Purchasing a New 3D Television? Here Are Some Home Theater Design Tips

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Purchasing a New 3D Television? Here Are Some Home Theater Design Tips

By AVATAR on May 11, 2010 4:23 PM 0 Comments
Thanks to AVATAR, 3D televisions are the hottest home theater technology around. If you plan on buying a 3D TV one, you may not realize they can really affect your home theater design. Keep these tips in mind for the best experience.
Guest post by Ty Wingfoot
You see the advertisements everywhere: 3D TVs are all the rage now. About a half a dozen major TV manufacturers already have sets on the market or will soon release a 3D television. If you are thinking about purchasing one to add to your existing media room, you will need to take into account of the requirements this new format will have on your home theater design.
Size Matters
3D televisions and films use technology that has two separate images. When combined, this gives the perception of depth. In order for this technology to look good, it helps to have a larger screen. While most people with a separate media room have already considered the size of their TV in their home theater design, if you are planning on adding a 3D TV to a multi-purpose or smaller room, you will need to give more thought to how big of a screen you can accommodate.
Keep It Close
Another way to help get a better 3D viewing experience is to sit closer to the TV. Panasonic recommended sitting about three times the height of the TV away in distance. To watch the 3D movies and shows on your TV, you need to use special 3D glasses. Some 3D TVs will come with a pair of glasses or two, but separately they expect to retail for about $150. The glasses will connect to the TV with Bluetooth or similar technology, therefore, you will be limited at how far away you can sit. You should also consider how many people you will want to seat that can utilize 3D viewing. Considering the average family of four will add up to about $600 in 3D glasses alone, you may want to design your home theater seating with primary spots for 3D viewing and additional seating for viewing 2D films. Of course over time, and perhaps by the time Avatar is released on a 3D disk, costs may have come down, but the glasses will require batteries and are likely to still be somewhat expensive for some time.
Connections and Content
Plan to have a place close to the TV to connect your Blu-Ray player. Not only will you need a new 3D capable Blu-Ray player, but you’ll need to use an HDMI cable that is 3 foot or shorter for the best quality.
Serious 3D video fans will want to add Direct TV since they plan on having at least 3 channels to provide 3D content. One channel will be free, one channel a subscription and one channel on demand. Sony has said its PS3 will have two firmware updates to allow the playing of 3D Blu-ray discs and for gaming. Neither Microsoft nor Nintendo have announced plans about 3D capabilities for their respective consoles, but one can assume it’s only a matter of time before many games and consoles come with 3D technology. Make sure you consider all these potential equipment add-ons in your home theater design when calculating the space you will need for storing and easily accessing all your 3D capable components.
Sponsored by Panasonic VIERA. Return to the world of AVATAR in stunning full HD with the Panasonic VIERA HD TV. What's your home theater tip for a great movie experience?

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Top 3D Accessories for the Perfect Home Theater Experience

By AVATAR on May 13, 2010 6:11 AM 0 Comments
Televisions and AVATAR have only marked the beginning for 3D home technology. As the news is flooded with launches of high-end 3D-enabled televisions, top electronics manufacturers are also releasing a number of stylish 3D cameras, webcams, game consoles and other accessories to take advantage of the 3D viewing experience.
Guest post by Karishma Sundaram
As new 3D-enabled products descend into the mainstream market, there are many 3D television accessories that have followed in their wake. Most 3D accessories are restricted to viewing 3D video on television, although there are a few others, which are inspired by the new technology.
3D Glasses
3D glasses are actually a necessity for a 3D home theater setup – without them it's impossible to view the images correctly. But 3D glasses come in lots of shapes, sizes and designs.
3D glasses designed for home use are usually intended for alternate frame sequencing, which means they have a sensor to pick up on instructions emitted from the 3D system. These glasses are known as LCD shutter glasses, and a significant visual improvement on the anaglyph glasses. These typically resemble large sunglasses. There are various versions available in the market, targeted at different demographics. Several vendors have rechargeable models for 3D glasses, while others have created separate designs for kids, taking cues from trendy-looking youth wear. The adult versions are more subtly designed, in mainly greys and blacks. nVidia GeForce has also released a number of models for 3D glasses, although those are geared toward gaming rather than television.
Sony’s PlayStation 3: The 3D Version
People of all ages find the Sony PlayStation the ultimate gaming experience, especially since the new console debuted recently. The graphics are all in high definition, and the console also carries support for Blu-Ray discs.
Sony also recently announced that the new wave of the PlayStation 3 game consoles will offer 3D support as well. The implications of this announcement are great, because not only will 3D gaming become a possibility indoors, but people who have the gaming console can use the same device to screen 3D movies. This means you don't need to invest in a 3D-enabled Blu-Ray player to see movies in 3D.
3D Cameras
Since the 3D bug has become a new trend, it hasn’t taken long for people to start taking their own 3D images.
Fujifilm has launched a 10-megapixel digital camera that can take 3D photographs. The camera has two lenses and two light sensors, on either side of the back. Both camera take the image simultaneously, and stored a combined file in a 3D image format. It is unclear whether the camera will add video, however that possibility does not seem far away.
You can then display these 3D photographs in a sleek Fuji digital photo frame, where no glasses are required to see them. It's a new technology that's not for everyone but it's promising.
3D Webcams
Since 3D cameras have made their debut, it is hardly surprising that 3D webcams have quickly followed suit. These unusual devices sit atop desktops and laptops much like their 2D counterparts, however the resemblance ends there. The 3D versions have two lenses spaced a short distance away from each other.
The webcams usually use the anaglyph 3D technology, which means the viewer on the other side needs special glasses to view the images correctly. 3D webcams are even newer than 3D cameras and prices are still out of reach for most of us, but the possibilities are exciting.
Sponsored by Panasonic VIERA. Return to the world of AVATAR in stunning full HD with the Panasonic VIERA HD TV. 3D cameras, 3D game consoles, 3D video camcorders... what 3D accessory would you most like to have?