3D News
3D TV Reviews News
August 12th
News?? What news?? It's all about what the new 3D TVs are, so get straight to our 3D TVs page to read all our new reviews.
Just posted are those for the Samsung range. We've also updated what is available to buy.
May 20th
All these gadgets and 4 or 5 remotes? Not good but there is a great solution.
Universal remotes have got better and better. Now you have the ability to easily connect to all you kit in under 5 minutes. With the tv, surround sound, blueray player, cable box etc etc that means loads of remotes that could be one. We've found a great one 3wisemonkeys.co.uk, one of our favourite online retailers. Check it out here.
April 18th
Sony to launch HX803 in June
The new Sony HX803 will launch in June. They haven't come out with a price yet and will be part of the Bravia range. It will come with 2 3D blu ray s which will be Deep Sea and Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs.
The new TV will be 200hz, 1080p and come in two sizes, 40 and 46. It will have a freeview turner and can plug into the internet. They have said the glasses wont be bundled with it but of course can be bought seperately.
Sony will release 2 other versions shortly after, the HX903 and LX903, offering TVs up to 60 inch screen sizes.
April 18th
Is 3D bad for your health?
Samsung has said that for some people, including the elderly, those who are drunk and others with medical conditions. Too much watching of 3D TV could cause confusion or nausea.
April 11th
Sky announces more 3D in pubs
Sky has annoucned it will show Blackburn Rovers vs Manchester United on 11th April, Tottenham Hotspur vs Arsenal on April 14, Manchester City vs Manchester United on April 17 and Chelsea vs Stoke City on April 25. They also said they are likely to show many more before the end of the season..
Until the 3D channel launches you will still need to go to a pub to see this. You can use the Sky 3D Pub Finder to find venues close to you.
March 27th
Sky showing football in 3D in pubs in the UK on April 3rd showing Man U - Chealsea. We know where it will be in London!
The Boyeyn Tavern - 1 Barking Road, E6
The Abbey - Victoria, SW1P
The Royal Standard - Vanburgh Park, SE3
Thornbury Castle - Enford Street W1H
Mill Hill - 61 Gunnersbury Lane, W3
Walkabout Inn - 58 Sheherds Bush Green, W12
White Hart - 69 Stocke newington high street, N16
Griffin - High road, N20
Enkel Arms, 34 7 Sisters Road, N7
Elk Bar - Fulham Road, SW6
Visit Sky.com for a full list
March 27th
Sky launching 3DTV on April 3rd 2010
Sky will launch 3D TV on their existing HD box next month. They have been filming in 3D and will be free for existing HD subsribers. You still will need a 3D TV but they will be coming out thick and fast this year. LG's LD920 will be the first 3D TV available in the UK.
Feb 27th
Sky to show 25 World Cup games in 3D.
That's right, and not just in pubs. If you have the right kit you can watch them at home and with the new Samsung out soon you should be able to.
Feb 7th
3DTV in Pubs. Sky has set up a couple of pubs to show 3D football. So far we know of 2.
First there is the Fuller’s owned Drayton Court Hotel, in The Avenue, West Ealing. They showed the football last weekend and will continue to show football in 3D.
2nd is the Slug and Lettuce in Islington. LG provided all the TVs for the match in all the pubs. The only issue was that at 47 inches they arent quite big enough for the pub unless you are up close.
Feb 5th
See Philip's new 3D TV advert
The commercial for Philip's WOWvx TV can be seen here
Feb 4th
Samsung predict they will sell 2 million 3D TVs this year
The company thinks that sales of LCDs will decrease and that 3D TV sales will increase, even though the price may be higher than normal TVs.
"We expect demand for 3D TVs to grow explosively," said Sueohk Shim, vice president of Samsung's visual display business. Samsung expects to sell 2 million 3D TVs this year, she said.
January 30th
Sky lauches 3D in Pubs - Today, Saturday 30th Jan
Sky is launching the UK's first 3D channel with a live Premier League football match, broadcasting in nine pubs around the UK this weekend.
