The Sony XBR-55HX929 3D LCD will not be added to the list since it uses 60Hz for each eye in 3-D mode
The Sony XBR-55HX929 will repeat frames instead of interpolating frames when Motionflow XR960 is turned off. The Sony XBR-55HX929 will properly display 2-D 1080p/24 source material like a digital projector at 240Hz using a 10:10 pulldown method when Motionflow XR960 is turned off.
It is my understanding that when the 3-D mode is engaged on the Sony XBR-55HX929 that black frames are inserted between real frames even when Motionflow is turned off. This means once the active shutter glasses are used each eye is really only seeing 60Hz.
The ideal 3-D flat screen display should offer triple flash 144fps (72Hz each eye) or quad flash 192fps (96Hz each eye) to maintain the original Digital Cinema 48Hz 3-D frame rate (24Hz left eye and 24Hz right eye).
The following are quotes from Home Theater magazine review link:
“Motionflow XR 960, which is selectable for either 2D or 3D, is Sony’s most advanced take on frame interpolation. It offers several settings, one of which (Clear Plus) uses dark-frame insertion. The panel operates at a refresh rate of 240 hertz. For 24-fps material in 2D, Motionflow XR 960 adds nine interpolated frames for each real frame (for a toal of 10); for 24-fps 3D, it adds four interpolated frames for each real frame per eye (a total of five). With Motionflow off, the added frames are simply repeated, not interpolated.”
“For me, frame interpolation, no matter how sophisticated, kills the look of movies by giving them a soap-opera-like smoothness that film (or video shot at 24 fps) doesn’t have. Apart from checking this feature out (it does work, if that’s your thing), I didn’t use Motionflow or CineMotion in this review. With these features turned off, the set merely repeats the required additional frames needed to match the source to the set’s 240-hertz refresh rate, rather than interpolating them.”
Universal active shutter glasses like the Xpand models operate at 96Hz, 120Hz, and 144Hz
In Hong Kong and some other movie theaters around the world the Xpand active shutter glasses technology is used at 144fps to offer the best quality flicker free smooth Digital Cinema like presentation and with less of a dizzy effect. The 48fps 3-D source in the movie theater is triple flashed 3 times to offer 144fps (72fps for each eye) on the Xpand active shutter glass system.
The consumer Titan 1080P 3-D projector product line allows consumers to use either a true 1080P RealD passive polarized glasses at 144fps or a Xpand active shutter glasses at 144fps to experience a flicker free 3-D movie experience at home. Currently no flat screen panel offers triple flash technology at 144fps. Instead most 3-D plasmas and many 3-D LCD flat screens operate at 120Hz when 3-D mode is engaged. Most people do not see a flicker at 120Hz but since each eye sees 60Hz one ends up seeing 3:2 pulldown judder for each eye. Sometimes there are models of Front Projectors and flat screens that offer 96Hz with active shutter glasses technology. On a 96Hz system each eye sees 48Hz. In 3-D movie theaters 96Hz is not used since around 50% of the population sees a flicker on the screen. At home some people can also experience a flicker on the screen at the 96Hz rate also since each eye is only seeing 48Hz with the glasses.
There are now 3-D LCD screens that are labeled 240Hz that really operate at 120Hz when the active shutter glasses are in use. To my knowledge all the active shutter glasses on the market operate somewhere between 96Hz-144Hz. No one is making active shutter glasses that operate at 240Hz (120Hz for each eye). 3-D at 192Hz or 240Hz would maintain the original 48fps 3-D frame rate but all the 240Hz LCD screens and 240Hz Front Projectors that I have seen insert a dark frame in between real frames to make the 3-D refresh rate 120Hz (each eye sees 60Hz). So when and if 240Hz LCD screens offer the repeating frame method without dark frame insertion than new active shutter glasses would need to be designed that operated at 240Hz. The existing universal active shutter glasses on the market are all between 96Hz-144Hz. Maybe if 192Hz and 240Hz is used in the future for 3-D, then new active shutter glasses would need to start appearing on the market that handled up to 240Hz.
The Sharp Elite PRO-70X5FD and PRO-60X5FD will not be added to the list since the 3-D refresh rate is below the refresh rate used in Digital Cinemas
Just like all 3-D flat panel screens made in 2010 and 2011 the Sharp Elite does not offer a triple flash 144fps mode or quad flash 192fps mode when a 48Hz 3-D signal is received. In fact the Sharp Elite has a 240Hz simulated effect and the panels native refresh rate is really 120Hz (only backlight is 240Hz). According to the November 2011 Home Theater magazine review link the Sharp Elite will properly display 2-D material using a repeating frame method of 5:5 pulldown at 120Hz when the motion enhancement feature is turned off.
