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DirecTV launches first all-3D channel, we almost launch lunch

Our first experience watching n3D, DirecTV's new, exclusive all-3D TV channel, was a mixed bag. At times we felt we needed an airline sickness bag.

DirecTV launched n3D last week, delivering the first all-time, all-3D channel anywhere, and so my colleague Matthew Moskovciak and I took a gander using our HR24 high-def DVR and a 65-inch Panasonic TC-P65VT25. The TV delivered a superb 3D experience on Blu-ray material we've seen, namely 3D movies made for kids, but when fed the material on n3D, the experience was less impressive.

The first sequence we watched was "Guitar Sessions with Jane's Addiction," an intimate acoustic concert. The 3D effect seemed forced to both of us, with too much depth in the image. For example, singer Perry Ferrel's in his white shirt stood too far into the foreground compared with the drums and especially with the wall behind the band. At times the artists almost seemed like cardboard cutouts on-stage--we got the sense of planes of depth instead of a smooth recession from foreground into background. The worst issue came when the head of an audience member appeared in the extreme foreground, seeming to hover artificially in front of the frame of the picture. The Peter Gabriel concert had similar issues.

On the other hand the sense of depth in "Sessions" was quite convincing and at times we forgot these issues and enjoyed the presentation thoroughly, especially during closeups such as a shot of the guitarist's hand over the sound hole. Visible detail was solid, without the softness we've seen on 3D World Cup games, but certainly not to the same level as the 3D Blu-rays like "Coraline." "Sessions" was significantly better than what came on next, however.

The only other sequence we saw in our brief view was a preview of a documentary about Africa called "African Adventure: Safari in the Okavango," and as soon as it appeared both Matt and I immediately expressed dismay and felt a powerful sense of nausea. The perspective, seen mostly from the back of a moving Jeep on Safari, was all wrong, with way too much depth. Combining that exaggerated 3D effect with the shaky camera movement was too much, and we both quickly removed the glasses before the brief preview even finished.

LG shows off massive 84-inch 3D TV

LG is back in the limelight at the Society for Information Display (SID) 2010 trade fair with possibly the world's first 84-inch 3D TV. This mammoth is also the first of its kind with four times the resolution of full-HD panels, thanks to its native 3,840x2,160-pixel screen.

This display still requires 3D glasses, but the chaebol is also at the same event showcasing a 47-inch 3D TV that does away with these goggles. The key enabling technology here is the "liquid lens," though details on this solution are sketchy at the moment. If its double-image (… Read more

Report: 3D PCs soon to boom

First, there were 3D TVs. Next up: 3D PCs trickle out in 2010 and then ramp in 2011 and 2012, according to Jon Peddie Research.

In a report on the Stereo 3D PC market, Jon Peddie Research argues that 1 million 3D PCs will ship in 2010 and surge to 75 million units by 2014. Simply put, 3D will become a standard feature in your PC in four years.

Here's the breakdown of projections:

And here's the hedge from Jon Peddie Research:

Although most PCs will be S3D capable due to the GPUs that are in them, not … Read more

3D TV: A proposal on behalf of the stereo-blind

3D TV effects are wasted on a portion of the population, about 4 percent to 10 percent of us. When shown 3D content, some people in this group see double or blurry images, or suffer from eyestrain or headaches that makes the content unenjoyable, to say the least.

If you're in this group, as I am, there is a solution: You can turn off the 3D feature on your TV, and watch the content "flat." If it's a movie you're interested in, find a theater that's showing it in the cheaper non-3D version. Nvidia'… Read more

ESPN 3D coming to DirecTV in June

DirecTV said Monday that starting in June, it will have four channels dedicated to 3D content.

The channels will include ESPN 3D, a 3D-only channel called N3D, one 3D pay-per view channel, and one 3D DirecTV on Demand.

ESPN 3D is arriving just in time for the 2010 World Cup, which will be the first time a major sporting event is broadcast in 3D. DirecTV says there will be 25 World Cup matches available in 3D. For those not into soccer, ESPN says there will be "a minimum" of 85 live sports events filmed in 3D for the … Read more

Friday Poll: How do you view proprietary 3D glasses?

We've been talking a lot about how the next big thing in TVs is 3D tech. But one problem, as my CNET's Erica Ogg points out, is that the sets we've seen all have proprietary glasses, meaning that one brand's glasses may not work with another brand's TV.

This might be a minor problem for some, but it could be a deal breaker for others. Since most households have multiple TVs these days, there may soon be a time at which someone has a Toshiba upstairs and a Samsung downstairs, each with their own pairs … Read more

One pair of 3D glasses to rule them all

The good news about the 3D TVs coming out this spring and summer is that they'll come packed with two pairs of 3D lenses. The bad news? Those plastic glasses work only with the brand of TV with which they're shipped.

