STILL in its infancy, 3DTV is poised to be the next big thing in home entertainment – at least that is what the big name brands are telling us. SuperLiving takes an in-depth look at the technology to determine if it is a gimmick or a must have.

What was once only able to be experienced in a cinema can now be enjoyed in the comfort of your own home. Just like in the cinemas, 3D TV can only be viewed through 3D glasses.

Not everyone can view 3D programs, however, with around 7% of the population suffering from stereo blindness and unable to perceive the dimension of depth in 3D. Despite wearing 3D glasses, the images will appear only in 2D to them.

For those who can see in 3D there is still not much of a choice of televisions on the market as yet.

Samsung was the first manufacturer to bring 3D TV to the Australian market in April with the release of its LED and Plasma Series 7.

Marketing manager, consumer electronics Tony Brown said at the launch of Samsung’s 3D marketing campaign that the company was building its brand recognition by being the first to market a 3D TV range.

“This campaign is aimed at ensuring the technology is understood and brought to life for everyone and we feel it captures the essence of 3D TV – a technology Australians will not only find engaging but also surprisingly affordable,” he said.

Currently available from leading electrical retailers is the LED Series 7 and 8 televisions, which retail for between $2899 and $4799 for the series 7, and $4299 and $7499 for the series 8.

Samsung only recently announced the arrival in store of its 3D LED Series 8, a range offering its largest screen size to date on a 3D TV – a 65-inch panel.

Samsung’s total 2010 3D TV product range will include the LED Series 7, 8 and 9, as well as the Series 7 LCD and Plasma Series 7, plus 3D Blu-ray player.

LG is the next in line to release its 3D TV range. Only recently the consumer electronics manufacturer released its LX9500 full HD 3D LCD TV with full LED backlights, available in 47in and 55in.

According to LG, the manufacturer’s recommended price is $4714 for the 47in and $5979 for the 55in.

Following LG in July will be the release of Sony’s 3D compatible Bravia LCD TVs and Panasonic’s range of Viera plasma full HD 3D TVs.

Eastern states electrical retailer Bing Lee is one stockist of both the Samsung and LG 3D TVs.

Features-wise there is not much difference between the two brands, according to merchandise manager John De Bellis.

“With both TVs you are getting everything you could expect – internet connectivity, the latest in LED technology, DLNA networking through your home network systems, pretty much all the bells and whistles,” De Bellis told SuperLiving.

De Bellis declined to compare the performance of the two and, unfortunately to date, there has been little comparison done on 3D TVs in Australia by independent reviewers like Choice.

Choice has, however, done a quick review of Samsung’s 46in series 7 3D LCD TV ahead of further brand tests in the near future.

Ten staff spent half an hour watching the 3D Monsters and Aliens movie.

While many of the staff thought it was comparable to viewing 3D in a movie theatre, Choice said there were some notable effects such as a lack of 3D effect in dark scenes, shadows behind objects which project out from the screen and blurred backgrounds.

There were also issues with the required 3D glasses with staff questioning the quality, the $120-$150 price tag and the fact that you cannot take your Samsung 3D glasses to a friend’s place to watch their Panasonic or LG 3D TV.

Choice also said two of the 10 staff reported a feeling of motion sickness after only half an hour and this feeling persisted for some time.

Choice’s verdict (so far): “It works and isn’t too expensive, but this TV is only the first to market and there'll probably be many improvements over time.

“Our advice is to wait and see. Remember at present there's very little content for 3D TV and you get the whole world in 3D if you look away from the screen.”

In the United States there have been several reviews of 3D TVs. One review carried out by ConsumerReports.org compared Samsung’s 46in 7 and 8 series 3D LCD TVs with Panasonic’s 50in VT20 series 3D 1080p plasma.

Preliminary findings reported by the company on its electronics blog noted performance differences between the two, which gave Panasonic “the edge”, according to ConsumerReports.org product testers.

Both Samsung models appeared to have “some cloudiness”, which testers said was distracting when viewing dark scenes.

“Crosstalk”, or ghosted images, was also another problem experienced with both Samsung models. Testers said this indicated that the images for each eye were not being kept completely separate.

Meanwhile, Panasonic boasts of its new “infinite black” technology designed to boost black-level performance in its VT20 sets, which earned it a double thumbs up from ConsumerReports.org.

“In fact, this TV’s black levels were excellent, the best we’ve seen from a TV since our review of Pioneer’s Kuro models,” the company said.

Product testers also praised Panasonic’s picture detail and anti-blur circuitry, which is not normally included in plasma TVs.

“Based on our preliminary tests, this TV may have the best anti-blur performance of any plasma we’ve ever tested (although we wonder why it’s a feature that has to be activated),” the company said.

De Bellis said 3D TV is here to stay, and more and more TVs will become 3D enabled as time goes on.

“Today it’s at the premium end of the market, so all the top of the range has 3D, and as time goes on that will find its way into mid-range and then eventually one day it will be a common feature on all TVs, probably within a couple of years,” he said.

He added that while the 3D TVs currently on the market were considered to be at the premium end of the scale, consumers were not really paying any more to purchase 3D than they were a year ago for an equivalent product.

“If you look at the equivalent Samsung model, which exited in February, that model had an RRP [recommended retail price] of $5999 and it sold for $5500 realistically on the street,” he said.

“You’re getting the equivalent replacement today at about $4500, but with all the extra features.

“So to step in at 3D a customer is really not paying anymore than what they were paying 12 months ago for the same top-end premium product.”

How it works

To enjoy the 3D experience at home you need a 3D TV and a set of compatible 3D glasses. Currently manufacturers are offering packages that include glasses with the initial purchase of a 3D TV.

There are two ways to view 3D content:

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