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3D TV: What You Need to Start Watching in 3D

Digital Trends Staff By

3D TV is coming. Are you ready? Most manufacturers such as Samsung, LG, and Panasonic have announced LCD and Plasma 3D HDTV models, but there’s a lot to consider when jumping into the 3D TV market. We answer some of the most commonly asked questions to help 3D TV buyers prepare for their next purchase.

You’ve worn the glasses. Seen the demos. Winced at objects flying out the screen. And you’re ready to buy a 3D TV.

Congratulations, brave early adopter. Although the 3DTV maelstrom at CES 2010 generated a fair bit of skepticism, the technology also managed to floor many people, and if the commercial success of Avatar is any indication, 3D movies aren’t going to disappear any time soon. Ready to get in on the ground floor? Watch out, it’s still under construction. But our 3D TV buyer’s guide can help show you how to set up shop in three dimensions. Follow along as we lay your questions on the new format to rest.

Which new models were announced at CES 2010? When will they be available?

Just about every major manufacturer announced a 3D television at CES 2010. Here’s a rundown on the big models in order of their release:

  • Panasonic Viera VT25 Series Plasma (Available now)
  • Samsung LED8000 Series LCD (Available now)
  • LG LX9500 Series LCD (Available in Korea, coming to U.S. in May)
  • Sony LX900 Series LCD (Summer 2010)
  • Vizio XVT Pro Series LCD (Available in August 2010)
  • Toshiba Cell TV ZX900 Series LCD (Fall 2010)

With the exception of Samsung’s LED8000 series (which will be trumped by the LED9000 later on), these represent flagship models. Most manufacturers are also offering more stripped down versions at lower price points. Check out 3DMovieList for a comprehensive list of models, release dates and features.

Although this new crop of LCD and plasma televisions is responsible for generating the latest wave of hype for 3D TV, it’s worth noting that both Samsung and Mitsubishi were manufacturing 3D-capable TVs using DLP technology for years. 3DMovieList has more information on these models.

Can I watch 2D video on a 3D TV?

Absolutely. All of the upcoming 3D TV models above represent flagship models from their respective manufacturers, which means they won’t just play 2D television, it should look top notch. Nothing about the tech needed to make 3D-capable sacrifices 2D images quality, so even if you intend to watch 99-percent of your programming without glasses, you shouldn’t think twice about buying a 3D TV.

Will I absolutely need 3D glasses? How do they work? How much will extra pairs cost?

Every consumer-grade 3D TV today requires glasses to produce a 3D effect. Although many companies have demonstrated tech demos at trade shows that show how 3D can be produced without glasses, none of them are yet ready for prime time.

Unlike movie theaters, which use polarized glasses, 3D TVs use active-shutter LCD glasses. This means a tiny transmitter inside actually communicates with the TV to block your left eye when an image for the right eye is on the screen, and vice versa, 120 times per second. This rapid-fire trickery requires electronics and a small battery, making them heavier and bulkier than the cheap polarized glasses you may have used in a 3D cinema.

Although most 3D TVs will come with one or more pairs of glasses, you should also be prepared to buy additional pairs unless you really plan on sitting in your basement watching Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs all by yourself. Although not all manufacturers have announced pricing for the glasses that will pair with the new models, don’t expect them to be cheap. Samsung, which already has 3D displays on the market, charges $130 for a pair of its rather dorky 3D shades. Nvidia charges $149. Even if the TV you buy comes with a two pairs, that’s another $260 to get the kids on board, and more if you want to invite the neighbors over to gloat. Make sure to factor the price into your purchase.