When it comes to 3-D material according to the Home Theater magazine review the Sharp Elite uses a 96Hz refresh rate which is 48Hz for each eye once the glasses are put on. In the Commercial movie theaters in the early days of 3-D research it was discovered that 50% of the population sees a flicker at 96Hz. So the solution was a worldwide roll out of Digital Projectors that triple flashed the 48fps native image on the screen at 144fps to completely eliminate flicker issues and improve the overall 3-D quality. Now I have seen the Sharp PRO-70X5FD in person while watching 2-D material but I have not gotten a chance to watch the Sharp Elite with 3-D material to see how good the 3-D effect is. The Home Theater magazine review did not report any flicker in 3-D and they claimed the Sharp Elite did really excellent job displaying 3-D material with a very bright picture, but I would recommend people view the Sharp Elite in 3-D mode to see if they are bothered by any possible flicker. 48Hz for each eye is a very low refresh rate for 3-D.
What I would like to see on a second generation Sharp Elite in 2012
1. The ideal Sharp Elite should offer a native 240Hz refresh rate in 2-D instead of 120Hz. Than the 3-D mode should offer 144Hz triple flash technology or 192Hz quad flash technology without black frame insertion.
Sharp Elite PRO-60X5FD 3D LED LCD HDTV
(Reference quality for 2-D LCD picture quality)
** No Cinema quality triple flash 144fps 3-D setting **
** The amazing Sharp Elite after calibration can go head to head with the 2008 Pioneer Kuro plasma’s when viewed from a center seat in the room **
When I first saw the 70 inch Sharp Elite about a month ago at Best Buy I was not impressed with its picture quality. The set had artificial cartoonist look when it came to motion and the blacks were slightly gray with the source material they were using in the showroom at Best Buy. Best Buy Magnolia center must have had the Sharp Elite on the floor with no calibration. Another day several weeks later when I looked at the Sharp Elite the blacks were very deep and the motion looked very good, someone most likely calibrated the display. The top of the line 60 inch Pioneer PRO-141FD and 50 inch PRO-101FD 2008 models out of the box looked very good by just placing it in the Pure mode without calibration. Of course a calibrated picture on the Pioneer Kuro’s improves the picture by around 10%. The Sharp Elites need calibration to go head to head with the Pioneer Kuro’s. Tom J Norton at Home Theater magazine is a very well respected and experienced expert in the industry when it comes to video and audio technologies. Tom J Norton did a head to head comparsion between the 60 inch Pioneer PRO-141FD and the 60 inch Sharp Elite PRO-60X5FD in his latest November review over at the Home Theater magzine website. In some picture quality tests the 2011 Sharp Elite offered a better picture compared to the 2008 Pioneer Kuro only when the Sharp Elite was viewed from the center seat in the room. Tom J Norton called the Sharp Elite the new all-time flat panel champ by a Nose, either because the display offers the 3-D feature and/or because in certain areas the picture quality looked better than the Pioneer. The Home Theater magazine review also mentions that the performance difference between the Pioneer Kuro and the Sharp Elite is not worth people selling their 2008 Pioneers on EBAY and upgrading to a Sharp Elite. The Sharp Elite is ideal for those that want the best LCD on the market in terms of 2-D picture quality when viewing the display from the center seat in the room. The Pioneer Kuro has better picture quality compared to the Sharp Elite when viewed from an angle. People that missed getting a 2008 model Pioneer Kuro back in 2009 or 2010 should consider getting the Sharp Elite if they want something that is comparable to a Pioneer Kuro.
It is not clear yet if Home Theater magazine or Tom J Norton will replace the reference Pioneer PRO-141FD with the new reference 60 inch Sharp Elite. Possible the Pioneer PRO-141FD might still be used as a reference display at Home Theater magazine to compare all future flat panels or at least all future plasma screens. From his review comments it sounded like he personally is keeping his Pioneer PRO-141FD since there is not enough performance difference to justify a so called upgrade.
