The Future is 3 Dimensional (or is it?)

[Perpetual Man]

Recently I have been toying with the idea of replacing our TV. It's not on its last legs yet, but it could well be getting that way.

And of course when you are looking at new televisions you cannot miss the modern technology Smart TV's and of course, 3D.

The thing is, is this the way forward. Are more and more shows and films going to be made in 3D, or is it a fad, a bubble that is soon going to burst?

[thaddeus6th]

Hasn't this been a bubble before?

That said, TV does seem to be advancing rapidly. In recent years we've gone from the old enormous televisions to flatscreen, then HD, then ultra-thin and now HD.

I wonder if we'll end up with holograms. Could be interesting.

In answer to your question: personally, I'd just go for a decent 2D TV.

[alchemist]

I'd consider it something of a gamble to get a 3D TV right now.

1. It may not catch on.

2. It may catch on. And then your TV is obsolete in two years as the technology improves exponentially.

[JDP]

I just can't see the current 3d tech + glasses being the way forward; seems to me to be a stepping stone on the path to future 3d tech. Hence I'd also vote for a good 2d tv rather than 3d

[Perpetual Man]

Seems a very steady consensus away from the 3D at the moment, which I think I'm starting to agree with - the only annoyance are all the films that I would like to see in 3D...

Sigh.

I suppose a question I should have added at the start of the thread is: does anyone have a 3D TV and what do they think of it?

[Lenny]

3D is a strange one. Until recently, it's very much been a gimmick, with very few films doing it correctly, however that seems to be changing - a lot of people told me that The Avengers was a lot better in 3D than 2D, for example, and we have respected film-makers like Peter Jackson filming in 3D (rather than post-production), and doing it properly (knowing that 3D makes everything look dark, he's over-saturating his sets so that he doesn't lose colour).

People seemed to like Avatar, but not much has come out since that properly shows 3D off. Maybe if The Hobbit is a success, 3D will see a resurgence, and film-makers will put effort into it, rather than adding the illusion in post-production. Until then, though, I'd argue that 3D gaming is the only compelling reason to buy a 3D-enabled display (and even then, I'm going off what I've read and heard).

I've just had a quick look at the Currys and Comet websites, and it appears to me that whatever premium you're paying for a 3DTV is almost negligible - you can get a mid-range 43" Samsung 3D LED TV for £480, for example (we've got a similar, mid-range, 42" Samsung LED TV without the 3D at home, and the quality is fantastic). And for a hundred or two more, everything starts to become 3D.

In my opinion, you're losing nothing by getting a TV that just happens to have 3D. It gives you the options in the future if you ever want to watch something in 3D (assuming you also have a Blu-ray player or PS3), but it doesn't come at a greater price.

At this point, I'd recommend choosing a TV based on the lighting (LED over backlit every day) rather than whether it's 3D-enabled, but if you can get a TV of comparable quality with 3D for the same price, or a little more, then I don't see why you shouldn't.

[Ursa major]

If the price difference between the 2D "version"** of a TV and a 3D "version" is tiny, it shouldn't really be an issue.

Unless, of course, the underlying cost of the 3D has been offset by the use of cheaper components in other other areas of the design, thereby affecting something you might be concerned about, such as the sound quality.



** - I accept that TVs may not be categorised or sold in this way.

[Perpetual Man]

It is quite a while since I opened this thread and thought it was well past time for an update!

Having taken in all the advice, and finding some of it very common sense as well as technical, I bought a new TV a few weeks ago, and yes it was 3D!

Tonight was the first time that we actually sat down and watched a 3D movie - in this instance Captain America.

As Lenny said it seemed Silly not to buy a new TV with 3D if it was only a little more price wise, and that us the way we went.

And boy having just taken the glasses -bit was worth it!