That means that if you buy a Panasonic 3D TV, you can't use the accompanying lenses with your neighbor's Sony 3D TV, should you want to get together to watch the World Cup in 3D this summer. That's because each TV brand has a sensor that picks up a signal from the corresponding brand of glasses.

If that seems backwards, it's because it is. But it's also the sign of a new technology that hasn't yet worked out all of its kinks. Thankfully, the burgeoning 3D industry knows that this is a shortcoming and is concocting a fix.

One company that makes 3D eyewear, XpanD, has staked its claim to be the vendor of choice for brand-agnostic 3D glasses. The company has been manufacturing 3D glasses for movie theaters in Europe and Asia for years, and it is now moving to make the glasses work for people's homes as well.

XpanD has been contracted to produce the lenses that will ship with Panasonic and Vizio's 3D sets, but the company is also aiming more broadly: to be the provider of one pair of glasses that people buy once and use everywhere. XpanD's glasses will be available for between $125 and $150, starting June 1 at retailers such as Best Buy and Sears.

"The goal of the glasses is to work with every (size of) 3D display, from laptops to cinema," said Ami Dror, XpanD's chief strategy officer.… Read more

XpanD working on universal 3D glasses

Most 3D TVs will come with two pairs of glasses. What they won't come with are extra pairs for the rest of the family or friends you want to have over to watch a 3D movie, or even the World Cup this summer.

And as it stands now, unless you own the same brand as a friend, you can't trade glasses or lend them out. And you have to use the model that comes with your TV. For those who want options that's where XpanD, a longtime manufacturer of 3D glasses for movie theaters, comes in.

XpanD … Read more

Panasonic, Best Buy double down on 3D TV

Panasonic has announced its first 3D TV bundle available exclusively at Best Buy stores, featuring a plasma TV and 3D-compatible Blu-ray player. The bundle will cost $2,900 for a 50-inch TC-P50VT20 TV (a $2,500 value by itself) and 3D-compatible DMP-BDT300 Blu-ray player ($400), and also include one pair of 3D glasses (model TY-EW3D10U, $149). The Panasonic bundle and TVs will be "sold exclusively at select Best Buy stores via Magnolia Home Theater," according to Panasonic. The 50-inch model will be followed by 54-, 58-, and 65-inch versions later this year, though pricing has yet to be determined.

If the TC-P50VT20 sounds different from the TC-P50VT25 model that was CNET's Best of CES pick earlier this year, that's because it is--albeit just slightly. The two models are nearly identical: the VT25 has minor external styling differences (different color bezel) and includes an RS232 port and ISF calibration mode not found on the Best Buy version, but it's slightly more expensive. (See an early hands-on evaluation here.)

To drum up excitement for the 3D launch, the companies held a joint press event at the Best Buy store in Manhattan's Union Square. Immediately following the press conference, the first bundle was sold to customers Brad and Ashley, a couple from Manhattan's Upper West Side. (The timing of the sale had been pre-arranged by Best Buy beforehand.) With New York sales tax, the total came to about $3,100. Immediately afterward, they were bombarded by questions and interviews from the large group of media who had shown up to document the event.

In the end, despite the hype, this wasn't the first 3D TV actually sold in 2010.… Read more

TV industry turns blind eye to non-3D viewers

When it comes to 3D television, I don't see it. Literally. The technology that's supposed to convince me that a 3D image exists when I look at a 2D screen doesn't work for me. Nor does it work for a small but significant percentage of the population--4 percent to 10 percent, depending on which expert you ask. Millions of people like me are being left behind by content and hardware companies as they move to 3D.

I don't mean to complain. It's not the end of the world. Flat-viewers, like me, can watch 2D versions of 3D content. I saw "Avatar" in the non-3D version. As a bonus, the theater was nearly empty--the 3D showing down the hall was more crowded. Plus, we didn't have to wear those dorky glasses.

Of course, we are social beings, and not being able to view 3D means that group or family outings to 3D showings are awkward for the flat viewers, who may have to sit through a showing that will cause headaches or just look bad to them. But the flat-viewer's experience with 3D imagery can vary. While I find viewing 3D imagery uncomfortable, Daniel Terdiman, another person at CNET who can't see 3D, saw the 3D version of Avatar and wore the 3D glasses. It looked fine to him, just not 3D.

Manufacturers are mute At CES this year, the trend toward 3D in home television sets was unmissable, but there was no mention by the manufacturers of how this move would affect flat viewers. I was curious how the hardware companies, which fight for every point of market share jealously, could cavalierly ignore the large number of us who won't like this new direction. It's a lot of market. How are they planning to deal with losing it?