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Comparing 3D Systems
We compare pros and cons of projector, DLP, and flat-panel 3D setups.
"Some people can't imagine having something as large as a 73-inch TV in the living room," Capriola concedes, "but for me the larger set is ideal and everything looks more powerful on a big screen than a flat panel."
Although his loyalty to Mitsubishi had a lot to do with his choice, Capriola says he was willing to give flat-panel options a fair shake. "I visited the Primetime showroom before I bought anything to compare five or six different displays. The DLP TV had the horsepower I was looking for."
Aside from making room for the larger set, there was little Primetime had to do to Capriola's living room to make it suitable for the new display and its 3D presentation capabilities. Even the audio was good to go, thanks to their existing 5.1 surround-sound setup of an Integra receiver and Definitive Technology speakers.
Related Content: How to Discuss 3D Content | 3 Tips to Improve 3D Experience | Best 3D Demos at CEDIA
That same command kick-starts a Sony Blu-ray player, another recent addition to the entertainment system. Previously, Capriola was using a PS3 to play Blu-ray movies - a good choice, "but the Sony player is able to load movies a lot faster, and we didn't really want to wait for the PS3 3D update," says Dutton.
The combination of the 3D button and the Sony Blu-ray player makes the transition between 2D and 3D seamless, and eventually so will the sources in Capriola's well-stocked equipment rack in the basement. Wired to the TV through a Control4 video distribution processor are a Vudu BX100 set-top box, Dish Network VIP922 satellite receiver and Sony BDP-CX7000ES Blu-ray player, among other components. Some of these content providers have already started to offer 3D programming - with much more to come - so Capriola's assortment of 3D choices is bound to keep growing.
The Entire System: Crestron TPMC-8X; Monitor Audio Platinum 300 speakers and GSW-12 subwoofer; Digital Projection 3D Titan; Stewart Filmscreen Luxus ElectriScreen StudioTek; Marantz AV8003 receiver; Mechdyne Dimension serverProjection: Private 3D Demo
The owner of this high-end theater had only a standard video projector installed when 3D started to get hot. Unsure of whether he should trade in his recently purchased projector for a 3D model, he agreed to let the company that designed his theater demonstrate a unit in his home first. "We told him we'd give him a deal on the installation of the new projector if he'd host an open house for builders and clients in the area," says Shawn Hansson of Logic Integration in Denver.
The Logic Integration installers temporarily staged the Digital Projection International (DPI) 3D Titan projector on a table, leaving the existing DPI 1080p Titan projector mounted to the ceiling. Also left for the demo was the 130-inch Stewart Filmscreen - a perfect size for 3D viewing, according to the homeowner.
As part of its $130,000 3D package, DPI includes a Dimension server from Mechdyne with the Titan projector. The server comes preloaded with a variety of 3D material, and it left a lasting impression on the homeowner. "We watched everything from cartoons and advertisements to video games and movies, and it all was so much more immersive than the 2D content I typically watch. The difference is almost comparable to black-and-white television to color."
What made the biggest impact, says the homeowner, were the active shutter glasses that came with the system. "I've used polarized glasses before, and it just doesn't compare to the 3D quality you get from active shutter glasses. You're able to see the full 1080p image."
The gathering was a huge hit, especially for the homeowner, who was able to experience 3D from a $130,000 projector in the comfort of his own home. Was it enough to convince him to upgrade? "Not yet," he says. "The cost is still too high and there's not enough content available." But when things change, "I'll be seriously looking at a new projector."
Although his loyalty to Mitsubishi had a lot to do with his choice, Capriola says he was willing to give flat-panel options a fair shake. "I visited the Primetime showroom before I bought anything to compare five or six different displays. The DLP TV had the horsepower I was looking for."
Aside from making room for the larger set, there was little Primetime had to do to Capriola's living room to make it suitable for the new display and its 3D presentation capabilities. Even the audio was good to go, thanks to their existing 5.1 surround-sound setup of an Integra receiver and Definitive Technology speakers.
Related Content: How to Discuss 3D Content | 3 Tips to Improve 3D Experience | Best 3D Demos at CEDIA
Don't Forget About Audio
With all the hoopla about 3D, people tend to forget about the audio part of the entertainment experience, says Priola.
"Audio is paramount and has a big place in a 3D system," he stresses.
The engineers at Mitsubishi agree. Built into the manufacturer's line of 3D Diamond 838 Series DLP TVs (and LED TVs) are 16 tiny speakers designed to direct sound waves beside and behind viewers to reproduce fully immersive Dolby Digital 5.1 surround-sound. The exclusive Mitsubishi technology, called Immersive Sound Technology (IST), accomplishes this by delaying the sound beams and projecting them independently from the 16 speakers at varying intervals.
"With our huge screen sizes, we're able to deliver the closest home entertainment experience to an actual 3D theater," says Nick Norton, Mitsubishi senior manager of brand marketing. "Now, with the integration of Immersive Sound Technology, we can say that our 3D TVs also deliver a 3D audio experience."
IST also precludes having to wire up an independent speaker system, thereby eliminating all that related clutter. All you need to do is enter a few parameters, such as the front and side wall measurements and the distance from the TV to the seating area, into the TVs onscreen menu.