Many consumers thought it was going to be a plasma manufactory like Panasonic that would have went head to head with the 2008 Pioneer Kuro technology, but the reality is Pioneer is still the King in plasma screen black levels and over all best plasma picture quality. The Sharp Elite when properly calibrated comes close to the Pionner Kuro and in some picture quality areas beats the Pionner Kuro. Hopefully a second or third generation Sharp Elite will be able to improve in off angle quality and offer even more deeper blacks. For at least 3 years the 2008 model Pioneer Kuro’s have been the King of flat panel picture quality. Around the year 2013 after the 2008 Pioneer is 5 years old there most likely will be one or more flat screens on the market that clearly beat the 2008 Pioneer Kuro in all areas or at least offer an overall better picture quality. Also around the year 2016 consumers should be able to purchase a high-end 4K quality 80 inch flat screen to use with a possible new 4K optical disc format. A 4K 80 inch or 100+ inch flat screen would be ideal for both 3-D and 2-D viewing.
Weight, size, and power comparisons between the 60 inch Sharp Elite PRO-60X5FD and the 60 inch Pioneer Elite PRO-141FD
The 2008 Pioneer PRO-141FD is a thinner display compared to the 2011 Sharp PRO-60X5FD. The Pioneer Kuro is 2.5 inches thick (2-17/32”) compared to the Sharp Elite which is 3 1/32 inches think. When it comes to weight the Sharp Elite is only 66.1 pounds compared to the Pioneer Elite which is 110 pounds. In the area of power the 2008 Pioneer PRO-141FD is a power hog at 481 watts (0.3 Watts Standby) compared to the Sharp Elite that uses only 204 watts (0.1 Watts Standby).
The list price on a 2008 Pioneer Elite PRO-141FD was $7,000 + $400 for the table top stand. The 2011 Sharp Elite PRO-60X5FD list price is $5,999.99 which is around a $1,000 less. For those that want the Sharp Elite PRO-70X5FD which is a 70 inch model the list price is $8,499.99.
Suggestions on how Sharp could improve on possible future second or third generation Sharp Elites
1. Offer a Cinema quality triple flash 144fps 3-D setting with active or passive 1080P glasses (Consider licensing the RealD 3-D 1080P passive glasses technology).
2. Improve on LCD off axis performance to offer performance similar to a plasma.
3. Keep improving on black levels to offer absolute black like a CRT. Absolute black would outperform the 9th generation 2008 Pioneer Kuro’s.
4. Offer an 80 inch Sharp Elite screen (rumor is that might be coming in 2012).
5. Offer a smaller 50 inch Sharp Elite (I know people that cannot fit a 70 inch or 60 inch Sharp Elite in their bedroom unless they get rid of their expensive TV cabinet. Not everyone wants to mount a TV on the wall.).
6. In the future 4 models of Sharp Elites would offer a nice selection for consumers. A Sharp Elite in 50 inches, 60 inches, 70 inches, and 80 inches would be ideal for consumers.
The following are select quotes from the Home Theater magazine review on the Sharp Elite PRO-60X5FD
“Enter Sharp, a company with LCDs in its genes. No, Sharp has not suddenly decided to get into the plasma business. Instead, it acquired the rights to use the Elite name (but not the Kuro designation) in a new line of high-end LCD sets. These would not be badged as either Sharps or Pioneers, but rather marketed simply as Elites.”
“But there was more to Pioneer’s involvement here than the simple use of the Elite name, the model numbers (strikingly reminiscent of the Kuros’), and the similar design of the sets’ aesthetics, remotes, and user manuals. According to Sharp, Pioneer provided key input on picture quality and “picture DNA,” although it was not involved in the design beyond providing remote codes for compatibility with Pioneer Elite A/V gear.”
“The new Elite LCDs also share the old Elite Kuros’ high prices. In fact, given today’s generally lower flat-panel prices vis-à-vis the competition when the Kuros were in production, the new Elites’ prices look even higher. There are currently two Elite models. The 60-incher, our PRO-60X5FD review unit, will set you back $6,000 (MSRP). The larger 70-inch PRO-70X5FD is $8,500. But it’s worth pointing out at this stage of the review that while you don’t always get what you pay for in this world, you often do.”
“Make no mistake: The Elites are not simply Sharp HDTVs with Elite badges and prices. The Elite LCD panels are produced in Sharp’s advanced Generation 10 plant in Sakai, Japan, and employ a new liquid crystal technology (versus Sharp-branded panels) that is said to make the crystals “smaller, softer, thinner, and faster.” Beyond starting with this new LCD panel, Sharp says its engineers weren’t limited to hitting any particular price point—clear enough from those premium stickers.”
