* 300000:1 Dynamic
Contrast Ratio
* 3D Hyper Real Engine
* Wide Colour Enhancer
* Clear Motion Rate: TBD

System

* DTV Reception DVB-T / C
* DTV Tuner Built-in

Eco

* Eco Mark: Planet First
* Eco Sensor
* Power Supply: AC100 - 240V 50 / 60Hz
* Power Consumption (Max): TBD Watts
* Power Consumption (Stand-By): under 0.3 Watts
* Power Consumption (IEC 62087 Edition 2): 165 Watts
* Peak Luminance Ratio 65%

Accessory

* 3D Glasses Included
* Batteries
* Instruction Book
* Power Cable
* Remote Controller model: TM1060
* Vesa Wall Mount Support

Features and specifications are subject to change without prior notification.

__________________________________________________________

I no longer use my humax hd-pvr This TV has built in HD tuner and if you plug in a HDD, it also records and timeshifts.
It also sounds better, the plasma sounded so woooly when a bit of bass was being played that I actually stopped watching the movie.

3D doesn't seem to loose sync with the glasses, and theres NO buzzing either.

It still has AnyNet, so I can still control my PS3 via my samsung remote control, and it still has ALLshare, so I can still play video, images, and music from my phone on my TV WIRELESSLY. A neat feature I think.

1 Plus that the other TV didn't have was InternetTV, while I haven't used it yet, I can say I tried IPTV on the samsung bluray and I really didn't think it was much use. It's all Low-Fi and SD.
But having iPlayer on the TV might be useful, at least I dont have to have my PS3 turned on all the time.
So far though I like this one more than the plasma, oh and I've also saved £150 because this one dropped in price.