So I am buying a new TV this weekend. Going from 42″ to, most likely, 50″ and just as I am researching information Blu-ray.com reveals a bunch of information related to the debut of 3D televisions on the consumer market. Here are a few snippets related to Panasonic, Samsung and Sony.
PANASONIC:
Panasonic’s Full HD 3D Home Theater System will be exclusively available at select Best Buy Stores via Magnolia Home Theater. The total combined SRP of the Panasonic Full HD 3D Plasma Home Theater System components is $2899.99. The system consists of a 50-inch class Panasonic VIERA VT20 Plasma 3D HDTV (TC-P50VT20 – SRP $2,499.95) which includes one pair of Panasonic 3D Active Shutter Lens Eyewear (TY-EW3D10U), and the Panasonic BDT300 3D Blu-ray Disc Player (DMP-BDT300 – SRP 399.95). Additional pairs of 3D eyewear will be available with an SRP of $149.95. The individual components of the system will also be sold separately.
SAMSUNG:
The entry level 46-inch 3D model, the LN46C750, is coming in May for $1,700. The Samsung 3D TV lineup includes the LED 7000/8000/9000 Series, LCD 750 Series, and the Plasma 7000/8000 Series. Available this month are the 3D capable 46″ and 55″ LED C7000, with the remaining 3D TVs rolling out over the next several months. Samsung is combining the Samsung BD-C6900 3D Blu-ray player or the Samsung HT-C6930W 3D Blu-ray integrated home theater system, 3D active glasses and a movie in Blu-ray 3D.
This year’s premium LED TV models, the C7000, C8000 and C9000, feature Samsung’s Real240Hz refresh rate technology and Samsung’s proprietary built-in 3D processor that is compatible with major 3D format standards. The LED TVs come with Internet@TV connectivity which includes the world’s first HDTV app store, Samsung Apps, allowing users to download and view applications on their TV screens. The 3D LED TVs all exceed the EnergyStar 4.0 guidelines.
Samsungs are already available at Amazon:
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Samsung 55-Inch 1080p 240 Hz 3D – $2,969.00
Samsung 46-Inch 1080p 240 Hz 3D – $2,339.00
SONY:
Sony 3D TVs to be launched in Japan in June and in the US at a later date. A 46-inch 3D screen will cost around 350,000 yen ($3,900), about 50% more than a regular Sony Bravia. Two pairs of active-shutter 3D glasses will be bundled, along with a camera sensor capable of adjusting the picture according to seating position. Additional glasses will cost 12,000 yen a pair.
Then I take a look at some of the comments in Blu-ray.com’s post and see things like one commenter of theirs going by the name of Blu-Dog making a lot of sense writing:
“Samsung’s glasses can only be used with Samsung equipment… The glasses come either as rechargeables, with a roughly two hour battery life (advertised as ‘holding a charge long enough to watch the average movie’), and replaceable throwaway batteries with a much longer life.
“Most early content will be cartoons. From my own demo, it’s clear that 3-D is best seen on the largest screen possible. Not cheap…”
So now I ask you, are you interested in 3D at home on your TV? Do you want to pay $150 for glasses that need to be recharged? What happens if you have five people over and you only have four glasses? Do you really want to sit at home with glasses on to watch TV? Is 3D so important to you that you will embrace this idea?
Personally, when I go buy my new TV this weekend I won’t be picking one of these up. For starters, I don’t even like 3D and outside of Avatar, a film I am perfectly fine watching in 2D for the rest of my life, I have never seen a 3D movie that had me wanting to go back to the theater for more 3D.
So now I give you Samsung’s 3D sales reel and ask you to share your thoughts in the comments below.
