Test Systems And Benchmarks
We were sent two very different test platforms for our exploration of Blu-ray 3D: a laptop and a home-theater PC. Let's start with the laptop:
The laptop appears to be a variant of Asus' G51J-3D. It employs an Intel Core i7-720QM processor and 8GB of RAM, and sports a GeForce GTS 360M with 1GB of dedicated GDDR5 memory for graphics. The 15.6" display isn't full 1080p HD, but instead features a 1366x768 native resolution, which is a little better than 720p. Regardless, it provides a great picture and fantastic 3D effects for a portable PC. Rumor has it that the final model will feature Blu-ray 3D compatibility from the factory, in addition to an integrated 3D Vision IR emitter.
The home-theater PC is a custom-built Maingear system intended for demonstrating Blu-ray 3D and 3D Vision. The platform is decidedly entry-level, as far as processing and graphics muscle are concerned. Maingear goes the quiet, energy-efficient route with a dual-core Pentium G6950 and GeForce GT 240 GPU. Of course, the GT 240 is the least-expensive and least-powerful graphics card on Nvidia's list of desktop GPUs that support Blu-ray 3D playback. Because we're interested in this GPU's fixed-function video decode logic, however, it's on equal footing with the higher-end GeForce GTX 480 and 470 graphics cards.
The display is an Acer GD235HZ, a 3D Vision-ready 23.6" LCD monitor with a native 1920x1080 resolution and an HDCP-compliant DVI input. This monitor can be found for about $380 online.
The Blu-ray 3D disc we use for testing is one of the only discs available for the budding new format: Monsters vs Aliens 3D. It is not a bad flick, with lots of laughs for the adults as well as the kids. Seth Rogen rocks.
For our objective testing, we ran Blu-ray 3D on our own test systems:
| Athlon II Test System | Core i7 Test System | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CPU | AMD Athlon II X3 440 (Deneb) | Intel Core i7-920 (Nehalem) | ||
| Motherboard | Gigabyte GA-MA790XT-UD4P | ASRock X58 SuperComputer | ||
| Networking | Onboard Gigabit LAN controller | Onboard Gigabit LAN controller | ||
| Memory | Mushkin PC3-10700 | Kingston PC3-10700 | ||
| Graphics | Zotac GeForce GT 240 Asus GeForce ENGTX260 Matrix *all clock rates have been set to reference specifications for the purpose of benchmarking | |||
| Hard Drive | Western Digital Caviar WD50 00AAJS-00YFA | |||
| Power | Thermaltake Toughpower 1,200W | |||
| Software and Drivers | ||||
| Operating System | Microsoft Windows 7 64-bit | |||
| DirectX version | DirectX 10 | |||
| Graphics Drivers | Nvidia GeForce 257.01 | |||
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how do shuttered glasses cope with input lag? if you were running through a TV, how would it cope with all the back end processing lag?
How soon before DVB-T3D? We're just seeing the first signs of the need to replace Freeview with Freeview HD, and I bet that once that's been done they'll say "now you need Freeview 3D".
Good to see that media PCs with a modest CPU/GPU combo are up to the job.
Oh yes! 50% UK coverage of DVB-T2 for the world cup! boxes and cards are imminent!
@ mi1ez
When you say the cards are imminent can you tell me where i can get one?
This would be a really cool additive to my already disgusting pc. Also, I am assuming you guys are from England who do think the best online etailer is?, I think the cheapest is pricelover then ebuyer then tekheads in that order. Come on England our best chance for a long time, easy group stage players can chillax and then we will be fresh for the later stages and all of this is wonderous 1080p. All my friends are slow to adopt the sky hd package as it is around £70 a month for decent channels not including setup fees but when I saw my brother in laws setup on his samsung 8 series it was absolutely astonishing especially the nature documentary we happenend to be watching wether i could justify spending £820+ £60 setup fee a year is a different matter and these cards would be the ideal trade off as you can always sell it after the world cup, mind you the olympics is around the corner but they will have laser 3d out by then, which is the technology to watch.
I'm sorry but £D is years off of market penetration. How long was it before HD took off? it hasnt yet, I know no one with a stand alone blu-ray player and i know no one that wants to buy one or cough up more for blu-ray DVDs. So what if its only a meagre upgrade for PC enthusiasts to watch 3D? until it starts becoming main stream it really isn't going to catch on. Shutter glasses also are not the way forward, families will have to fight over the sweet spot of the TV to watch a 3D film
All i hear about Nvidias 3D vision is that the glasses weight a ton and they make you want to puke. You'll forgive me if i dont spend a penny on 3D until it atleast progresses to the point that its viable
All i hear about Nvidias 3D vision is that the glasses weight a ton and they make you want to puke. You'll forgive me if i dont spend a penny on 3D until it atleast progresses to the point that its viable
As far as forgiveness, sure, I forgive you.
But weighing a ton and making you want to puke? Read the review. Six people watched a 2-hour movie, and nobody reported a headache or a desire to throw up. The only comments were that the glasses were lighter than they looked, that it appeared crystal clear, and that the 3D effect was well done.
These aren't the 3D glasses of 4 years ago. But I'm probably wasting my breath with information, It sounds like you've already decided what the things are like before trying them out.
I sorry bring this up People like me who have sigth problems these silly glasses won't mean thing. I already wear glasses 3D looks great but if tech can't make possble for 30% of people thats hug mistake. I can't wear contact lens or sun glasses.
Lets hope ati/amd can fix this since green crew screw up.
