Over the holidays, I set out to replace my existing TV with one that... worked. I was looking at Vizio's latest LED backlit model, the XVT443SV which had collected numerous awards. Then at the last minute I got a chance to bump up to the new 3D model XVT3D554SV for roughly the same price. Picking up a 3D set hadn't been on my radar, but the new set looked good, so I wrote the check and took it home. It wasn't until the end of January that I parted with $150 for two pairs of the glasses that allow the 3D part of the TV to do it's trick. Since then I've watched a variety of material, and had a chance to try out some other sets as well.
There's plenty of technical information out there about 3D TVs, but I've found that the numbers don't always explain what it's like to actually live with a 3D set. Here are a few observations that might help you as you consider your own options.
The available material really is quite scarce. Yes, an increasing number of films over recent years have been shot in 3D, but the total number available is still pretty puny. Not only do 3D releases often lag the "flat screen" version, in several high profile cases the 3D versions have been locked up by manufacturers of specific sets. For example, you can't get the 3D version of Avatar -- probably the movie most associated with modern 3D -- unless you buy a Panasonic TV, and that isn't likely to change for a year or more. You'll also find that just because a 3D version is available doesn't mean your local stores are going to carry it. Even stores like CostCo or Best Buy that push 3D sets very rarely order the 3D version of new movies. Expect to do a lot of ordering over the Internet.
Much of the material available is either documentaries or animated films. If you don't want to see undersea creatures and you have no interest in animated meatballs, mad scientists or superheroes, your choices right now are really slim. Fortunately, I like all these things.
DirectTV has three channels of 24 hr 3D, but...That doesn't mean a whole lot. One of those channels is ESPN 3D, which at the moment either spends a lot of time showing its 3D logo or replaying a very small set of sporting events. The other two channels -- one a product of DirecTV and Panasonic (103) and the other a mixup of Discover and IMAX (107) have shows on all the time, but the replay level is ludicrous. Each has about half a dozen shows a day that get repeated endlessly, then a different mix tomorrow, then by the third day you'll be back to most of the shows on day one. Neither appears to have more than 20-30 hours of content in total. 107 features mostly IMAX documentaries, which are sharp and well done. The 3D effect on these is often spectacular, the narration top rate, and the production values very high, but you usually get no more than 2-3 such shows a day. Even the 3D commercials are repeated at every break. 103 has a bit more variety, but that's not necessarily good. Some of the 103 documentaries have very iffy production values, and someone at DirecTV apparently thought it would be a good idea to spend hours each day on a 3D cooking show and 3D visits with musicians in their studios. It's not that I want 3D wasted on silly "throw the dart at the audience" effects, but 3D cooking shows may be the only thing worse than 2D cooking shows. Also, if you're not using a Panasonic set, 103 is frequently problematic. DirectTV appears to be using some kind of DRM that queries your set for information about its capabilities. I frequently get blank screens on this channel with warnings that my set doesn't support 3D at this resolution. Sometimes it will even happen in the middle of a show, with DirecTV warning me that my set doesn't support the program that I was just watching. Calls to DirecTV have made it clear that they will not support other brands of 3D, so beware. Oh, and 3D on 103 shows far more ghosting than on 107. More on that later.
Boo! There is ghosting on 3D sets. It's later. If you're old enough to remember getting your TV off rabbit ears, you may recall how sometimes you got a secondary image kind of shadowing everything on screen. Well, welcome back to that world. Active 3D sets use glasses with LCD shutters that open and close in synch with changes in the on screen image. However, failure of the LCDs to become completely opaque and slight synching differences with the et mean that there's almost always some spill over, with the right eye able to see a faint copy of the image meant for the left and vice versa. The visibility of this effect varies widely. Some whole movies seem to have no issue at all. Others have problems with particular scenes. The effect seems worst with dark images on a white background. It also seems to affect different sets in slightly different ways, enough that some scenes are notorious for causing the issue with different brands. On DirecTV, 103 frequently has absolutely horrid ghosting, enough that you might as well take the glasses off. This is true for both my Vizio and a friend's Samsung. From what I've watched, 107 is leagues better.
Not all Blu-ray players support 3D. In general, watching 3D on your set means watching the 3D Blu-ray, so if you're in the market for a player, make sure that it supports 3D. If you own a PS3, you're in luck. 3D plays just dandy from the PS3.
In general, I like the 3D effect. When it works well (on say, Despicable Me or the IMAX tour of Yellowstone) it really can add (ahem) another dimension to what you're watching. I would definitely not get rid of a new 2D set just to add this option, especially with the level of material currently available. You're better off waiting a year or two to see if new new passive 3D sets with their cheaper glasses win the battle, or whether 3D survives at all. However, if you are shopping for a new set right now, consider looking at a 3D model. Just consider it an option on your 2D set, one that you may not use much, but which can be fun.