Samsung’s $1000 3DTV – What it Means and What You Need to Know
August 26th 2010 · Read More · Comments Off
Like all new technologies, time is on the consumer's side when it comes to how much the latest and greatest drains the bank account. As new features are introduced and offered in the "high end" models, the advanced features of yesterday's models trickles down in to models lower down the food chain. And sure enough, the prophecy has come to pass. Samsung has let loose the PN50C490 , which will be the very first 3D capable TV to reach a magical (and highly affordable) $999 retail price point. I know it seems like only yesterday the very first 3D capable flat panel TVs hit store shelves , and now... Wait!? It pretty much was yesterday. What the heck is going on here? Samsung's foray into 3D at a sub $1000 price point this year is an unprecedented move few really saw coming. Compared to other manufacturers of 3D capable flat panel displays, Samsung and Panasonic have been the price leaders by a wide margin, and Samsung's current plasma TVs are competitive to Panasonic's Viera lineup. What does Samsung dropping the bottom out of 3D so fast really mean? Most will make one of two conclusions. It either means their 3D...
"Piranha 3D" is not for the squeamish. It's also not for anyone looking to spend $15 wisely. Apparently, people are looking for a quality film, and not a quantity of dead teenagers. I was the lone female in a not-so-crowded theater this weekend. Maybe that's because "Piranha 3D" is filled with boobs, blood, and boobs. Yeah, I said boobs twice; this movie has a lot of them. Not that there's anything wrong gratuitous nudity. "Piranha 3D" knows exactly what it is and doesn't waste anyone's time trying to disguise itself as otherwise. It also really doesn't disguise itself as a 3D movie, completely eliminating the "3D" part from the title credits. That's wise. The 3D for this horror movie isn't awful, but it's not great either -- especially not for a movie that flaunts it in the title. Director Alexandre Aja ("The Hills Have Eyes") did not have the budget to do 3D from the get-go, so this is another post-conversion. However, it is one of the better efforts, even with a much lesser budget. Still, better does not mean even close to perfect. As a result, the film's image suffers. Apparently, when Hell is unleashed, it's kind of dark...
At the end of this week, "Piranha 3D" will be unleashed on a ton of not-so-unsuspecting moviegoers. In other words, if all you know about this movie is its title, you probably know to eat light, find something or someone that can take the impact of your fingernails, and wear a raincoat -- after all, it's going to be quite the bloodbath (see below). In the upcoming months, the 3D release calendar is chock full of creepy. Some are insanely obvious. Some, not so much. Here's my rundown of the top five creepy 3D movies coming soon (in order of release)... Piranha 3D Why would someone want to remake the 1978 Joe Dante (the "Gremlins" guy!) horror flick? Maybe to create one of the goriest pieces of filmmaking of the past decade. Star Adam Scott ("Parks and Recreation") recently discussed the production's use of fake blood with Entertainment Weekly : "When we were making it in Lake Havasu, there was a tanker truck filled with blood parked on the side of the lake pumping blood all day. I’m not joking," said Scott. "I don't think anyone's got us on the tanker truck of blood. I think we’re unique in that...
Not long ago The Wrap's Steve Pond lambasted 3D for its picture dimming ways, and like most critics with their "all or nothing" attitudes and resiliency towards changing with the times, basically said 3D won't work ever because it's too dark. I'm not discounting Steve's assessment, which is mostly true. Traditional projection cinema does have some problems displaying 3D material at a reasonable brightness because of how 3D material ends up darker than 2D. By the time you divide the light output between both eyeballs and add another light-absorbing layer in the form of glasses, the roughly 12 to 14 ft-Lambert image typically experienced in a theater gets chopped down to about 3 when all said and done. What happens to the viewing experience when light levels get this low? See Clash of the Titans . That got me to thinking... If 3D is really making films too dim for movie theaters, what does that mean for 3D at home? In short, I don't think 3D's dark side will make a difference at home. If anything, it may actually improve the viewing experience. The typical light output of televisions has always been greater than the theaters 16 ft-Lambert open gate...
