Glasses for Zalman designed to reduce ghosting

[crim3]

I have found this by pure chance this morning:
http://www.berezin.com/3d/3dglasses.htm#Zalman" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

There you can read that they are designed specially to reduce ghosting. Anyone have them and can share impressions?

[cybereality]

Oh. I want to get a pair.

[zoomin]

Any luck with these?

[intergral]

has anyone tried these glasses?

[crim3]

Nobody?

[cybereality]

Alright man, I bit the bullet and ordered a pair. I just have to know. Look out for a review soon.

[crim3]

Thanks, cyber, I knew we could count on you.
I hope they really work as advertised.

[cybereality]

Well I got the glasses today. Let me start by saying they look really stylish and are very light. Plus they are comfortable to wear, even over prescription glasses. They are all plastic, and probably about a medium grade. Not as tough as something like the Pro-Ana anaglyph glasses but they feel a little heftier than the regular Zalman glasses. Here is how they look:

Zalman_Glasses_01.jpg

First let me give a short review: I immediately loaded up Unreal Tournament 2004 with the iz3D driver, which is my regular benchmark for testing 3D glasses. Its a very colorful game with lots of depth and its easy to jump into levels and fly around. I pulled out the new Berezin glasses along with a pair of the original 2008 Zalman glasses, the new 2010 Zalman glasses and the RealD glasses you get for free at the movie theater. I had high hopes for these glasses and I was really hoping they would deliver. So I put them on and started flying around a level. Unfortunately they did not live up to the expectations. Not even close. These glasses were supposed to reduce ghosting, but from what I was seeing, the ghosting was worse. I repeatedly switched between all four glasses one after another to verify the results. Yep, definitely more ghosting. Not only that, but the ghosting was off-colored. Similar to the RealD glasses, the ghost image exhibits this purplish-pink hue that becomes very distracting. So while the Berezin glasses were technically compatible, I wouldn't say they were optimal. Certainly for $30 I was expecting a lot more. They should have at least been up to par with the Zalman-brand glasses, but they weren't. In fact, they were only marginally better than the freebie RealD glasses. Although they were a lot more crisp and clear than the RealDs, the ghosting was about the same. All I can say is that I am extremely disappointed. The glasses were advertised as specifically for Zalman and even said "specially designed to reduce ghosting". That is just not the case. At the same time, the glasses aren't total garbage. I mean, if I lost the real Zalman glasses and needed a replacement maybe they would suffice. But I was really expecting an upgrade and these are not it. Its really too bad because my Zalman clip-ons just broke the other day so now I only have one pair (the original Zalman glasses) that still work. As you can see below, the quality is not really acceptable. I wouldn't recommend purchasing these glasses. You are better off using the glasses that come with the monitor or, if you need extra pairs, just use the free RealD glasses. Sorry.

Here is a ghosting test with the Zalman-brand glasses. Notice there is ghosting but the colors are accurate:

Zalman_Glasses_02.jpg

Here is the same test image with the Berezin glasses. Notice that the ghosting takes on a pink tone:

Zalman_Glasses_03.jpg

This is UT2004 using the Zalman glasses. Reasonable ghosting throughout, although there are some bad parts (like on the lights on the top left):

Zalman_Glasses_04.jpg

Same image but with the Berezin glasses. I shouldn't even have to explain how bad this looks. Ghosting is not only worse but bright pink:

Zalman_Glasses_05.jpg

Keep in mind the above shot is basically a worst-case-scenario, but you can see how bad it can get. I did play for a bit with the glasses and you can still play with them. They are not totally un-usable. Its just not the same experience as with the original glasses. I hope this has been an informative review and spared you the pain of finding this out first-hand.

[crim3]

Thanks a lot.. and I'm sorry to hear they are so bad. I feel responsible of this waste of your money. They should give your money back as this is clearly a case of false advertising, if not a plain cheat.

Well, at least now they have a bad review publicly available for everyone to read.

[cybereality]

Its fine. Sometimes you have to take a hit for the team. LOL!

[crim3]

I was toying this weekend with my theater glasses and I did notice that tone change of the colors that you describe in your review. To me that could mean two possible things: they are selling the same glasses for theather and for Zalman as if they were different or, they sent you the wrong ones for some reason.

Yes, still thinking about this. It was so dissapointing. : /

[Likay]

Ciercular polarized glasses can change nuance a tad if rotated. *curious: Have you tried rotating the lenses for a better colorreproduction?
Bad to hear about the glasses...