They will show Arsenal vs Manchester United and it will be viewable in 3D in pubs in London, Manchester, Cardiff and Edinburgh. Sky then said they will roll it out in April to loads of pubs and then to customers later in the year.
In February, two rugby matches in the Six Nations championship will be filmed in 3D and shown at cinemas around the UK and the world cup will be filmed in 3D.
January 23rd
Sony shows of it's Bravia LX903
Sitting in front of the TV isnt crucial, the picture is really bright and the edges of the TV are flush to the panel so you can't tell where the screen ends and the frame of the TV begins. The quality as the Sunday Times reports is excellent with their reporter waxing lyrical about the effects. Sony will soon be showing off this technology in their store in Heathrow's Terminal 5.
Sony's website tells us that its Bravia LX903 works by using high frame rate technology to display different frames consecutively to your left and right eye. The active Shutter glasses receive a signal from the TV depending on the image being shown and close one of the lenses in a fragment of a second so only one eye at a time sees the relevant Full HD picture. This creates depth from every angle.
Sony say that the World Cup will be captured in 3D and that they will create the offical 3D TV so i think that with that in mind we will be seeing the Bravia LX903 released quite soon.
January 10th
Time to invest in 3DTV? We think so.
The storm around 3DTV is growing and it will continue to grow until the next big thing. This is because our want for new technology and entertainment doesn't stop growing and the proof in the success in Avatar shows that there is alot of money to be made in 3DTV.
New 3DTVs will be released soon and be the reason why people replace their current TVs, especially those early adopters of 40 inch plus plasmas. In addition people will need a 3D blueray player. Demand for 3D TVs will be worth around 1BN USD by 2010 according to Displaybank and up to 16BN by 2015. That's alot of new revenue.
The second area for profit is broadcasting, so Sky in the UK will be the lead for this.
The third is gaming. Find whoever is going to produce the new big game for 3D and you'll be onto a winner. A company called Blitz just released information on their new titles; Invincible Tiger: The Legend of Han Tao for Xbox 360 and PS3.
January 9th
CES presents.. an awesome thin huge 3D TV by Samsung
LEDs, LCDs and a plasma model were presented but the top model was the new 9000 series. It has an engine that converts 2D to 3D until there is more 3D content and is thin, thin, thin! It will come in sizes from 19” to 65”. The 9000 also comes with a very cool touch screen remote where you can also watch another TV stream, we've always wanted to know the score during some movie!
January 9th
CES presents... New 3D TVs and they could be on sale by April this year
Yep, that's right, we could be watching the world cup in awesome 3D with the ball jumping out of the screen and hitting us in the face.
Sony - Sony announced that they would release their 3D TVs this year for summer. Sony is going to use LED screens to keep the picture sharp and we're hearing that these will cost somewhere around £3,000.
LG - They didnt say much but a 47 inch version, LCD, will be released in Q2 this year and will be priced at around £2,000.
Samsung -
Sky plan to start broadcast of 3D in October so these will be out in plenty of time, but you dont need to wait for Sky as you will be able play PS3 games and watch movies really soon.
John Kempner, John Lewis's television buyer, who was at CES, said: "These sets are really exciting. The quality is fantastic when you see a demonstration. And we will need in our shops to demonstrate properly how they work to customers.
"I think quite a few early adopters will want to invest in the sets, especially video gamers. But there needs to be a lot more 3D content broadcast before it really takes off."
New glasses - Many of the new TVs will require us all to wear specialist glasses rather than the cheap ones we get in the cinema. These can cost around 50 GBP. These have active shutters and darken over one eye, and then the other, in synchronisation with the refresh rate of the screen.
January 9th
CES Presents... 3D games on the PS3
GT5. Gran Turismo 5 in 3D looks amazing. It's the depth that is the main pull here, it's amazing, really bringing you into the game like the movies brings you deep into them. They haven't skimped on this either as they have ensured all items are in 3D rather than just some small bits like the cockpit. It can be a bit disorientating but the overall experience proves that 3D gaming is very exciting and the way forward.
