Although rear projection television (RPTV) sets have been facing stiff price pressure from flat panel plasma and LCD sets, RPTV is still popular among those who want large screens at affordable prices. And in the rear projection marketplace, one technology stands out, winning both first and third place in JD Power and Associates’ recent HDTV owner satisfaction study: that’s DLP (Digital Light Projection) from Texas Instruments.
At CEDIA Expo in Denver last month, and again at the "Holiday Spectacular" press event in New York, DLP was on-hand showing off advanced 3D capabilities that are already available in current production model DLP rear projection sets. If you buy (or already own) 3D-compatible DLP sets from Samsung or Mitsubishi, you can add an inexpensive third party software/glasses package (starting at $199), plug in your PC and enjoy a growing library of content in 3D.
I’ve seen many 3D demos and films – both on the small and large screen – and this was among the more impressive implementations. Featuring scenes from the "Star Wars" films (episodes 3 and 4), as well as re-mastered NASCAR footage and a 3D computer football game, the demo had me reaching out to grab items that were just figments of stereoscopic illusion. It was a very immersive experience.
Although third party software/hardware provider DDD does offer real-time 2D to 3D conversion via a set-top box, (so you can watch live television and current DVDs with some 3D effects) best results are obtained with titles that have been pre-converted offline to take full advantage of three-dimensional rendering. And these were the clips used in the demos.
Although the films used in the demo are not (yet?) available in complete 3D versions, some care has obviously gone into creating demo clips from the original source material. I was impressed with how much depth could be added to standard two-dimensional source material. It was fun to see the enormous Star Destroyer that opens the first Star Wars film, projecting outward several feet from the screen, and then to see C3PO and a totally tubular R2D2 meander across the rebel ship’s hallway as the battle ensued, with laser blasts escaping from the confines of the screen and scattering overhead.
If you’d like to go beyond HDTV and enter the third dimension, then it’s worth checking out these 3D-Ready 1080p HDTVs.
