3D TV: Plasma or LCD?

While everyone is rushing to talk about 3D TVs. One important subject is often over looked when you buy tv looked and that’s 3D on what? 3D TV plasma or 3D LCD? You think theirs no difference? Well think again...

Plasma television may actually be better. Why? Especially considering how plasma television sales have dropped while LCD HDTV sales have soared? Well Plasma television have two big advantages when it comes to 3D. Those advantages are speed and contrast...

First, contrast. The eye receives high-quality when theirs a big visual difference between black and white. Its called a contrast ratio. Plasma's is almost always bigger than LCD HDTV, why? When a plasma television plasma television is black it's off, when LCD HDTV is black its because the tiny crystals on top of the always on black-light are blocking that light and sometimes a little light gets through. Even if LCD could go all the way to black as like Plasma. It cant do it as fast. Plasma can go to black 60 times faster then LCD. So that means that sports and games in 3D are measurable better.

As far as prices go, as mentioned earlier. Plasma television sales have been dropping recently compared to LCD and LED TVs. Due to demand issues this naturally will bring the price down. For example a basic 42-inch plasma television vs. a basic 42-inch LCD TV is around $500 vs $750(basic 2D) according to Plasma God online. Ironically its a win, win for plasma 3D vs LCD 3D, because its cheaper and has better quality of picture.

How Do 3D TVs Work

To understand how 3D and 3D TVs works we need to first review how humans perceive the world in 3 dimensions. We have 2 eyes a left and a right eye. If you were to take a finger and put it near to your nose and you look through your left eye and through your right eye. You can see a vastly different object. If you move the object further away and repeat the exercise. You can still see the difference between the two, but not as much as it was. So what this means is you perceive 3 dimensions when you see objects that are near to us and the 3D effect drops off as objects are further away.

When it comes the the movie-theater you have 2 different light sources, 2 different projectors that put a polarizer on the front of each projector. 1 will be polarize for the left eye and one will be polarized for the right eye. So as long as you have a pair of eye-wear which have the same polarity as the left and the right, then were ensured that the left image goes to the left eye and the right image goes to the right eye.

So when it comes to television you only have a single light source. So we have to produce a left image and a right image in a different way. We do this in a frame sequence matter. The TV produces a left image and a right image really fast. What we have to do though for it to synchronize with our eyes is we have to wear a pair of glasses that is synchronize to the television. So the television will tell the eye-wear... I am now showing the left image. So therefore the lens of the left side of the eye-wear will become transparent, the right lens will be going black. So therefore the left image is being seen by the left eye. This is all done really fast and is all blended together which is why you don't notice any quick flashing.

There is nothing wrong with plasma television or LCD HDTV in respects to 3D TVS. When it comes to 3D TVs there is a difference between plasma and LCD and that difference is fundamentally how they produce light.

LCD HDTV has to update its image very quickly. The problem with a LCD is because LCD HDTV uses technology that works as little gates that open and close to allow the back-light through. It takes sometime for those tiny LCD molecules to change their state, now this can cause a problem where the left eye sees part of the right image and the right eye sees part of the left image.

When it comes to plasma television. Your producing frame sequential images. A left then a right. A plasma television starts with a black produces its image, then erases it and then produces the next one. So when your produce a left, right, left, right, There’s little chance of getting distortion between the left and right image.

The basics of 3D TVs

You've probably heard the rumors about 3D TV's and how it may dominate the television industry. Within the next 9 years one market research firm projects the 3D TV market is going to grow nearly 300 times. Meaning almost everybody may be watching, sports, movies, etc on a TV that seems to make the images leap off the screen

Before you get a 3D TV you should know more about it. For example: Do you need a new blue-ray player to watch 3D movies? YES. Is 3D a lot more expensive? No not really. Can you watch 2D television (normal quality). Yes you can switch back and forth from 2D to 3D.