January 9th
CES 2010 presents... 3D Blueray players
Four 3D Blu-ray players were announced at CES 2010 and these were the Panasonic DMP-BDT350, Samsung BD-C3900, Sony BDP-S770 and Toshiba BDX3000. There were no prices or release dates but summer this year was mentioned. Some other good news is that a firmware update to the PS3 will make it play 3D blu rays so that should save us some money. You will need 3D glasses and a 3D tv of course.
So what will you be able to watch this year. I for one am hoping Avatar comes out soon in 3D but Sony did say that we'd get "Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs" and Dreamworks said we'd get "Monsters vs. Aliens".
December 29th
Avatar - The future of film is here and it's great
Avatar is amazing. I wont spoil the story for you but will vilify other reviewers by saying that the 3D effects are stunning. The depth that 3D gives to everything, the scenery, fights, faces and movement means you are drawn into the movie so deeply that you dont notice it. Yep, i've just said that it's so great that you dont notice it, because it feels so real. Just like you walk down the street and absorb information you watch this film and absorb all the information but much better than if it were in 2D enhancing the whole experience and making it much much more believeable.
Mountains become deeper, faces show proper expressions, flying feels more real and panning shots put you right in the middle. Its the little extra elements of depth that make the 3D so great in this film. There are no stupid snowballs being thrown out at you to prove it's 3D but there are subtle times when you are pushed a little to remember that you are watching 3D, the odd spear or tree or bullet wizzing near by.
The exciting elements is that this will be available in our homes soon. Sky is pushing into our homes with 3D TV in 2010 and in the trailers to Avatar is advertising this. I think there is enough content to kick this off, not great content from films yet, but for sports, especially the world cup, could be a great kick start. The only question for whether sport will take off is will we put the glasses on in the pub, but if we wont maybe going round to a mates house will be more the done thing for sports in the future.
December 8th
Acer 5738DZG, the first laptop with a 3D display
It's amazing. With a 15.6 inch screen its the first laptop ever with a 3D display and its even in widescreen. It's screen works by using a transparent filter that sits on the screen splitting the images into seperate pictures for each eye. You have to wear glasses (included) and it works with games and DVDs.
Overall its about £100 more than the standard laptop which here at 3D TV reviews believe makes it a bargain to be the first person to have read 3D in their home. It may not be a 3DTV but it's as close as you can get.
The best bit is that you can buy it now from Amazon. Click here to buy
December 5th
NVIDIA GeForce 3D glasses - what a product!!
Check these out they bring even the oldest dull games to life and make newer ones look amazing. They have great depth and colour and add so so much to games.
November 15th
Virgin Media announces they will demo 3DTV in London.
Virgin Media is demonstrating 3D television at it's new store that opened earlier in November. You will have to use 3D glasses but you get to see it live until they remove it in early 2010. This is the only place we know in London that has a demo. Virgin Media announced that recently that they will launch an on demand capability instead of a channel like Sky.
November 7th
Vituiti, from 3M, is the name of a new type of screen. It will enable users to watch 3D films and games without having to use glasses. It works by using 2 columns of LCDs, one at each side of the screen, depending on whether the image is for the right or left eye. It then uses prisms, mirrors and other elements to direct the light and steers the light by a few degrees when it leaves the screen so that each eye sees a different image. Read the full article here
November 6th
A week of old school 3DTV is on Channel 4 from the 16th of November. Being shown using old style 3D technology they will show some films, a documentary of the Queen's coronation and some 3D magic from Derren Brown. See here for more details http://www.channel4.com/programmes/3d-week
October 29th
3DTV, is it the next big thing and the future for TV. Opinion is mixed and will be for a while...
Two articles have been released this week on popular news sources, one at the Telegraph and one on PC world discussing the pros and cons of 3DTV.