[cybereality]

They didn't send me the wrong glasses. The label on the package clearly said Zalman. And I did try rotating my head a little bit and I don't think it really helped. Even if it did, I'm not going to play a game with my head cocked to the side. Also, I did think maybe they just re-branded a set of glasses meant for RealD theaters. So I took the glasses to see a RealD movie, Legends of the Guardians, and it didn't work that well. Although you could use them, they had more ghosting than the cheapo glasses they give you for free. So after about 10 minutes of switching the glasses back-and-forth I realized the RealD glasses were just better for the theater. So unfortunately I can't even salvage the purchase for theater use.

Also, the 2010 Zalman glasses I think might be a little better than the original 2008 versions. My clip-ons had broke, so I went to the Zalman website and filled out the RMA form telling them the glasses broke. A week later they sent me a replacement pair, the new clip-ons. These looked nice, but unfortunately broke after less than a month. So I went back to the Zalman website and asked for another pair, this time the regular glasses. They sent me them a few days later. They came in a nice case with the Zalman logo, very professional. Maybe you might want to "lose" the pair you have and get the new ones.

[crim3]

Maybe it isn't that easy with an ocean in the middle. But I'll ponder on that idea. Thanks for the tip

[VRgamesterz]

Hey with these 3d monitors, is there any way of taking the frame apart and making the monitor lighter? I never had a 3d monitor and don't know the reason for them being more bulky, I'd like to work on a project with them but would need them lighter then how they come, any info I'd appreciate. I'd like to have them almost bare naked if you know what I mean..


Ku

[cybereality]

Well the Zalman is not really any more bulky than any other monitor. It looks just like a regular LCD. You can remove the base/stand and it has VESA mounts. This could be helpful to mount it on a monitor arm for example, which might make it easier to work with. But I am not sure taking the monitor apart will help much. The plastic exterior likely adds little bulk to the device. Its mostly just the glass panel, power supply, and the controller board to drive the display. You are not likely to slim this part down much at all. I guess if you were really good with electronics you could do something with it, but I just don't see how that would be worth it.

[cybereality]

Thought you guys should know that Zalman is selling their glasses stand-alone for around $20. The model numbers at: ZM-SG100G-BULK and ZM-SG100C-BULK, for the standard glasses and the clip-on glasses. Stay away from the clip-ons, mine broke after only 3 uses. Most retailers seemed to be back-ordered on them, but I was able to get a pair off eBay. If you own the Zalman, really, buy a pair of these RIGHT NOW. It is likely Zalman only produced a limited run (possibly only 1000 units) so if you don't act fast there may never be any replacements. The RealD glasses and other polarized glasses sold (like the ones from Berezin reviewed in this thread) are not fully compatible with Zalman. If the glasses break you are SOL.

[cybereality]

Ok, so here are some photos of the new Zalman glasses. I have actually had the 2010 model Zalman glasses for a few months now (I just submitted an RMA to Zalman for my broken ones and they sent me them for free). However I did want an extra pair just as insurance. So I ordered a pair of the ZM-SG100G-BULK, which are the normal style glasses. I guess I lucked out, because the package included the clip-ons for free! So I now have 4 working pairs of Zalman glasses: the original 2008 glasses, 2x the new 2010 glasses, and one of the new 2010 clip-ons. I also have a broken pair of 2008 clip-ons and a broken pair of 2010 clip-ons (which I guess I could repair if I absolutely needed to). I bought the glasses on eBay for $20 w/ free shipping. Very nice:
http://cgi.ebay.com/Zalman-ZM-SG100G-BU ... 0657586734" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Check the photos:

Zalman_Glasses_01.jpg

Zalman_Glasses_02.jpg

Zalman_Glasses_03.jpg

In terms of quality, the 2010 glasses are nice (aside from the fact that the clip-ons suffer from faulty workmanship). However I am not sure I can say the 2010 glasses are necessarily better than the 2008 glasses (at least not for the old 22" Zalman). It seems they are slightly different, although it is hard to put my finger on exactly what it is. If I had to make a call, I would say the 2010 glasses are better. Something about them seems more clear, or it just "pops" more. However this distinction is subtle and maybe all psychological. The new glasses are much bigger though, so they allow greater coverage (FOV) and fit easier over prescription glasses. The new ones also come in a nice quality plastic case, with an included cloth liner and cleaner, so they will stay in much better condition than the old ones that just came in a plastic baggie. Overall I am happy with the product, and I am glad Zalman continues to support the Trimon line of monitors. However I do wish they would get a better distribution deal, so the Trimons could be available at major retailers like NewEgg or Amazon. I think this would also help bring the prices down (the new Zalmans cost an arm and a leg). However, I am still pretty happy with the 22" Zalman so I don't really feel the need to upgrade just yet.