HMZ-T1, Optoma GT750, LGLW5500
Posted: Tue Oct 25, 2011 10:59 am
Well I have been a rather bad financial planner as of late. I could probably write a book on how not to save money but the latest tech has been just too cool to pass up. I have waited for all this stuff to finally come out and not be priced out of the park like another toy I wish I could afford which happens to be a boat called the Seabreacher X. The big problem with that is it has a MSRP of 85k. Toys like that make these latest 3d purchases seem rather tame in cost.
I will get around to some reviews of the headset when it gets on my head in the next week if it ships on time (10/26/11) but until that I have been very happy with the passive LG 47" as well as the new Optoma GT750 which is my first go with RF shutter glasses let alone a ultra short throw 3d projector. Something very cool about a giant 3d image projected on my hotel wall while traveling on business. Since it comes with a nice padded backpack it is the best option for travel other than the new headset. I do think the package should have come with at least 2 sets of glasses for the same price though. It will cost a bit more to be able to share that big projected 3d image. I do love how short the throw is though as this is my first use of a short throw projector as well. I have it set on a coffee table about 5 or so feet from the wall and on top of another 6" to 8" tall box and it gives me about an 80" or 90" inch image at perfect viewing height. At this size the picture is plenty bright even on STD bulb settings even with the lights on in the room. I'm no projector snob that is super super picky but I have a good eye and at normal viewing distance this thing looks awesome for 720p 3d as well as just general use from desktop to movies. Native res is 1280x800 DLP 16:10 but dedicated buttons and settings for 16:9 means it's made to run standard HDTV widescreen which it does just fine. I'm perfectly happy giving up true lines of resolution for the price and features this unit provides. It's a 3000 rated lumens DLP gaming projector.
As far as the LG is concerned I was sold on the passive tech it offered the first time I tried the demo at best buy. I did stock up on movie glasses to share but I highly recommend getting a nice 20 or 30 dollar set of curved optical quality glasses to make it even better.
The picture in 2d looks very good for edge lit and the gyro air mouse remote is great although the regular remote has it's place as well. I do wish it had a slide out keyboard like the Vizio but the gyro hunt and peck method does make it pretty easy to type with anyway. The apps are ok but the various movie apps like NetFlix work well. A nice surprise is how well the 2d to 3d conversion works. Great to add some 3d effect to games that would otherwise not work in 3d. Dedicated made for 3d games will always be better but the option is still nice. It can be interesting and add some depth effects to various shows or movies as well.
Not sure why I keep reading a lot of "meh" type comments in various blogs and articles in regards to 3d. I do feel that gaming content is the biggest market for it as regular programs are scarce and movies need to be done right to really benefit from it. The bottom line is for me it really adds so much more immersion into the viewing experience. I guess it's up to us early adopters to help get the prices down faster for the mainstream to fully get on board. After all it's just an option you can choose to enable if you want to once the displays just have it built in.
Can't wait to try out the HMZ-T1...glad I held out from the Imagine Z800 back in 2006. Weird thing about that was the price doubled a year after it was released. The head tracking thing can always be added on in other various ways although I wish the headphones on this new Sony offering were optional without modification as it is lacking a dedicated mic and chat audio control for gaming. I will however figure out how to rig something up eventually. It will be interesting to see how the DSP 5.1 compares to my Tritton true 5.1 set I use now.
I will get around to some reviews of the headset when it gets on my head in the next week if it ships on time (10/26/11) but until that I have been very happy with the passive LG 47" as well as the new Optoma GT750 which is my first go with RF shutter glasses let alone a ultra short throw 3d projector. Something very cool about a giant 3d image projected on my hotel wall while traveling on business. Since it comes with a nice padded backpack it is the best option for travel other than the new headset. I do think the package should have come with at least 2 sets of glasses for the same price though. It will cost a bit more to be able to share that big projected 3d image. I do love how short the throw is though as this is my first use of a short throw projector as well. I have it set on a coffee table about 5 or so feet from the wall and on top of another 6" to 8" tall box and it gives me about an 80" or 90" inch image at perfect viewing height. At this size the picture is plenty bright even on STD bulb settings even with the lights on in the room. I'm no projector snob that is super super picky but I have a good eye and at normal viewing distance this thing looks awesome for 720p 3d as well as just general use from desktop to movies. Native res is 1280x800 DLP 16:10 but dedicated buttons and settings for 16:9 means it's made to run standard HDTV widescreen which it does just fine. I'm perfectly happy giving up true lines of resolution for the price and features this unit provides. It's a 3000 rated lumens DLP gaming projector.
As far as the LG is concerned I was sold on the passive tech it offered the first time I tried the demo at best buy. I did stock up on movie glasses to share but I highly recommend getting a nice 20 or 30 dollar set of curved optical quality glasses to make it even better.
The picture in 2d looks very good for edge lit and the gyro air mouse remote is great although the regular remote has it's place as well. I do wish it had a slide out keyboard like the Vizio but the gyro hunt and peck method does make it pretty easy to type with anyway. The apps are ok but the various movie apps like NetFlix work well. A nice surprise is how well the 2d to 3d conversion works. Great to add some 3d effect to games that would otherwise not work in 3d. Dedicated made for 3d games will always be better but the option is still nice. It can be interesting and add some depth effects to various shows or movies as well.
Not sure why I keep reading a lot of "meh" type comments in various blogs and articles in regards to 3d. I do feel that gaming content is the biggest market for it as regular programs are scarce and movies need to be done right to really benefit from it. The bottom line is for me it really adds so much more immersion into the viewing experience. I guess it's up to us early adopters to help get the prices down faster for the mainstream to fully get on board. After all it's just an option you can choose to enable if you want to once the displays just have it built in.
Can't wait to try out the HMZ-T1...glad I held out from the Imagine Z800 back in 2006. Weird thing about that was the price doubled a year after it was released. The head tracking thing can always be added on in other various ways although I wish the headphones on this new Sony offering were optional without modification as it is lacking a dedicated mic and chat audio control for gaming. I will however figure out how to rig something up eventually. It will be interesting to see how the DSP 5.1 compares to my Tritton true 5.1 set I use now.