The Telegraph article cites cost as a barrier, the fact that we will need to wait a couple of years for decent content and that for the first couple of years we'll need to wear glasses in our homes. The PC World Article talks about format problems and the time we'll have to wait.
These are valid points but we bought Plasma TVs when they were double the price they were now, there already is some content and there are more worrying things to be seen in at home than some funky glasses, like that jumper your Gran knitted for you and you actually really like.
As with all new technology there is always going to be a period of acceptace with the consumer and a period when the manufacturers fight it out over content but eventually we get great products and improved platforms for entertainment. I also think they miss the opportunity this will bering for Sports and Home Gamers. It will be massive for the large multi player shootem ups where players already wear headsets and have spent hundreds of pounds more on the console and add-ons.
Read the Telegraph article here
Read the PC World Article here
October 29th
Avatar, the new 3D "flagship" film, has a budget of nearly $250m!
James Cameron has said he has been waiting 20 years to make this movie but that only now is what the technology good enough to match his imagination.
October 29th
Sony announces a 360° 3D display
This is more like something you'd see on Star Trek... it creates an image which can be viewed from any angle. They are saying it can be used as a 3D photo frame or for video calls, imagine your Boss's head popping up in full 3D magnificence!
It does look cool though.
October 17th
Fuji releases 3D camera for home use.
The Fujifilm FinePix Real 3D W1 is a world first and within our price range. At around £400 we can all now take 3D photos. It works by using 2, 10 megapixel CCD sensors, and two lenses, both with 3x optical zoom. It's quite big then but it's easy to use.
The challenge with it is viewing the images. Fujifilm sell a view, called the V1 but at around £400 it's an expensive frame in which to view your photos. The less expensive option is having them printed but we cant find anyone who can do this apart from sending them to Japan!
October 8th
Panasonic announces 50-inch 1080p 3D Plasma
Panasonic has announced a new 50-inch 1080p 3D Plasma TV and will show off a prototype at the Ceatec show in Tokyo this month. Panasonic aim to make the 3D TV available next year.The press release say's that Panasonic have developed a new high-speed 3D drive technology that enables rapid illumination of pixels while maintaining brightness.They also expect 50-inch to become the most popular size for 3D TV in the home! Let's hope it comes with a reasonable price tag!
October 8th. Sony shows off full colour 3D system.
Sony showed off it's 3D breakthrough at this year's CES conference, showing off a full colour system on several huge screens.
They showed excerpts from animations by both Pixar and Dreamworks, withthe heads of these companies waxing lyrical on 3D. The animation works very well with great clarity for 3D and a full colour range.
Sony CEO Howard Stringer compered the event, but didn’t say when we would see the technology implemented commercially, unlike Panasonic, which is insisting on a 2010 debut.
October 8th. The 3D Entertainment Summit doubled in size this year.
Last year's event attracted more than 500 attendees representing the “who’s who” in 3D from top brands and all aspects of the entertainment community, while drawing international media coverage. Major sponsors included Sony Digital, Sony Electronics, RealD, 3ality, DreamWorks, Panasonic and IMAX.
“The common theme among attendees this year is that the 3D industry has grown at a rapid pace and will continue to grow amid a very trying time for most businesses and industries,” said Bob Dowling.
Other highlights at the show include:
* RealD announced the availability of designer 3D glasses in select markets prior to the opening of the 3D film Avatar
* TrioScopics3D President and CEO John Lowry premiered his 3D system, which requires no investment in equipment from exhibitors, and also works with today’s DVD/Blu-ray players
* IMAX announced Tron: Legacy will be released to theatres in IMAX 3D
* 3ality Digital partnered with Nagravision to introduce the Nagra Media Guide for 3D, which was developed for set top boxes to enable the 3D at-home viewing experience
* During “The Business Case for 3D” panel, Screen Digest Senior Analyst Charlotte Jones illustrated that 3D remains a strong revenue driver for features, especially for this summer’s pics. “Without 3D premium pricing, the summer would not have registered as positive”
* Cinedigm Entertainment and 3ality Digital announced an agreement to bring a minimum of 8 live 3D alternative entertainment events to cinemas over the next two years
* Technicolor leveraged the 3D Summit to announce to the industry the organization’s celluloid 3D solution
“One of the strongest indicators that the 3D market continues to grow from our own perspective is our attendance and sponsorship levels, which both doubled from last year,” stated John Golicz, CEO of Unicomm, the event’s producer. “This enthusiasm for the 3D industry will drive Unicomm to schedule an additional show focused solely on the 3D video game industry next year.”