“Full LED- backlit local dimming helps produce the inky blacks we all crave. Sharp hasn’t released and won’t confirm the number of dimming zones they’re using, but sources have told us it’s 240 zones in our 60-inch model and 336 zones in the 70-inch.”
“The Elite sets also offer Sharp’s Advantage Live program. If a problem arises, you can establish a direct Internet connection between your set and Sharp’s technicians for a diagnosis or remote adjustments.”
“The Elite’s motion enhancement feature has four different settings, including off. All of them activate frame interpolation. One of the settings, FluidMotion, also appears to darken the image somewhat, which indicates the use of a supplementary motion smoothing technique called dark-frame insertion. The set normally operates at a native refresh rate of 120 hertz, but a scanning backlight produces an effective 240-Hz frame rate. When the set receives a 2D source at 24 frames per second (fps), it adds four new frames for each of the real frames to reach 120 Hz.With motion enhancement engaged, the Elite interpolates the new frames from the real frames; with it off, the set simply repeats the extra frames. For sources at 60p (or 1080i sources that have first been converted to 1080p/60 either externally or within the set), only one added frame is needed—either interpolated or repeated—to reach the 120-Hz refresh rate. For 24-fps 3D sources, which input 48 fps (24 fps for each eye) to the set, the refresh rate changes to 96 Hz. I don’t need to repeat here my often-stated dislike for the soap-opera, video-ish look that motion interpolation gives to movies, but your opinion may vary. I didn’t use this feature and didn’t find motion smear to be a significant problem for the Elite on most films, even without it.”
“The Elite’s screen uniformity is also excellent and shows even distribution of the backlight on dark full-frame test patterns with no obvious streaking or hot-spotting. And while Sharp hasn’t eliminated the problem of narrow viewing angle endemic to many LCD displays, it’s tolerable here as long as you sit within 20 degrees or so of the centered viewing position. The average viewer might even make it to 30 or 35 degrees off axis before he or she starts to notice the colors fade and the black level rise. But as with most LCD sets, the critical viewer will want dibs on the center seat!”
“I was fortunate to have a 60-inch Pioneer Elite PRO-141FD Kuro plasma still available to me during my evaluation of the new Sharp Elite LCD. I reviewed this set in May 2009, subsequently bought it, and it has been my reference ever since. No other flat-panel display I’ve reviewed at our studio or in my home theater has ever bettered it subjectively in pure image quality, although I can’t deny the superior impact of a video projector on a big screen.”
“References to Elite in the text below refer to the Sharp.”
“On to the nitty-gritty. On a color resolution test pattern, the Elite’s colors looked paler; the blue stripes were clearly less vivid than on the Pioneer. But I never saw any sign of this on normal source material.”
“Both sets passed the luminance resolution test, although the Elite’s top burst pattern was brighter, which indicates a stronger (perhaps even slightly exaggerated) response to the finest details. The Pioneer clipped noticeably just above white (it always has), but the Elite had significant available headroom above the standard video range.”
“Color bars on both sets looked nearly the same, although both red and yellow were a little deeper and richer on the Elite.”
“The Pioneer excelled in the nighttime scenes in the New Mexico desert early on in Thor. It produced a naturally vivid transition between the close-ups of faces and the gloom surrounding them, whereas the Elite presented these details with a flatter, more grayish look. The advanced settings in the Elite’s intelligent variable contrast control could compensate for this to a degree, as could cheating the brightness setting by dropping it a step or two below the technically correct level. But I resisted using the advanced settings because they were too over the top on bright scenes from disc sources viewed in the dimly lit or darkened room I favor for serious movie watching.”
“Conclusions"
“Is the Elite PRO-60X5FD the new all-time flat-panel champ? I’d have to say yes, by a nose. It comes with caveats, for sure. Its off-axis performance is no better than average for an LCD and inferior in this regard to the IPS LCD panels LG and Vizio use. The price is also fear-inducing for most of us.”
“But the Kuros weren’t cheap or perfect either. The Elites offer enough of that secret Kuro sauce, combined with LCD’s unique benefits—not least of which should be lower energy consumption compared with the power-hungry Kuros—and the brightest 3D you’ll find this side of real life.”