@ mi1ez
When you say the cards are imminent can you tell me where i can get one?
This would be a really cool additive to my already disgusting pc. Also, I am assuming you guys are from England who do think the best online etailer is?, I think the cheapest is pricelover then ebuyer then tekheads in that order. Come on England our best chance for a long time, easy group stage players can chillax and then we will be fresh for the later stages and all of this is wonderous 1080p. All my friends are slow to adopt the sky hd package as it is around £70 a month for decent channels not including setup fees but when I saw my brother in laws setup on his samsung 8 series it was absolutely astonishing especially the nature documentary we happenend to be watching wether i could justify spending £820+ £60 setup fee a year is a different matter and these cards would be the ideal trade off as you can always sell it after the world cup, mind you the olympics is around the corner but they will have laser 3d out by then, which is the technology to watch.
Well, freeview HD is already being broadcast, although I have yet to see any actual hardware. Apparently there's only 1 supplier of the decoder silicon at the moment so they could be quite expensive. The plan is to have STBs available in time for the world cup. How long after PC hardware will be I don't know.
I have 3d vision but no br drive... hope there are downloads... I'm sure there will be soon.
so a i5 750 with 9800 gx2 should be ok?
As far as forgiveness, sure, I forgive you.But weighing a ton and making you want to puke? Read the review. Six people watched a 2-hour movie, and nobody reported a headache or a desire to throw up. The only comments were that the glasses were lighter than they looked, that it appeared crystal clear, and that the 3D effect was well done.These aren't the 3D glasses of 4 years ago. But I'm probably wasting my breath with information, It sounds like you've already decided what the things are like before trying them out.
I tried Nvidias shutter glasses a couple of years ago at a demo in a store, most people there reported headaches but that was playing games not with movies so maybe that is what made the difference. My main concern is how restricted you are with shutter glasses and how people are unwilling to invest in the technology. it will probably be 5 to 10 years before 3D kicks off so i'll just adapt the wait and see because who knows what will happen in that time and even if shutter glasses survive
When do ATI bring out their own version of 3D for HD cards? I want 3D from my 5850!
I really don't see the point of this article....
It starts of with the costs of $800+ for supplying your family and a couple of friends with the glasses to watch a film.....
....sat around a 23" acer monitor....
yay, sounds like a great night in.
As far as I can tell, the more advanced home cinema becomes, the less relevant it is to the computer market. There is absolutely no point in making all of that investment for a 'cinema' experience on a pc monitor.
Home cinema needs to be done in a lounge, with a big screen with distance between you and it - one of the joys of cinema is the scale because of the basic physics of being able to focus on something a reasonable distance away and the bio-feedback from you eye muscles, doing it on a small screen at close distance will never emulate that.
I'm holding off on my home cinema until I can do it properly - in a big room, with controlled lighting and callibrated picture settings, and a properly callibrated audio setup.
I tried Nvidias shutter glasses a couple of years ago at a demo in a store, most people there reported headaches but that was playing games not with movies so maybe that is what made the difference.
The difference was probably that it wasn't 120 Hz, as the 120 Hz solution hasn't been available for a couple years. 3D Vision has only been here4 since 2009, what you've likely experienced is a 60 Hz solution, and they really suck in comparison.
My main concern is how restricted you are with shutter glasses and how people are unwilling to invest in the technology. it will probably be 5 to 10 years before 3D kicks off so i'll just adapt the wait and see because who knows what will happen in that time and even if shutter glasses survive
I didn't find the glasses restrictive at all. Having said that I've never said everybody should run out and buy this stuff as soon as it's released, it's wayy to expensive for multiple glasses.
However, early adopters who are willing to pay the premium will enjoy the tech I think, and the prices will inevitably drop like a rock over the next couple years. Remember how much the first blu-ray players were on release? It wasn't that long ago.
I'm saying, in 2 or 3 years this stuff will be quite viable from a consumer standpoint. But I'm not suggesting everyone goes out and pays $750 for glasses for a family of 5 right now.
I really don't see the point of this article....It starts of with the costs of $800+ for supplying your family and a couple of friends with the glasses to watch a film.........sat around a 23" acer monitor
You're right, you don't see the point of this article.
This article isn't about convincing you, or anyone else, to go out and buy Blu-ray 3D for the PC as fast as you can. This article isn't about watching a 24" screen with your family. If that's what you got out of it, you're missing the point entirely.
The point is that the Blu-ray 3D tech looks good and it is viable, it's not the headache-dizzying experience of old. It has a lot of potential.
Early adopters are always going to pay whatever it takes, but what you should be getting out of this if you're not an early adopter is that in a couple of years when the price goes down this is something that can potentially bring the 3D theatre experience to your home if you're interested in that. You should also understand that it's an option for HTPC owners, not just folks with commercial Blu-ray 3D set-top players.
Oh yes! 50% UK coverage of DVB-T2 for the world cup! boxes and cards are imminent!
Don't know about sky, but all freesat boxes can do both 3D and HD - it was designed into the specification. You don't need a new sat box, although obviously you will need a new tv.
I would have thought the same will be true of any freeview HD box you buy.
reported
Don't know about sky, but all freesat boxes can do both 3D and HD - it was designed into the specification. You don't need a new sat box, although obviously you will need a new tv.
I would have thought the same will be true of any freeview HD box you buy.
Sadly it needs different hardware. bare in mind freeview's been around about 12 years now (inc ITVdigital and ONdigital)!