Oct 4th 2009. Which, the consumer magazine, finds Sky's 3D TV impressive
Which watched ballerinas, sprinter Usain Bolt, football, Ricky Hatton boxing and the indie rock band Keane playing at Abbey Road studios. They thought it was impressive and found even if you weren't watching it straight on the image was pretty good.
Oct 1st 2009. Sky to launch 3D TV in 2010 following record Sky+HD growth
Sky has announced that the number of customers choosing Sky+HD, the UK’s only high definition (HD) service currently capable of broadcasting 3D services, has increased to 1.313 million following record growth.
Customers have responded in record numbers to Sky’s high quality and great value HD service. Sky has more than doubled the number of HD customers in the last year alone with over 90 customers* an hour joining Sky+HD.
In the next step in the Sky+HD journey, Sky today announced that it will launch the UK’s first 3D channel next year. The channel will offer a broad selection of the best available 3D programming, which is expected to include movies, entertainment and sport. The service will be broadcast across Sky’s existing HD infrastructure and be available via the current generation of Sky+HD set-top boxes. To watch 3D, customers will also require a new '3D Ready' TV, which are expected to be on sale in the UK next year.
This commitment follows extensive research and development activity into 3D, which included Sky becoming the first TV company in Europe to broadcast a live event in 3D TV. On 2nd April 2009 Sky successfully broadcast a performance by Keane live from Abbey Road Studios via the company’s satellite network to a Sky+HD set-top box and domestic 3D Ready TV.
Sky has also confirmed the launch of a comprehensive ‘pull’ video-on-demand (VOD) service next year, to provide Sky+HD customers with additional choice and control to complement Sky+ and the current Sky Anytime ‘push’ VOD service. This new service will use the broadband capability of existing Sky+HD boxes.
Brian Sullivan, Managing Director of Sky’s Customer Group, comments:
“Well over a million homes have future-proofed themselves with Sky+HD, a platform for choice, quality and future innovation. With Sky+ as standard, our customers are already enjoying amazing picture and sound quality on a range of high-quality HD channels which cater to the interests and passions of the whole family.
“Next year we will make our HD boxes work even harder for customers by launching Europe’s first 3D TV channel, as well as introducing a comprehensive video-on-demand service to complement Sky+ and the current Sky Anytime service.
“3D is a genuinely ‘seeing is believing’ experience, making TV come to life as never before. Just like the launch of digital, Sky+ and HD, this is latest step in our commitment to innovating for customers.”
Sky launched the UK’s first national HD service in May 2006 which has since become Europe’s most successful HD service. Today Sky+HD customers can watch 33 HD channels from leading brands such as Sky Movies, Sky Sports, Channel 4, Disney, MTV, BBC, Discovery, FX, Sky1 and National Geographic. Sky+HD customers can choose up to 400 hours a day – or 13,000 hours a month – of quality HD content, which is significantly more than any other TV platform.
Further channels are due shortly, including ESPN HD (August 2009), and Sky News HD (Spring 2010), with a view to growing the offering to 50 channels over time.
Further details on Sky’s pull VOD and 3DTV services, including pricing, packaging and entitlement, will be announced closer to launch.