If only I could move like any of the many characters in Step Up 3D . I'm guessing if I could, I wouldn't have had to see Step Up 3D by myself. Alas, my ability and my abs don't even come close. Although many of the hard bodies in Step Up 3D are like something out of a fantasy world, these people can really move. Thank goodness for that, because it's not the acting or the laughable plot that will draw you into this film. See if you can stay awake for this... Moose (Adam Sevani) is a college-bound fella who arrives at NYU with his childhood BFF (Alyson Stoner) and a need to dance. Thankfully, Luke (Rick Malambri) can fulfill that need, since he seems to prey upon the great unwashed and uber-talented. Soon, Moose becomes a member of Luke's dance crew, who are known in battle circles as The Pirates. The group has a mission to dance, win the World Jam , and save the crew's studio/dance club with the prize money. Yeah -- I didn't make any of that up. There are plenty of outstanding questions, such as how these kids survive, have a wall made of...
A recent visit to Best Buy showed me that retailers need to step it up for 3D to take off. Have you been to a retailer or specialty electronics store and gotten a great 3D demo? I recently spent time in a Best Buy, and aside from one of the blue shirts actually giving me a five-minute presentation (I didn’t ask for one anyway), I decided to check out how the company, or at least this particular store, was pitching 3D . Let’s just say I was underwhelmed. Not by the 3D technology itself—aside from this year’s CES, I haven’t seen it in action, and the Monsters vs. Aliens Blu-ray clip being looped on a beautiful Samsung 3D flat-panel was highly entertaining. And the 3D experience of it, even wearing the active-shutter glasses, was quite good. If there were tons of such movies available in the format and I were shopping for a TV, the demo would provide a compelling case. However, there were a few things with this particular Best Buy that I found disappointing, and I’m guessing it isn’t unique to my local store. For one thing, the recently redesigned store has its entire wall of TVs in...
Let's get one thing straight: I didn't see Cats & Dogs , the original. That said, I am pretty comfortable in declaring that Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore is one of the worst sequels of all time. Who knows? Maybe not seeing the original is leaving some gaping hole that would make this movie all come together. Apparently, other reviewers didn't think so, which is why this movie is currently tracking 16 percent on Rotten Tomatoes . However, Cats & Dogs really isn't targeting the age of the average movie reviewer. It's for the wee ones who love seeing puppies and kitties act like humans and use their puppy and kitty lips to crack wise and plot world domination. Sounds more like a Stephen King movie, right? Sorry, but watching non-animated animals talk is creepier than Freddy Krueger, Jason, and that Saw guy -- all rolled into one. If that doesn't sound scary enough, we have the plot. Yes, this movie actually has one. Apparently, Kitty Galore (voiced by Bette Midler -- the real one!) is so scarred by losing her fur and her family, she seeks revenge on the entire world. First, she has to drive...
Special processing with your new TV lets you view regular content as 3D, but remember it's not native 3D. Now that you’ve bought your spiffy 3D television, you’re probably wondering how to best take advantage of the extra dimension. You may have heard about, or even seen by now, 3D programming from ESPN, Discovery Channel (that one’s not due out till next year) and DirecTV. Then there are 3D Blu-ray discs, but watching them means you’ll also have to buy a compatible Blu-ray player with HDMI 1.4 technology. Even after that, you might get tired of watching Monsters vs. Aliens, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs and My Bloody Valentine (only old anaglyph style) over and over, because there aren’t many other choices in terms of 3D content. It makes you wonder: Did you just blow a couple thousand dollars upgrading to a TV whose main feature you can’t use? Let’s not get carried away. So many other technologies, like Blu-ray , were slow to take off, too. And just think about HDTV. A decade ago it suffered from many of the same ailments as the nascent 3D TV trend—limited programming, extra hardware, premium pricing, skepticism among consumers. Some companies...
Michael Gartenberg, partner with Altimeter Group and columnist for Slash Gear and Engadget, usually always has something to say about everything digital. Whether you often agree with his line of thinking or not, his " Entelligence " column over at Engadget is usually thought provoking, sometimes even downright insightful. So when he basically called 3DTV a whopping bag of fail, it's hard not to take notice. Give it read. Even if he is using his own interests to guage the entire market's perception of 3D, it's worth calling out as filled with flawed reasons and logic that doesn't really support his argument... and even the ones that do are pretty lame and obvious. For starters, he cites cost as a hinderance to adoption. Duh. TVs are big ticket items, and no one's going to toss a 55" 1080p panel from last year to get a 3D capable set this year. However, he basically says that the investment into 3D must include equipment for six people, a new camera, and a new media player - a huge stretch in my opinion. That's like saying it wasn't worth upgrading to an HD television without also buying a Blu-Ray player, new media player,...
