When 3D TVs were first launched in the not too distant past, a huge number of households and individuals decided right away that they would never be able to afford the luxury of having one of these devices in the home. Many were only just getting around to being able to afford HDTV and replace their older CRT televisions with more modern flat-screen versions when the launch of 3D television was announced.
However, as is the case with most new technology that is brought out, the price of these 3D TVs is already starting to plummet, making them far more affordable for many more people. The first tri-dimensional models were launched less than two years ago, yet already the price has come down significantly.
The drop in price of these televisions now means that consumers can get their hands on a decent sized 3D TV for under £500. This comes in the form of the Samsung PS43D490, which is a 43-inch Widescreen HD Ready 3D Plasma TV with Freeview. Whilst the resolution on this particular TV is not as high as you would find on a full HD panel it still provides consumers with the opportunity to experience 3D viewing in their homes at a fraction of the price they would have paid when the technology was brand new.
The Samsung PS43D490 offers an XGA resolution, which is 1024×768 pixels. This is only around a third of what can be displayed on a full HD panel. It comes with other standard features, including four HDMI and USB 2.0 ports, a built-in 2D to 3D converter, Wide Colour Enhancer Plus, the Connect Share Movie feature, 600Hz Subfield Motion technology, and a Clear Image panel. The price of compatible active-shutter 3D glasses has also been reduced by the Korean manufacturer, with a pair of SSG-3100GB glasses now costing less than £50.
1024 x 768? That’s less than 720p then, so not even actual HD.
768 / 2 = 384 (for each eye), so not even as good as PAL which runs at 576.
Then you have the 30% reduction in brightness.
Do you remember 20 years ago when they did Virtual Reality and everything was made of big blocks of polygones and flat textures? Are they recycling those?
Why are you dividing the vertical resolution? That isn’t how active shutter televisions work…
I’ve confused my glasses.
Either way, to release a TV under 1080p is still a step in completely the wrong direction. Sounds like the worst budget solution.
I’ve just test driven the LG active and passive budget 3d tvs in richer sounds and the passive is more satisfying to my eyes – I like a hard and bright picture for 2d but with 3d I can sense the slight effect on my eyes immediately. However another great feature of the passive is the 7 pairs of cheap glasses which are far more comfortable for glasses wearing individuals – £899 for the 42 inch set
Paul,
I appreciate your point re 1080p but that technology is not always required in every situation. You are only able to perceive the difference between a 1080p and 720p set when close up. (By the way, 720p refers to all of the resolutions around that area).
The precise distance relates to the size of your screen but, taking the example of the 43″ above, you would need to be sitting closer than 6 foot from the TV in order to notice the difference that a 1080p set would deliver. The larger the screen size, the larger the distance from the tv to gain the benefit. Many people suggest that 1080p is a must on sets over 50″.
Whilst the optimium seating distance from a 43″ set would be 5-8 feet, I would be surprised if many people sit at the lower end of that range in normal viewing situations – perhaps more likely when gaming or if set up as a cinema room?
In my view, there are other, more important criteria to look for when choosing your new tv set including the 24p technology, colour definition etc.
Paul,
I have just received one of these TV’s and am absolutely delighted with it. Superb picture quality and the 3D is mind blowing. Maybe you should just toddle down to your local store and try it out rather than down crying the set on here with your techno speak!!!
I work in the cctv industry so play with high def equipment alot. And anybody who believes that 1080p is a must on a tv of 43″ has read to many magazine reviews. I reckon if we stood 90% of people in front of 3 tv’s of differing resolutions. They would never guess which was which. There is alot more to getting a smooth good picture than resolution! And i have one of these and its better than my panasonic plasma which is full HD. Sorry!!
Samsung PS43D490 43 inch i want to buy one of these but am not sure how good its quality is over the 1080q
I have this TV I bought last Sunday.. Im happy with it.
I’m confused with the 1024×768 resolution since my computer lcd’s are 1080p and look a lot better than the basic resolution this plasma tv can offer. If I hook this up to my laptop or xbox will the resolution matter if I’m gaming? Can I still have 1080p with this kind of plasma?
I’m also considering buying it, but there is no detailed spec for this TV set. Like can it do 60p, 60i, 50p, 50i for 2d. What’s the maximum refresh rate for 3d. Whoever has can you let others know what’s the max refresh rate and if it can do 60p. Thanks.
It’s as if nobody has learned any lessons from digital cameras. The number of pixels isn’t the be-end and all-end of picture quality, it’s the quality of the pixels which matter. The same applies to TV.