A 3D display on a 2D surface is basically stereo for your eyes. One left image one right. In fact 3D video and pictures is sometimes taking using right and left lenses that are slightly off set. How offset? Exactly off set as a pair of human eyes. About 7 centimeters or 4 inches. Its called stereopsis. The brain thinks its looking at a 3d object because its seeing 2 different pictures, from 2 different prospectives. The same 2 viewing angels as your eyes. It creates the illusion of depth. Right now TV companies can project those 2 pictures on to 1 screen at the same time without making them blurry and its to expensive to have 2 different TVs for each eye. So they came up with 2 main ways to trick your brain into seeing focused 3D pictures on 1 screen.

3D TVs currently falls into 2 different categories. 3D you watch with active shutter glasses and 3D TV you watch with polarized glasses.

Here's how active shutter works. The glasses are powered by batteries and our linked to an emitter tin your 3D television. The emitter sends radio or info-red signals to your glasses and tells each lens of the glasses to either open or close. Like a window shutter. This happens in-sync with fast flashing left or right images on the screen. This all happens over 100 times a second. This is why its nearly impossible to turn your LED TVs or a Plasma television into 3D. This refresh rate is also known as the HZ.

OK so you know about active shutter glasses, but that's not the only way to see 3D. If you've seen avatar or Alice in wonderland in the movie theater you were using polarized glasses. Like shutter glasses. Polarized lenses lets you see different slightly off-set images in each eye./ Tricking your brain into seeing 3D, but instead of flashing left and right pictures one at a time on the screen. Movie theaters project both left and right images at the same time with 2 different projectors. Its not blurry because the left lens only lets your left eye see only the left the left picture and the right lens only lets your eye see the right picture and remember polarized lens dont need to be battery powered or synchronized there passive.

Introducing The New 3D TVs

Ultimately It's here, with the great line of 3D TV's hitting the electronics market as we speak. Individuals are getting excited, but nonetheless there is still many questions that need to be taking care of in regards to placing that big 3D movie theatre experience in your home. Today we will put those concerns to rest and explain the many challedges for your 3D TV.

With all the noise surrounding 3D TV's. There comes a lot of facts and rumors. In this article we'll provide the information that will clear some things up once and for all. First thing you will need 3D glasses if you want to watch 3D TV, but not to many individuals are excited about this, but it's a tiny price to pay for having a 3D movie theater in your living room. Plus many... if not all 3D TV's have the standard TV format (2D). 3D TV can be switched on and off at the user's will.

A great thing about 3D televisions is that some of your previous 2D collections can be watched in 3D. Right now there might not be very many 3D DVD collections out on the market, but you can bring new life to your old DVD or Blue Ray collection by converting them to 3D. Some 3D televisions like the Sony XBR52HX909 are going to have built in converters so you can view 3D TV right out of the box.

Unfortunately if you want a taste of 3D HD television then your gonna have to get a brand new TV. The hope of buying an adapter and installing it to convert your previous TV to 3D is UN-likely. That's because 3D TV requires a much higher refresh rate at about 240 Hz, which is almost triple the rate you'll find currently on the market for LCD TV's. For some 3D televisions that use active shutter technologies. You'll only be paying a slightly higher price on the TV, but the glasses may cost $50-$100 a pair. Other 3D TV's that use polarized film may be more expensive, but will offer cheaper 3D glasses.

3D TV has came and went throughout history, I bet you remember the virtual boy? So naturally people are a bit skeptical of 3D TV of being a success. It has a lot of challenges to over come in the living room. One thing is the ambient light reducing the 3D effect.

The biggest obstacle to the 3D appearance are those big clunky looking 3D glasses. Its almost seems like over 50% of the people do not want to wear them. Quite a few people actually complained of headaches and eye strain experiences. The demo TV's set up in there dark corners at local stores seem OK. 3D TV has had very few experiences in the living room. This being because it's so new.

So with the good and bad all ironed out and the 3D Television experience being so new. It seems difficult to make a decision. It seems the 3D market is scouring for some potential prospector's. The only issue it seems with consumers are the glasses. However remeber normal 2D television can be watched with a push of a button with the viewer's will. So problem solved.

Still Looking to buy television? Current 3D TVs Market Research for the best 3D HDTV as of August-2010...




TigerDirect: $2,699.00


True 1080p: $2,069.99


Plasma God: $1,873.99