"All we really had to do was program it into the home's existing Control4 home automation system," says Dutton. This tie-in allows the DLP to display menus for operating the home's audio/video equipment, lights and other systems. Primetime also created a special 3D button that switches the DLP from 2D mode to 3D. Capriola navigates to the command by using his iPad or a handheld remote.With all the hoopla about 3D, people tend to forget about the audio part of the entertainment experience, says Priola.
"Audio is paramount and has a big place in a 3D system," he stresses.
The engineers at Mitsubishi agree. Built into the manufacturer's line of 3D Diamond 838 Series DLP TVs (and LED TVs) are 16 tiny speakers designed to direct sound waves beside and behind viewers to reproduce fully immersive Dolby Digital 5.1 surround-sound. The exclusive Mitsubishi technology, called Immersive Sound Technology (IST), accomplishes this by delaying the sound beams and projecting them independently from the 16 speakers at varying intervals.
"With our huge screen sizes, we're able to deliver the closest home entertainment experience to an actual 3D theater," says Nick Norton, Mitsubishi senior manager of brand marketing. "Now, with the integration of Immersive Sound Technology, we can say that our 3D TVs also deliver a 3D audio experience."
IST also precludes having to wire up an independent speaker system, thereby eliminating all that related clutter. All you need to do is enter a few parameters, such as the front and side wall measurements and the distance from the TV to the seating area, into the TVs onscreen menu.
That same command kick-starts a Sony Blu-ray player, another recent addition to the entertainment system. Previously, Capriola was using a PS3 to play Blu-ray movies - a good choice, "but the Sony player is able to load movies a lot faster, and we didn't really want to wait for the PS3 3D update," says Dutton.
The combination of the 3D button and the Sony Blu-ray player makes the transition between 2D and 3D seamless, and eventually so will the sources in Capriola's well-stocked equipment rack in the basement. Wired to the TV through a Control4 video distribution processor are a Vudu BX100 set-top box, Dish Network VIP922 satellite receiver and Sony BDP-CX7000ES Blu-ray player, among other components. Some of these content providers have already started to offer 3D programming - with much more to come - so Capriola's assortment of 3D choices is bound to keep growing.
The Entire System: Crestron TPMC-8X; Monitor Audio Platinum 300 speakers and GSW-12 subwoofer; Digital Projection 3D Titan; Stewart Filmscreen Luxus ElectriScreen StudioTek; Marantz AV8003 receiver; Mechdyne Dimension serverThe owner of this high-end theater had only a standard video projector installed when 3D started to get hot. Unsure of whether he should trade in his recently purchased projector for a 3D model, he agreed to let the company that designed his theater demonstrate a unit in his home first. "We told him we'd give him a deal on the installation of the new projector if he'd host an open house for builders and clients in the area," says Shawn Hansson of Logic Integration in Denver.
The Logic Integration installers temporarily staged the Digital Projection International (DPI) 3D Titan projector on a table, leaving the existing DPI 1080p Titan projector mounted to the ceiling. Also left for the demo was the 130-inch Stewart Filmscreen - a perfect size for 3D viewing, according to the homeowner.
As part of its $130,000 3D package, DPI includes a Dimension server from Mechdyne with the Titan projector. The server comes preloaded with a variety of 3D material, and it left a lasting impression on the homeowner. "We watched everything from cartoons and advertisements to video games and movies, and it all was so much more immersive than the 2D content I typically watch. The difference is almost comparable to black-and-white television to color."
What made the biggest impact, says the homeowner, were the active shutter glasses that came with the system. "I've used polarized glasses before, and it just doesn't compare to the 3D quality you get from active shutter glasses. You're able to see the full 1080p image."
The gathering was a huge hit, especially for the homeowner, who was able to experience 3D from a $130,000 projector in the comfort of his own home. Was it enough to convince him to upgrade? "Not yet," he says. "The cost is still too high and there's not enough content available." But when things change, "I'll be seriously looking at a new projector."
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Article Topics
News · Product News · Displays · TVs · Projectors and Screens · Events · CEDIA · 3d · Cedia 2010 ·About the Author
Lisa Montgomery has been writing about home technology for 15 years, with a focus on the impact of electronics on a modern lifestyle.
3 Comments (displayed in order by date/time)
First off. Lame article. It’s very basic and has no real info that differentiates all 3 technologies, not only that. Projectors are DLP as well, so you would have been better off comparing led.
For those that don’t know.
Plasma = 600hz (minimal ghosting)
LED = 60-240hz (Lots of ghosting)
and DLP though it doesn’t have a hz measurement, has had no crosstalk or ghosting since the beginning of the 3d fad. (Meaning it’s the best technology for 3d)
As far as projectors go, most consumers will end up with a 720p 3d projector at this point, and not such an expensive 1080p projector.
Second off… Everyone needs to get off this glasses kick. autostereoscopic tvs are not coming out in big screen tvs for a while. The only reason the 3DS will have it, is because the screen is so small and meant for only one person, that it’s very easy to look at it at just the right angle.
You don’t want to wear the glasses fine, but get over this 3d without glasses kick, as it’s just not going to happen any time soon.
*cough* *Edit* 3d projectors in most consumers price range, are dlp and 720p.
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WOW, $130,000 for a 3D projection system? A lot of money for a technology that will be obsolete in a few years when “3d without glasses” becomes mainstream.