“Is the margin so clear cut as to produce a glut of used Kuros on eBay and Videogon? No, but potential new buyers can now remove the hair shirts they donned when they missed the Kuro train as it pulled out of the station and chugged off into the sunset. If the Sharp Elite isn’t the inevitable sunrise, it’s as close to it as we’ll get this side of an 80-inch 4K-resolution set with 500-plus zones of local dimming. We’ll all be waiting breathlessly for that one, but in the meantime, this new Elite is the one to tide you over.”
I'm in market to buy HDTV. Most of my usage will be watching MOVIES at Blu Ray at BEST quality.
I'm NOT much in to watching sports events or any tv shows or games
COULD SOMEONE PLEASE HELP ME WITH BEST MODEL?
Brand Samsung or Sony or LG or any-other??
LED or LCD??
60Hz or 120 Hz??
(I've decided to go for 1080p for best quality)
(I prefer to avoid plasma as I may not be able to watch in dark room)
(I've decided to go for 40 or 42" as my hall is not too big)
(I'm not so crazy about watching movies in 3D)
Once as windows shopper in a TV showroom, I've noticed a TV playing an animation movie (3 years back must LCD tv) That was NOT 3D tv still I got real feel of 3D like characters are real. And later a year back I've noticed a regular movie being played in one TV, among many other sets, that TV has got best picture with 3D like feel even though its 2D tv. But the frame rate/ the motion rate seems to be weird, it has got the feel of TV show instead of movie feel. But the picture quality is outstanding specially 3D like feel.
Now that I'm earning money and ready to buy one, around many TV showrooms but I couldn't find similar or better quality. And searching in internet sites but I could not get proper idea but more confusions with more readings.
Can somebody advice me in deciding which model I can get the best quality?
I'm in market to buy HDTV. Most of my usage will be watching MOVIES at Blu Ray at BEST quality.
I'm NOT much in to watching sports events or any tv shows or games
COULD SOMEONE PLEASE HELP ME WITH BEST MODEL?
Brand Samsung or Sony or LG or any-other??
LED or LCD??
60Hz or 120 Hz??
(I've decided to go for 1080p for best quality)
(I prefer to avoid plasma as I may not be able to watch in dark room)
(I've decided to go for 40 or 42" as my hall is not too big)
(I'm not so crazy about watching movies in 3D)
Once as windows shopper in a TV showroom, I've noticed a TV playing an animation movie (3 years back must LCD tv) That was NOT 3D tv still I got real feel of 3D like characters are real. And later a year back I've noticed a regular movie being played in one TV, among many other sets, that TV has got best picture with 3D like feel even though its 2D tv. But the frame rate/ the motion rate seems to be weird, it has got the feel of TV show instead of movie feel. But the picture quality is outstanding specially 3D like feel.
Now that I'm earning money and ready to buy one, around many TV showrooms but I couldn't find similar or better quality. And searching in internet sites but I could not get proper idea but more confusions with more readings.
Can somebody advice me in deciding which model I can get the best quality?
You posted this question twice in two different areas of the forum. I will answer your question in the other thread you posted at.
True native 4K 4096 X 2160 projector with 96Hz refresh rate for 2-D material
** No Theater quality RealD dual lens passive glasses technology. Lacks the ability to offer native 24Hz refresh rate for each eye **
** No Cinema quality triple flash 144fps 3-D setting **
The Sony VPL-VW1000ES 4K SXRD Projector is the first low cost 4K Front Projector that can accept 4K native source material with up to a 4096 X 2160 pixel count. Other 4K consumer projectors in the past cost $225,000+. So a $25,000 4K projector from Sony is a bargain compared to projectors that cost as much as a good quality house. The Sony VPL-VW1000ES 4K projector will properly display 1080p/24 2-D material at 96Hz using a 4:4 pulldown repeating frame method. The 1080P/24 2-D material is upconverted to 4K at 96Hz. What is disappointing is this 4K consumer projector does not operate like a commercial 4K Sony projector (If it did it might cost $75,000+). In the commercial movie theater a 4K Sony SXRD commercial projector with a RealD lens system will operate like a Digital IMAX 3-D system and provide native 24fps for each eye without black time. This Sony 4K SXRD VPL-VW1000ES instead uses an active shutter glass system that operates at either 120Hz or maybe 96Hz (Home Theater magazine did not review the 3-D feature of the projector yet.). There is no 144fps triple flash technology used on this Sony 4K projector. In the commercial movie theaters that use a single light source triple flash technology is used 100% of the time.
