3D Vision Blog

If you were planning to go for one of the more affordable 3D HDTV series from Sony, namely the Ex720 series that offers 3D-capable TV sets with size of 32, 37, 40, 46, 55 and 60 inches and you want to actively use this television set for 3D, then you better not. I’ve read some people complaining that the 3D effect is really bad on this lower-end series from Sony due to the presence of a lot of crosstalk, but I was not expecting that it is so bad. Recently I’ve played a bit with the 46-inch version of the EX720 (Sony KDL-46EX720) and I was surprised to find that the situation with the level of crosstalk is so bad, it is way more than you would expect to see on a 3D HDTV. It is probably even worse than on the first generation of 3D Vision-ready monitors that came out a few years ago, and you’d probably not expect that from a more recent 3D HDTV (the models from EX720 series were introduced last year), the level of crosstalk you get in 3D mode on the EX720 totally ruins the 3D experience. So my advice would be to stay away from the Sony EX720 series if you are planning on using these in 3D mode, and there is not much reason to buy this model if you are not going to take advantage of its 3D capabilities. If you are looking for another 3D-capable solution in that price range, there are quite a lot of other options that will provide better 3D experience – passive 3D solutions from LG or active from Samsung for example. And if you are already an owner of an EX720 3D HDTV from Sony, you are welcome to share your feedback from how your 3D HDTV works in stereo 3D mode and if you are happy with the result. I’ve spent a few hours trying to tweak the settings of the 46-inch EX720 TV set and as a result got a very slight improvement, but the end results were still very far from satisfactory. There seems to be no new firmware updates addressing the bad 3D performance for the series available yet, and I’m not sure if it would be possible to get better results via a software update only, maybe the LCD panels being used are just not good choice for 3D and that is the cause of the problem. So my advice would be to just stay away from Sony’s EX720 series of 3D HDTVs and instead go for another brand that will provide better 3D experience within the same price range.

At the 2012 CES Sony has announced a new more compact 3D-capable consumer camcorder in the form of Sony HDR-TD20V, a camera apparently based on the last year’s HDR-TD10, but with reduced size in order to make it more compact. According to Sony the new HDR-TD20VE is around 66% of the size of its predecessor, and while it is not bad to have the camera becoming more compact, there is something that suffers from the size reduction. I’m talking about the fact that the interaxial distance of the new model (Sony HDR-TD20V) has been further reduced to about 21 mm, and while this makes it more suitable for shooting closer things in 3D, if you shoot more distant things they will be looking flatter than with the older HDR-TD10.

Sony HDR-TD20V 3D Camcorder Main Features:

- Up to 4hr Full HD 3D on 64GB memory
- Dual 1/3.91 type Exmor R CMOS Sensor and dual BIONZ processor
- Dual G Lens with 10x optical zoom; 12x extended zoom (3D) / 17x extended zoom (2D); 33.4mm wide angle (3D) / 29.8mm (2D)
- Optical SteadyShot with Active Mode
- Up to 20.4 effective megapixel still photo (2D only)
- 5.1ch surround sound with Auto Wind Noise Reduction and Closer Voice
- 8.8cm/3.5″ wide Xtra Fine 3D LCD touchscreen
- Stereo speaker with S-Master Amplifier technology
- Connect and quick charge with built-in USB cable
- GPS with detailed mapping

The new Sony HDR-TD20V apparently is also not capable of recording 3D photos, you can capture only 2D photos with even higher resolution than with the older model (HDR-RD10) that also was not capable of taking 3D photos. The new model HDR-TD20V is also only capable of recording in 50i/60i (depending on region) 3D mode, so still no 24p 3D recording option… or with order words Sony just made the 3D camera more compact and with a bit smaller interaxial, there is not much improvement in the functionality it offers. The Sony HDR-TD20V should be available on the market around the end of March this year with the same price as the Sony HDR-RD10 is currently available at.

By the end of November all PlayStation 3 users will be able to play 51 game titles in stereo 3D mode with 48 titles supporting stereoscopic 3D gameplay already available at this very moment. Some of these S3D-capable games are only available as a downloadable content from PSN, others you may get on a Blu-ray media. And while the number of titles supporting stereo 3D mode on PS3 may still be much smaller than the total number of games playable in stereo 3D mode on PC, all of the games for the console give you good stereoscopic 3D support (although some may further reduce graphic detail in stereo 3D mode on the PS3). Here is a list of all the stereo 3D game titles available for the PS3 console:

1. Auditorium *
2. Batman: Arkham City
3. Call of Duty: Black Ops
4. Captain America: Super Soldier
5. Cars 2: The Video Game
6. Crysis *
7. Crysis 2
8. de Blob 2: Underground
9. Dungeon Defenders *
10. Dynasty Warriors 7
11. Enslaved: Journey to the West (via PSN software update)
12. EyePet
13. The Fight: Lights Out
14. Gran Turismo 5
15. Green Lantern: Rise of the Manhunters
16. God of War: Origins Collection
17. High Velocity Bowling
18. Hustle Kings *
19. ICO & Shadow of the Colossus Collection
20. Invincible Tiger: The Legend of Han Tao *
21. James Cameron’s Avatar: The Game
22. Killzone 3
23. MLB 11: The Show
24. Mortal Kombat
25. MotorStorm: 3D Rift *
26. MotorStorm Apocalypse
27. NBA 2K11 (via PSN software update)
28. PAIN *
29. Prince of Persia Trilogy *
30. Puzzle Dimension *
31. Ratchet & Clank: All 4 One
32. Red Faction: Battlegrounds *
33. Resistance 3
34. Shaun White Skateboarding
35. SOCOM 4
36. Sonic Generations
37. The Sly Collection
38. Super Stardust HD * (via PSN software update)
39. Swords and Soldiers *
40. Tetris on PSN * (via PSN software update)
41. Thor: God of Thunder
42. Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell Trilogy
43. Top Darts *
44. Top Spin 4
45. TRON: Evolution
46. Tumble *
47. Virtua Tennis 4
48. WipEout HD *
49. Assassin’s Creed Revelations (expected in November)
50. EyePet & Friends (expected in November)
51. UNCHARTED 3: Drake’s Deception (expected in November)

* Indicates it is a downloadable PSN title only

The PlayStation video store is also already offering a good 3D selection of movies, although there is still to be desired, however you should not forget the fact that the PS3 console can also play just fine Blu-ray 3D movies (there are quite a lot BD 3D movies already available with more being released quite often). The list of 3D movies available on the PlayStation video store:

1. Bolt
2. Chicken Little
3. Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs
4. Dark Country
5. Gnomeo & Juliet
6. The Green Hornet
7. Hannah Montana and Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds
8. Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert Experience
9. The Mad Magician
10. Meet the Robinsons
11. Monster House
12. Open Season
13. Piranha 3D
14. Resident Evil: Afterlife
15. Sanctum
16. Sports Illustrated Swimsuit 2011: The 3D Experience
17. Tangled
18. TRON: Legacy