My first 3D experience in the home

[Sir Terrence the Terrible]

Several weeks ago I posted that I would have access to some 3D equipment and software to evaluate 3D for the home. Two weeks ago I decided to give my son the 52" Bravia television I purchased last year as an upgrade to his old 40" in his room, and decided to buy another larger television for a second small home theater in the house as a replacement for the 52".

With my desire to upgrade to a 3D television this time around(it also had to be a great 2D television as well) I decided to get the Samsung BD-C6900 1080p 3D Blu-ray Disc Player and Samsung UN55C8000 55-Inch 3D television as a bundle, and got a great price for the package. I also got the Samsung 3D starter kit in the bundle which included a copy of Monster and Aliens in 3D, two pairs of glasses, and I got a copy of Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs in 3D from a friend I know at Sony. I also recently received a 3D and HDMI 1.4 module upgrade for my A/V processor, and that helped to bridge everything together. Here is the other equipment that I used for this evaluation.

Grass Valley Cell based HD A/V processor HDMI 1.4 enabled
Earthquake Cinenova Grand 7 channel amp/Aragon 2007 7-channel amp
8 custom PM3 approved mini monitors 80-40khz -+1.5db in room
2 H-PAS 15" subs 14-80hz -+2.5db centrally located under the TV set
Room: 12x15x10' w/ corner tune panels and mix of diffusive and absorption panels and RPG skyline for the ceiling.

I ran the Audussey Pro calibration from my processor and 5 minutes later it was done. There was not much for it to do since the room was already primed for excellent acoustics. All speakers were physically equidistant from the viewing seat(except the ceiling speaker). The center speaker at 0 degrees front, the L/R mains at 30 degrees, the L/R sides at 90 degrees, and the L/R center rears at 150 degrees, all arranged in a circle configuration with each front panel 5'7" from the ears. The ceiling speaker was positioned directly over the viewing/listening seat. The television sat 6.5' from the viewing/listening seat which gave it the THX approved 36 degree viewing width(actual 38.8 degrees). Next I calibrated the set using Sencore equipment and a test disc by Munsil and Spears.

With all of that done, I pulled out Monsters and Aliens, and my son and I sat down to give it a view. I have seen this movie in the theaters and was very impressed with the quality of the 3D there. Here, it was no less impressive. Details popped off the screen clean as a whistle, with every blade of grass complete separated, clothing detail easily distinguished, and even facial detail easily seen. Image depth easily equaled to what I saw in the theater, with a prominent divergence(depth) and only a few convergent(in your face) images. It was really quite impressive when viewed 6.5' away from the set. I did notice some image ghosting 3 times during the movie, but I engaged the ghost busting circuit in my processor, and it handled them with ease. The sound on this sample disc was 5.1 Dolby Digital lossy encoded at 640kbps, and I engaged the 3D audio switch on my processor which matrixed 2 rear wall channels from the surround side speakers, and the ceiling speaker which takes common signals from all of the surrounds and directs it upward to that channel, and it gave the soundtrack a completely immersive quality to go with the 3D images. 7.1+1 and 3D combined is the way it should be done!

Cloudy with a chance of Meatballs was by far a better viewing experience both in viewing and audio. It was much cleaner 3D and included a lossless soundtrack. It was visually stunning with excellent depth and clarity. The soundtrack threw up a huge soundstage completely filling the room from top to bottom and side to side. You have eye and ear immersion that was quite addictive during the movie. The feeling of you being there was the best way I could describe it.

I do not know how 3D is going to play out when it is fully released, but I know that those who enjoy it in the theater will love to have this in their home. 3D is as impressive in the home as it is in the theater, and even the glasses were comfortable to wear for the entire two movies we watched. We took an hour break between movies to allow the eyes to rest(and to fill our stomachs) which is the safe and responsible thing to do.

The next thing to do is to set up the 3D projector and compare that to the flat panel viewing.

[E-Stat]

I do not know how 3D is going to play out when it is fully released, but I know that those who enjoy it in the theater will love to have this in their home. 3D is as impressive in the home as it is in the theater, and even the glasses were comfortable to wear for the entire two movies we watched. We took an hour break between movies to allow the eyes to rest(and to fill our stomachs) which is the safe and responsible thing to do.

No trips to the hospital? I'm sure one is in my future!

rw

[Groundbeef]

Hopefully you were not drinking, drowsey, or prone to motion sickness. Glad it worked out for you!

Seriously, I have hopes for 3D in the home. I just hope too many "Johnny barfed while watching 3D' stories doesn't mess up it's introduction.

[GMichael]

I have a picture in my head of thousands (or millions) of people in their homes wearing those glasses for hours. All watching a flickering light mounted to their walls. It's like they're all in a hypnotic trance of some kind.

[Sir Terrence the Terrible]

Hopefully you were not drinking, drowsey, or prone to motion sickness. Glad it worked out for you!

Seriously, I have hopes for 3D in the home. I just hope too many "Johnny barfed while watching 3D' stories doesn't mess up it's introduction.

This is my hope as well, and based on the attendence at those 3D classes I have been taking, it doesn't look like that is the direction producers and cinematographers are going.

Based on the two titles I have seen so far, depth is more emphasized than in your face effects.

[Sir Terrence the Terrible]

I have a picture in my head of thousands (or millions) of people in their homes wearing those glasses for hours. All watching a flickering light mounted to their walls. It's like they're all in a hypnotic trance of some kind.

I gotta get that vision out of my head.......

[Kam]

Hey SirTTT!
Thanks so much for all the info, as always.

Do you think that this was a more-than-average-skewed experience because of the material? i've found animation lends itself to a superior or at least visually-easier-to-accept medium in 3D than live action does.

Have you had a chance to test out a live-action 3d movie? or is avatar the only live action (relatively speaking) 3d movie on the market right now?

[Sir Terrence the Terrible]

Hey SirTTT!
Thanks so much for all the info, as always.

Do you think that this was a more-than-average-skewed experience because of the material? i've found animation lends itself to a superior or at least visually-easier-to-accept medium in 3D than live action does.

Kam, animation by its digital nature always leads to a more than average presentation when compared to live action on film. However there is no reason a live action movie cannot be done in 3D, especially considering the 3D camaras coming to the market. Avatar cost a bundle to produce because there was no 3D infrastructure or workflow to streamline the production, it all had to be created on the fly. Now that Avatar has prompted vendors to create workflows and infrastructure, the next live action 3D will be a lot cheaper to produce.

Have you had a chance to test out a live-action 3d movie? or is avatar the only live action (relatively speaking) 3d movie on the market right now?

With the exception of Avatar, all 3D has been done in post production. So the answer to your question is no, I have not seen any live action 3D.