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Showing 42 comments

  1. WilliamS at 2:03am 28th April 2011 Yes, 3D TV is getting more and more popular with Sky 3D and ESPN already broadcasting sports in 3D
  2. Anthony at 8:22am 23rd December 2010 Yes my friend i wondered about this also. I have my new Samsung 3D TV and Glasses but when i am searching to buy films they say they are supplied with cheap paper things So which films or types work with my 3D TV
  3. lili at 1:16pm 2nd December 2010 ho many people can watch in 3dtv
    1. Anthony at 8:23am 23rd December 2010 As many as have a pair of glasses
  4. Grenee at 4:27pm 6th September 2010 I'm hoping someone can help me. I just bought a 3-d tv and I got a 3-d disc I was really excited to watch (NATGO Sea Monsters). It did not work with the glasses that came with the TV yet it worked with the cheap paper ones that came with the dvd. I double checked to make sure nothing was wrong by playing the movie they give you with the TV and it worked. I'm stumped and of course very disappointed. Help!
    1. Jeremy at 2:41am 16th September 2010 NATGO Sea Monsters uses a different type of 3D than the glasses that came with the TV
  5. JoeyM at 4:28am 9th August 2010 sigclu, you are actually the foolish one my friend if you thinking you need the $100 cable to "make it all happen" With digital it is either there or it isn't. If you getting artifacts or nothings at all, it is isn't there. Otherwise, it is and this is generally true whether your cable cost $1 or $1,000.
  6. William Ball at 10:54pm 4th August 2010 A lot of this information is so retarded. Much of this is completely erroneous!! You don't need a 3D movie to play a Blu-ray disc in 3D, just the right TV monitor. You don't even need a 3D Blu-Ray disc player. Just the right monitor. Samsung 7000 and 8000 series will play and display anything in 3D! And I do mean everything. Even old digital photos and movies appear in 3D. It's amazing and I don't know how it's done. Some of my digital photos appear in a strange processed type of 3D and can be weird looking. My Sony HD home movie camera files play in perfect 3D and are stunning. All of the Sony Playstation 3 games play in 3D. All you do is enable the 3D mode on the monitor. And then WOW. All TV stations play in 3D. Sunday night football in 3D anyone?!
    1. ioman at 11:06pm 4th August 2010 William, that is simulated 3D, not true 3D.
      1. 3dfjernsyn at 3:22pm 11th August 2010 Well..... Technically ALL 3d-displays are just simulating - you get a 3d-effect by displaying two, two-dimensional images..... The only true 3d is the real thing :D
        1. ioman at 3:24pm 11th August 2010 Yes, but you are missing the point. A movie you can buy that is finished in 3D will look different than a 2D that is simulated.
  7. Crevis at 12:32am 4th July 2010 3D Television uses battery powered glasses and cost somewhere around $100. However most 3D TV's also have 2D TV (normal format). So I guess it wouldn't be that bad of an idea?
  8. 3D TV at 12:30am 4th July 2010 3D Television uses battery powered glasses and cost somewhere around $100. However most 3D TV's also have 2D TV (normal format). So I guess it wouldn't be that bad of an idea?
  9. Tony at 12:36am 24th June 2010 3D TV is the worst fraud ever in the technology world. You don't need 3D TV to watch 3D movies. The movie DVD sends the 3D signals to the projector (or DVD player). The projector (or DVD player) sends the 3D signals onto a 2 dimensional screen, the glasses mixes the visual clues and allow you to see what's on the screen in 3D. So Where is this 3D TV come in to play? All it does is for simulating 3D images from a 2D images. And you are paying a hefty price to see simulated videos. As long as you have a 3D movie and a pair of glasses, you should be able to view 3D movies as it was created on any TV. Well, technically... But if you don't buy that "special" 3D TV set, who's gonna buy the next TV? If no more people buying TV, how are they gonna manufacture more TVs and sell it? :-)
  10. 3D TV: Is the World Really Ready to Upgrade? at 3:53pm 23rd June 2010 [...] 2010, but we doubt the TV viewing world’s willingness to quickly take the plunge.Also check out 3D TV: What You Need to Start Watching in 3D.Call us practical, jaded or simply a good, old-fashioned stick in the mud, but when it comes to [...]
  11. FiveFingerFootwear at 8:04pm 14th June 2010 Unfortunately, most people will not be able to buy brand new TV's and equipment to make their home entertainment 3D. But, for those who are interested in buying a brand new TV, you might as well get a 3D-ready TV. The 3D-ready TV's that are available right now are also some of the best 2D TV's on the market. So if you are thinking about dropping $3,000 on a set, I say get one that has 3D capability - http://www.3dyourtv.com/post/buying-guide/3d-tv...
  12. roger Rg744 at 6:12am 11th June 2010 Smellavision
  13. Mike at 5:16am 10th June 2010 NO! Not Samsung, either! I just found the page that says that HYUNDAI made the first 3D TV!

    http://www.techradar.com/news/television/hdtv/w...
  14. Mike at 5:12am 10th June 2010 There's no way to make a converter to do that. The ability to display things in that sort-of ghost-image setup which is corrected by the shutter glasses, and the signal that the TV sends out to the glasses, is something that can only come from within the TV. (That should be obvious.) The displaying part may be able to be added with a firmware upgrade, but there's still that issue of needing to send a control signal out to the glasses, which you wouldn't have without new hardware. It's just like moving from SD-only sets to ones that can show HD. You have to get new hardware to move up.
  15. Mike at 5:07am 10th June 2010 No, I just did the research now. Yes, Mitsubishi makes 3D TVs, but it was SAMSUNG that hit CES with one first.
  16. Ashutosh at 3:24am 10th June 2010 watch TV with the glasses on... better i will go for 2D TV
  17. Ashutosh at 3:22am 10th June 2010 Quality of the pictures on 3D TVs are great, but if you are planning to watch TV for longer hour then wearing glasses to watch TV is really a headache. then switching for 2D display is the better option.
  18. Charles3900 at 12:19am 10th June 2010 What do you think the chances are that after the "gotta have it first" folks all have a 3d set and the sales fall off, they will come out with box that will convert your 2d set into a 3d set?
  19. guest at 10:03pm 9th June 2010 Now if only we could afford buy new 3d tvs and the glasses,too. Or hopefully, we'll still be able to use our current tvs, until we can buy new 3d ones. I won der how it would be if computer monitors were to be 3d, too.
  20. MaxxFordham at 8:21pm 9th June 2010 Hey, DT, you guys forgot Mitsubishi! Their newest DLP models are all 3D-capable, too! And weren't they even the FIRST ones with it?

