3D and HDMI 1.4 Compatible Projectors When?

[jfwireless]

I am looking to replace my Sanyo PLV60T projector with a Panasonic PT-AE4000U displaying on a Da-Mate 96 inch diagonal screen. Before I make this purchase I was wondering the following:

Will 3D be such a hit in the near future that I should stay away from LCD projectors as they can't display 3d as I understand it??

How big an impact will HDMI 1.4 have in the next few years? Seems like networked equipment, streaming video, return audio channels could make a difference.

Trying to decide on a projector and if I should hold off on a purchase

Thanks, this is my first post so I guess I am a newbe on this board

Jim

[MrBoylan]

I am looking to replace my Sanyo PLV60T projector with a Panasonic PT-AE4000U displaying on a Da-Mate 96 inch diagonal screen. Before I make this purchase I was wondering the following:

Will 3D be such a hit in the near future that I should stay away from LCD projectors as they can't display 3d as I understand it??

How big an impact will HDMI 1.4 have in the next few years? Seems like networked equipment, streaming video, return audio channels could make a difference.

Trying to decide on a projector and if I should hold off on a purchase

Thanks, this is my first post so I guess I am a newbe on this board

Jim

Hi, Jim,

That's a great question. I have heard good things about the PT-AE4000U but for some reason, Panasonic says they are not sending out review samples which is why there is such a shortage of pro reviews of that projector. Current projectors of any kind will not be able to support the new Blu-ray 3D standard as it does require HDMI 1.4 which, from my understanding, actually adds a couple of pins to the connector itself for the audio return path (among other things). Keep in mind that the Blu-ray 3D video format contains virtually twice the content of a standard 1080p/24 stream and it takes special equipment to be able to accept that signal and display it in a way that is compatible with either the passive (polarized) or active (electronic shutter) glasses that are required to view the content in 3D.

There is nothing to prevent future LCD projectors from supporting 3D as long as they can run at 120 Hz (60 Hz for each eye) and they include the necessary processing to separate out the left eye/right eye information from the incoming signal.

The PT-AE4000U, at about $2K street price, is inexpensive enough that you can enjoy it for a few years while the 3D technology matures. And its motorized zoom function with zoom memory makes it an excellent budget choice for fixed screen 2.35:1 home theaters. But it is very unlikely that it could be upgraded to support 3D, so if that's something that is important to you then you will most likely need to wait a while longer before 3D-ready projectors are available. We did see an announcement from LG on an upcoming projector that will support 3D (via LCOS technology) but pricing and avaiability was sketchy at best.

-CB

[jfwireless]

Hi, Jim,



The PT-AE4000U, at about $2K street price, is inexpensive enough that you can enjoy it for a few years while the 3D technology matures. And its motorized zoom function with zoom memory makes it an excellent budget choice for fixed screen 2.35:1 home theaters. But it is very unlikely that it could be upgraded to support 3D, so if that's something that is important to you then you will most likely need to wait a while longer before 3D-ready projectors are available. We did see an announcement from LG on an upcoming projector that will support 3D (via LCOS technology) but pricing and avaiability was sketchy at best.

-CB

OK, that is my feeling as well. I think I will just move forward with the PT-AE4000U and worry about 3D/HDMI 1.4 in a couple of years. Ironically Panasonic has a large 3D display at the CES 2010 show showcasing their 3D technology. After all. I am planning a huge super bowl party!

Do you think it would be possible to use LCD shutter glasses, which are controlled by signals from your Blu-Ray player using an IR blaster of some sort or other technology? and an LCD 120 Hertz display projector? That may get us away from the HDMI 1.4 requirement?

Jim

[MrBoylan]

I saw Panasonic's newest 152-inch plasma at the show last week and the 3D demo was impressive (as was the same TV doing plain old 2D display) but if that set ever makes it into production, it will be extremely expensive. I think the 103-incher is already going for $50K and that's about $20K less than it used to be!

The requirements of Blu-ray 3D include HDMI 1.4 on both the player and the display. Some manufacturers at CES (Mitsubishi, Optoma) were saying that they would be able to support 3D Blu-ray with some current hardware but I can't see how that will be possible. Sony said that the PS3 would get a software/firmware upgrade to support 3D and this may be possible with the cell processor doing 1.4 emulation but it probably will not handle the full HDMI 1.4 spec (I believe the audio return path requires the new pins on the HDMI 1.4 connector).

The description I got from Samsung engineers (actually from the guy who runs the display R&D group in Korea) is that Blu-ray 3D outputs at 24 FPS with twice the bandwidth of 1080p. According to him, if you have any content beyond 24 frames/second (like the 30 FPS stuff used for some nature shows and concerts on Blu-ray) and you want to transmit in 3D, then you'll need to drop the resolution down to 1280x720 (720p) as the HDMI 1.4 spec wouldn't handle 1080p content above 24 FPS for 3D material.

Hopefully as this technology gets closer to reality more details about the specs and capabilities of existing gear will be revealed. Until then, any speculation as to how it might work is just that: speculation.

-CB