3D TV Roundup - What Consumers Need to Know

They're here…or should we say, almost here. As promised at CES 2010, the new 3DTVs are starting to appear at your local Best Buy store and there are more coming over the next few months. With higher price tags and 3D programming in short supply, it remains to be seen whether or not now is the right time to buy a 3DTV. However, keep in mind that a 240Hz LCD TV with HDMI 1.4 and enough processing power to handle 3D decoding can even make your 2D picture look better so until the next wave of TVs with quantum dot displays and Ultra High Definition (UHDTV) resolution come along, 3DTVs should carry you through the next few years.

Panasonic 3D Plasmas Are On Sale at Best Buy

Plasma TVs have always been especially good at displaying high refresh rates, now with 120 or 240Hz refresh rates necessary for 3D, plasma TVs which had been losing ground to the lighter weight, more energy efficient LCD TVs are now in demand. We're sure Panasonic is jumping for joy with the interest in 3DTV and resurgence of their plasma TVs.

The initial 3DTV offering from Panasonic is available exclusively at Best Buy and consists of a Blu-ray 3D player, the DMP-BDT300 ($399.99), and their 50-inch TC-P50VT20 3D-enabled 1080p plasma HDTV ($2499.99). You get one pair of active shutter 3D glasses with the TV and you can buy additional glasses for $149.99. Later this spring, Panasonic will offer a VT25 series of 50 to 65-inch 3DTVs that will be available from other resellers. The TC-P50V20 was recently tested by HDGuru.com that called it an "excellent HDTV," and gave it 4 out of 5 hearts.

The 3DTV package includes Panasonic's VIERACast platform, available on its 3D Blu-ray players that offers streaming services like Netflix, Amazon, Pandora and YouTube, along with BD-Live support and a WiFi adapter. The new, soon to be available, DMP-BDT350 Blu-ray player will add DLNA for easy home media sharing and is expected to cost $449.99.

Samsung 3DTVs Have the Right Features

Samsung's first of many 3DTVs have started to appear at retailers like Sears and Amazon. The Samsung UN46C7000 46-inch 1080p 3D LED backlit LCD, with 240Hz refresh, Internet connectivity with Samsung Apps and "AllShare" DLNA home networking is available for $2599.99. A larger, 55-inch version, the UN55C7000 is available for pre-order at $3299.

We've read that Samsung is offering a limited time deal on a 3D "bundle" that includes a $399.99 3D Blu-ray player or an $899.99 3D Blu-ray home theater system with two free pairs of glasses and a 3D version of Monsters vs. Aliens.

Sony 3DTVs Won't Be Here Until This Summer

Sony 3DTVs won't be available until June (initially in Japan) but if you happen to live close to a Sony Style store you might be able to get a sneak peek of the LX900, HX900, or HX800 series 3DTVs. We've read that the 52-inch, HX903 version which includes two pairs of glasses will sell for the equivalent of $3,875 when it goes on sale in Japan on June 10th.

We've also read that the first Sony 3DTVs will require you to buy an external infrared emitter to run the active shutter glasses for around $50 with extra glasses costing around $130 a pair.

LG 3DTVs Looked Good at CES 2010

LG has not yet released any pricing and availability yet for their 3DTVs but we hear the LX9900 will have LED backlighting, TruMotion 400Hz refresh, and LG Netcast which offers Internet connectivity including access to YouTube and Picasa and will support DLNA for home media sharing. We read that we can expect to see 47-inch and 55-inch LG 3DTVs in mid-May.

LG's new 3D Blu-ray player, the BX580 offers features including HDMI 1.4, WiFi connectivity, and DLNA.

Third Party Glasses That Work With All Sets?

XpanD has been providing Panasonic with their active shutter glasses and recently announced that they were going to be offering their glasses for sale for around $150 a pair. XpanD claims their glasses will work with most manufacturers using active shutter glasses. We'll believe it when we see it although we are aware of efforts to "standardize" glasses and we suspect the signals to turn the "shutters" on and off shouldn't be all that hard to interpret.

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By Andrew Eisner

Andrew Eisner, is Retrevo's Director of Community and Content and resident hard core gadget enthusiast. Eisner comes to Retrevo from the world of computer journalism. As Executive Producer at PC World Magazine, he helped create and grow an award winning website. His first project at IDG was an ecommerce web site called WebShopper where he was Director of Content and General Manager. Eisner is well versed in technology products having helped establish and run Ziff Davis' premiere test lab which was actually his way of getting to play with the latest high tech gear. He has worked in and out of publishing and has held marketing and technical positions at many high tech companies in Silicon Valley. When he’s not pouring over gadget specs, he can be spotted riding his motorcycle around Bay Area back roads or hiking in the hills while listening to NPR podcasts on his iPod.

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