Sky to Use its Sky+HD Platform to Power 3D TV Channel, "Pull"-VOD Service
--BT Vision, Meanwhile, Reports Lowest-Ever Customer Growth
UK satellite-TV provider, BSkyB, announced last week that it plans to take advantage of capabilities provided by its existing Sky+HD set-top box and service to launch a 3D channel and a "pull" VOD service (i.e. a true VOD service, vs. the "push"-VOD services--such as Sky's own Sky Anytime--typically offered by satellite-TV operators). According to the company, Sky+HD--which it bills as "the UK's only high-definition service currently capable of broadcasting 3D services"--has now been taken up by 1.313 million customers, following record growth: it claims that the number of customers for the service has doubled over the past year and that over 90 customers are signing up for it every hour.
According to Sky, its new 3D channel--which will be the first such service to launch in the UK--will be rolled out next year, and will offer a broad selection of 3D programming, including movies, entertainment and sports coverage. It will be broadcast across Sky's existing HD infrastructure, the company says, and will be supported by the current generation of Sky+HD set-tops. However, in order to watch the channel in 3D, customers will have to purchase new "3D-Ready" TV sets, which are expected to go on sale in the UK next year, and will have to wear special polarizing glasses (which help direct the correct left or right on-screen image to the corresponding eye).
Sky says that the launch of the new 3D channel follows extensive research and development activity on 3D, which included the 3D broadcast of a live event: on April 2nd, Sky successfully broadcast a performance by Keane live from Abbey Road Studios via its satellite network to a Sky+ HD set-top and a domestic 3D-Ready TV. The company claims that it was the first TV company in Europe to broadcast a live event in 3D.
Sky says that its new "pull"-VOD service, meanwhile, will also launch next year. According to the company, the new service--which will take advantage of the Sky+HD box's existing broadband connectivity--will feature a "comprehensive" line-up of content. UK cable operator, Virgin Media, already offers a comprehensive VOD service, which, among other things, provides access on the living-room television set to the BBC's iPlayer catch-up service. "Well over a million homes have future-proofed themselves with Sky+HD, a platform for choice, quality and future innovation," Brian Sullivan, managing director of Sky's Customer Group, said in a prepared statement. "With Sky+ as standard, our customers are already enjoying amazing picture and sound quality on a range of high-quality HD channels which cater to the interests and passions of the whole family. Next year we will make our HD boxes work even harder for customers by launching Europe's first 3D TV channel, as well as introducing a comprehensive video-on-demand service to complement Sky+ and the current Sky Anytime service."
Sky says that it will provide more information on its new 3D TV and "pull"-VOD services, including pricing, packaging and entitlement, closer to their launch.
In other VOD news from the UK: Incumbent telco, BT, revealed last week that BT Vision, its Microsoft Mediaroom-powered, interactive TV-enabled hybrid IPTV service (note: the service is enabled via a hybrid set-top box that allows viewers to access linear channels from the UK's free-to-air digital terrestrial platform, Freeview, alongside IP-delivered on-demand and interactive content), added only 10,000 net new customers during the second quarter. While the service--which had a total of 433,000 customers as of June 30th--added 38,000 new customers during the quarter, BT said that the figure was adjusted "for inactive customers." The figure represents the lowest-ever quarterly customer-growth number for the service, which added 25,000 new customers in the first quarter. In June, BT Vision's then-CEO, Dan Marks, stepped down unexpectedly, reportedly due to his frustration with UK satellite-TV provider BSkyB's dominance of Premiership soccer coverage, which he blamed for BT Vision's anemic take-up.
Other News....
http://stuff.tv/blogs/future/archive/2008/12/18/face-to-face-with-sky-s-3d-tv-service.aspx
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/7788582.stm
http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/Technology/Sky-HD-Goes-3D-Technology-To-Develop-3D-Television-Being-Created/Article/200812315184847
http://techmeblog.co.uk/2007/01/12/ces-3dtv/
http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2009/07/01/3d_tv_sales/
Sky films some of swan lake in 3D http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2009/05/29/swan_lake_3d/