DIVERSION: A 3D Television Review.

I recently had to replace an old Sony tube television, so I moved my prior HD upstairs, and bought a new HD 3D Samsung  50 inch Plasma TV as my primary HDTV. 

In addition to 3 D, new set also has a  built in Ethernet port with various widgets to view stuff from the Internet and a USB port to view videos and photos and play music stored on a portable USB drive. 

Some thoughts about the TV and the 3D experience after a couple of weeks:

• 3D viewing of sports has been somewhat underwhelming. I watched the Oregon/California game and World Cup 2010 blu ray disc and while there was some minor benefit from seeing additional depth in certain camera angles I don't think viewing sports will be a prime driver for 3D.  
• There is NOT much 3D programming out there. Comcast has about 5 3d movies available their ON Demand channel. I was able to record 2 recent football games on my DVR for viewing later, and a trickle of 3D movies are being released.  The BCS bowl game is scheduled for 3D and I believe a Blazer game is also scheduled for 3D.
• Glasses are not an issue for me, but if you have a number of viewers they could get spendy; bigger issue is that picture appears dimmer watching 3D, and that is somewhat of a turn off. 
• I DID notice that my eyes were somewhat tired after watching 3D for a while. I would limit viewing times, and if you have kids, I would NOT recommend that you buy a 3D set--I'm not sure what the long term impacts would be and my view is, WHY would you take a chance?
• Plasma sets are somewhat cheaper than LCD or LED sets, but if you are NOT buying a 3d set, I would probably go with a LCD or LED set unless the price difference is significant.
• My "bundle" came with IMAX movies, and I suspect that some future movies could be shot in such a way that the 3D view would be worth the price (I am thinking "Avatar" or other action movies as the most likely candidates).
• Internet connection on Samsung feels somewhat incomplete. I can view YouTube and Netflix movies on my set, as well as all of my Picassa photos, but there is no real browser functionality yet, and that is a missed opportunity. (I use a wired Ethernet connection, so no real issues with download speed that might occur if you purchase a separate wireless connector).
• A surprise value has been the USB port. I have been able to watch videos from a USB drive in almost ANY format I can think of, including HD videos. If you have music videos, or other videos stored on a USB drive this is a pleasant surprise, but the utility of the USB port WILL vary from set to set, so DOWNLOAD the manual to see supported formats before you buy . (My TV won't play HD AVCHD videos recorded from my Panasonic still camera, but I have software that will transcode into another format so that is not that big a deal for me).
• Bottom line.  In looking for HDTV I would say that the functionality of Internet connection and the widgets and the formats that would be viewable via the USB drive are MORE important than the 3D, along of course with the quality of the picture and the reliability of the set manufacturer.  (Download the manual for the specific TV before buying to check out those features) .
• If the difference in price is $100-$200 3D might be worth it, but otherwise I would say DON'T spend the extra money for 3D, AND DON"T buy a 3D set if you have kids.

Originally created and posted on the Oregon Housing Blog.