The new Playstation 4 most likely will offer videogames at 4K resolution using a new 4K optical disc format
In December of 1994 Sony released the PlayStation 1 which contained a CD-ROM optical drive built in. Than 6 years later in the year 2000 Sony released the PlayStation 2 with a built in DVD-ROM drive. Than 6 years later in November of 2006 Sony released the Playstation 3 that used a BD-ROM drive. Around the year 2016 we should see a new 4K optical home video format launched. Possible sometime in the future Sony might release a Playstation 4 with a 4K optical drive that is backwards compatible with Blu-ray, DVD, and CD’s.
The following are select quotes from the December 2011 Home Theater magazine review
“Home Theater is pleased to bring you this exclusive first review of Sony's VPL-VW1000ES, the world's first 4K projector built from the ground up for the consumer market. With more than four times the resolution of HDTV, 4K is already transforming digital cinema, and it now stands to create a more engaging and dramatic home theater experience as well.”
“The projector refreshes images at a rate of 120 hertz, except for 24p material, where it refreshes at 96 Hz. It adds either repeated or interpolated frames to the source material as needed to match the appropriate refresh rate.”
“Motionflow is Sony’s motion smoothing/frame interpolation feature. It consists of two separate processes that can be used either together or separately: Film Projection (on, off) and MotionEnhancer (off, low, and high). Film Projection adds darkened frames between real frames. MotionEnhancer adds interpolated frames between real frames to reduce motion smear. These features can reduce image judder, sometimes dramatically. But they also make film-based sources look like video—often called the soap opera effect.”
“You may like motion interpolation; some viewers do. I dislike it intensely and can’t tolerate it for more than the few seconds it takes me to determine it’s on. That’s no dig at Sony’s implementation; I dislike them all. I performed the testing for this review with Motionflow turned off. As with all LCD and LCOS projectors, there’s a bit more motion smear here than with, say, a DLP projector or a plasma flat panel, but I didn’t find it distracting.”
“What is 4K video? It’s a format that can display a maximum resolution of 4096x2160, or sometimes 3840x2160, otherwise known as Quad HD. The former has a total pixel count of 8,847,360—more than four times the resolution of our current HDTV maximum of 1920x1080.”
“On the other hand, Sony made a splash at CEDIA by announcing its new VPL-VW1000ES, a 4K projector that will accept true 4K 2D material (at resolutions of 3840 x 2160/24p, 3840 x 2160/ 25p, 3840 x 2160/30p, and 4096 x 2160/24p—with additional rates possible in the future). It will also upscale existing source material to 4K. The projector is 3D capable, but it won’t accept 3D at 4K, assuming we ever see such material. It does, however, upscale today's HD 3D Blu-ray Discs to 4K to make use of the projector's available pixels.”
“The VPL-VW1000ES is the first true 4K projector designed and built for consumers, although it’s not the first 4K projector marketed directly to the public. Meridian’s 810 Reference Video System, an adaptation of a JVC professional LCOS design with a resolution of 4096 x 2400, has been available for several years. It’s an impressive device, but at a price of $225,000 when we last checked (and no 3D capability), it’s clearly in nosebleed territory. The VPL-VW1000ES isn’t exactly cheap at $25,000, but the difference will buy you a decent house in many parts of the country.”
“Three 0.74-inch SXRD imaging chips, each with 4K resolution, comprise the heart of the projector’s optical engine. SXRD (Silicon X-tal Reflective Display) is Sony’s take on LCOS (Liquid Crystal on Silicon). These latest SXRD devices are said to offer an improved native contrast over earlier designs.”
“While the question remains as yet unanswered as to whether the 4K upconversion is superior to what an unprocessed 1080p image would look like on this screen, what I saw from well-produced HD source material was compelling.”
“I did notice that 4K appeared to be fussier than standard HD about both the quality and length of the source-to-display HDMI cable. If you use an up-to-date, high-speed HDMI 1.4a cable compliant with 4K, you should be fine.”
“While the VPL-VW1000ES can upconvert today’s HD sources to 4K, there remains the matter of the true 4K program material needed to take maximum advantage of the projector’s capabilities. Although Hollywood has digitally released more than 70 movies in 4K theatrically to date, significant 4K video material doesn’t currently exist in the consumer video world, nor is any imminent.”