    For example, my WD-60737 is a 3D model! They have the WD-60C9s on up through the WD-82837s that are all 3D-ready!
  21. Sigclu at 7:21pm 9th June 2010 ya know people are really stupid...they will spend a fortune on product. Oh but spend a hundred on a good set of cables to make it all happen. no way jose, my wifey wont let me...;they deserve their shiitty reception
  22. MANNYMARC at 5:34pm 9th June 2010 Well Razor 3D.com have been selling convertors for crt t.v.s years ago. I've tested these new ones, not much difference. Or you could not spend a penny by watchin t.v. with your dark shades over one eye,same effect.
  23. jeremiahnanderson at 12:27pm 9th June 2010 I had lot about the 3D T.V,even i think sony already launch the 3D T.V in the market,the 3D is awesome as compare to the LCD or Flat T.V,the T.V looks like mirror in the front you.
    m3 zero
  24. reviewbloger at 9:42am 5th June 2010 Thank you for the information .....

    review blog introduces 3D TV, 3D monitors, 3D Glasses, 3D Technology,

    Hot fashion product information ..... information on the website, the

    most popular IT information; FULL HD TV; LED, LCD, 3D TV, news,

    I would recommend this article to more visitors!

    Thanks again!
  25. 3D Ready? at 6:35pm 31st May 2010 We are waiting for our new 3D ready TV in the mail. My question is waht to I need to get in order to make it 3D?
  26. Love my Blu-Ray Movies at 8:32am 27th May 2010 Well. I just learned from Sony Customer Service that they can read and decode the HD audio formats (TrueHD, DTS-HD, etc.), but have to downconvert the signal o PCM to send over HDMI to your receiver. They advertise that they support TrueHD, DTS-HD, etc. but not really in their native format!!!! One reason I bought a standalone Blu-Ray player to get these full benefits from Blu-Ray movies.
  27. Chris at 3:44am 27th May 2010 What about the Onkyo 608. It has HDMI 1.4 cpabilities>
  28. Jason at 6:53pm 26th May 2010 If you're using a low quality cable then you shouldnt have a 3D TV...I have tested on a best buy dynex hdmi cable among other low quality cables and it worked just fine.
  29. Nick Mokey at 4:05pm 26th May 2010 Hey guys, just a couple points of clarification:

    1. The Sony receiver was the only one capable of handling 3D content at the time this was originally published. Others have since been released and we've edited the article to reflect that.
    2. The original article stated that HDMI 1.4 cables were necessary for 3D, but this wasn't accurate. The HDMI 1.4 standard is necessary, but older cables technically can carry it. The article has been also been edited to clarify this.

    As usual, thanks for all the feedback!
  30. Ian Bell at 3:29pm 26th May 2010 Not true. Some low quality 1.3 cables will NOT be able to carry the correct 3D signal and information.
  31. Randy at 3:17pm 26th May 2010 Thats wrong. The pioneer receivers handle 3d.
  32. Jason at 2:49pm 26th May 2010 I would like to clear up some facts on 3D tv's. First there are more than one model available that will do 2d-3d conversion. second, you dont have to have HDMI v1.4 in order to see 3D. you can use the old cables. HDMI v1.4 carries ethernet signals for you as well as audio/video. next, there are actually a few3D ready BD players and receivers that are available now. The glasses will run you about 150 a pair. Also, bigger isnt better. Get the same size tv that gives you proper viewing distance regardless of 3D or not......This article isnt very factual.
  33. Chris at 12:39pm 16th May 2010 I just want some info on how the current 3D TVs upconvert capabitlities are. I have an Asus G51 3D laptop and games such as Call of Duty and Modern Warfare 2 are amazing in 3D on it. Do these TVs make it much the same when playing from xbox360 and PS3? There is not much info out there from people actually saying how god or how bad. All I found was some really inexperieneced people talking on Best Buy's site. Any help here would be great!
  34. becks431 at 5:58am 25th February 2010 3D....well the television companies have reached a saturation level with LCD panels. LCD prices have dropped through the floor, as comapred to 4 years ago. They need a new revenue generating gimmick. Hence 3D sets.
  35. dang at 6:49pm 24th February 2010 Another reason why the Playstation 3 is the best Blu-ray player out there. How can no other current Blu-ray player not be upgradeable to support 3D Blu-rays?
    1. UKJUJ at 12:37pm 13th September 2010 I DONT CARE
      1. Big_M at 10:00pm 12th January 2011 NO ONE CARES THAT YOU DON'T CARE!
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