(The 2011 Sharp Elite picture quality is not as good as quality as a 2008 Pioneer Kuro but very close)
The following are select quotes from the CNET review link on the Sharp Elite PRO-60X5FD
“The X5FD deserves a 10 in picture quality, tying the score of the Kuro and beating every other TV we've ever reviewed. The Kuro still produces a better picture overall, especially from off-angle, but that hardly matters anymore since you probably can't get one. And if you could, you'd still lose certain bragging rights to deep-pocketed Sharp owners since the X5FD is the only Elite TV that can handle 3D sources and comes in a 70-inch size. If you don't mind paying any price to get the best current flat-panel TV, the Sharp Elite is for you. “
“The Elite deserves the first 10 we've ever given to an LCD-based TV for picture quality, and outperforms every TV, plasma or otherwise, we've tested in the last three years. The only TV that's better is the long-discontinued Pioneer Kuro, and in our direct comparisons between the two it was still a close call.”
“Black level: The Elite delivered a deeper shade of black than any TV in the room, including our Kuro. The two were extremely close in difficult dark scenes, such as the fight between The Comedian and his masked assailant, but looking at black areas like the letterbox bars and the deepest shadows the Elite ekes out the slightest extra bit of darkness--although outside of a side-by-side comparison it would be impossible, we'd wager, to say which was darker. Both produced letterbox bars that almost completely faded into the blackness in our dark room, for example, while the bars were much more clearly visible on the other TVs.”
“As usual for an LED TV the depth of black became lighter (worse) from off-angle, and indeed moving just one butt cheek to either side of the sweet spot in the exact middle of the Elite's screen was enough to cause the Kuro to appear darker. So unless you're That Guy with the best seat in the house, you'll see better blacks from the Kuro. On the other hand, even from moderate off-angle positions the black levels on the Elite were still better than those of the other TVs in our lineup”
TITAN QUAD Reference 3-D and TITAN QUAD 3-D HDMI 1.4a info
The new Titan Quad Reference 3-D and Titan Quad 3-D support the HDMI 1.4a broadcast formats like top-bottom and side-by-side, along with the Blu-ray frame packed 3-D technology. The only HDMI 1.4a format that the TITAN QUAD does not support is native 4K resolutions since it is a full 1080P 3-D and 2-D Front Projector that works with both passive and active glasses.
The following are some quotes from an email I received from Digital Projection Inc regarding the Titan QUAD 3-D and Titan QUAD Reference 3-D Front Projectors
“I have heard from our engineers.
With regard to the HDMI 1.4a formats, if you are referring to the 3D portion, the Titan Quad will be able to handle the required formats, which are top-bottom, side-by-side, and frame-packed.
If you are referring to the resolutions and color depths, the projector will be able to negotiate the best combination available for the source and display device automatically by using the HDMI 1.4a communication interface.
About the refresh rate of 3D, I suspect you are referring to the frame-packed with the refresh rate of 24p. Since there is a left image and a right image in a frame, the effective refresh rate becomes 48Hz.
The Titan Quad will be able to do a frame rate multiplication of x3 (as can the Titan Classic) which comes to 144Hz.”
4K Front Projectors that accept native 4K 2-D signals over HDMI 1.4 are available now for consumers. The cheapest model that accepts native 4K input with a 4096 X 2160 pixel count is the Sony VPL-VW1000ES for around $25,000 (4K projectors can easily run up to $250,000+, so the new Sony 4K model is a bargain at $25,000).
There is no 4K flat panel screens available for the consumer market yet, only the professional market like the medical community, government agencies, and other corporations have 4K flat panel displays.
The problem right now is the lack of 4K video sources. Without a native 4K video source owning a 4K display is only good for those consumers that want to upconvert 1080P content to 4K. Sometimes showing the video at its native resolution can look better than up scaling. Up scaling adds artifacts to the image. There are a few 4K YouTube videos to watch but there is no optical 4K format available for the consumer yet.
Possible around the year 2016 we most likely will see one or more 4K optical formats released on the market. Maybe a new 4K multi-layer disc that supports 500GB with a lossless video codec that is bit for bit the same as the studio master with 256 bit AES encryption (may not be based on the Blu-ray format, possible another format war). Or possible the Blu-ray Disc Association will offer a multi-layer 200GB or 128GB BDXL Blu-ray disc with 4K quality. The Blu-ray Disc Association is in talks about possibly only using a dual layer 50GB discs with a low bit rate high efficient video codec with 4K. The big advantage of Blu-ray movie discs introduced in 2006 was for the very first time consumers could listen to lossless audio movie tracks that are bit for bit the same as the studios master. The ideal new optical format should offer lossless video quality up to 4K that is bit for bit the same as the studio master. That’s were a 200GB or 500GB+ disc with a new lossless video codec would be ideal.
The following are select quotes from the 4K Revolution Home Theater magazine article
“The last step in the 4K chain is the display. Although expensive professional 4K flat-panel monitors exist, as of this writing in late 2011, no television manufacturers have announced firm plans for a 4K consumer display in the U.S. market. That may change at January’s Consumer Electronics Show. If they do arrive, expect to see them around the 60-inch and larger screen sizes, the place where, in Eklund’s words, “4K really starts to come alive.”
“As with 3D, the best 4K delivery solution for the home is likely to be Blu-ray Disc. “The physical format can do it,” declares Don Eklund, executive VP of technologies at Sony Pictures Technologies, thanks to new compression algorithms. Most notable is HEVC, or High Efficiency Video Codec, which is now in advanced development. It’s considerably more efficient than the AVC codec now commonly used on Blu-rays while remaining similarly free of artifacts, and it will allow a 4K film to fit on a mass-replicated 50-gigabyte, two-layer Blu-ray Disc. “I’ve seen samples of what that codec can do with 4K at a 30-megabit-per-second bitrate compared to what AVC can do at 50 Mb per second, and it actually looks a little bit better at 30 than AVC looks at 50,” Eklund says.”
“What’s missing, however, is a 4K Blu-ray technical standard that would allow the manufacture of players and discs. Putting that specification together will require a concerted effort by the member companies of the Blu-ray Disc Association. “There are discussions starting, but they’re very early discussions,” notes Eklund. “We just finished 3D, and these things are pretty hard work. But Sony and the other key companies are looking at it very hard.”
“They advocated another option for the future, one that amounted to a full doubling of pixels in both the horizontal and vertical planes to bring the grid to 4096 x 2160. That’s 4K.”
“For his part, Cookson acknowledges that “there are cheap and easy ways to upscale pictures that don’t work particularly well.”
“The only good upscaling is no upscaling,” he says bluntly. “There is upscaling that is dramatically less bad, but any scaling, no matter what the quality is, will lose to no scaling. The beauty of the era we’re in right now is that I take home my Blu-ray Disc that has 1080p content on it, I plug it into my 1080p display, and the pixels talk directly to each other on a one-to-one, dot-to-dot basis. The only time you won’t have compromises is when your bitmap of the hardware matches that of the software. The ultimate benefit of 4K will come with 4K content.”
“Gary Klasmeier, project engineer manager for D-ILA Systems at JVC Professional Division, also sees the potential for introducing problems in the upconversion to native 4K. But he suggests there’s a much lesser likelihood of that if the scaling from full HD is done to the 3840 x 2160 Quad HD version of 4K—essentially a perfect quadrupling of full HD—rather than to the full DCI 4K spec of 4096 lines. “If you’re working from a 1920 x 1080 signal, it probably makes sense to scale it only up to 3840 x 2160,” he observes. “Otherwise, you’re going to get some really crazy math and roundoff just to fill that difference between 3840 and 4096. You could end up with some scaling artifacts that are pretty ugly.”
The Sharp Elite PRO-60X5FD was reviewed in the January 2012 Widescreen Review magazine
The Sharp Elite PRO-60X5FD has a 240Hz effect with a true 120Hz refresh rate. The 2-D 1080P/24 material is displayed at 5:5 pulldown when the motion enhancement feature is turned off (Sharp's 2-D frame rate is true Cinema quality with no 3:2 pulldown). 96Hz is a low refresh rate for 3-D. Like all current 3-D flat panel displays on the market the Sharp Elite 70 inch and 60 inch models lacks the 144fps flicker free triple flash technology mode that is used for all single light source projectors in the commercial movie theaters. The Widescreen Review magazine mentioned that some people might notice flicker in 3-D with the active glasses especially when the display is around other objects with fluorescent lights.
On pages 8,10,12, 14, and 15 in the January 2012 Widescreen Review magazine there is a good review on the Sharp Elite PRO-60X5FD. The review did not compare the display to the discontinued 2008 model Pioneer PRO-141FD that is used as a reference by many professionals but it mentioned that it was the finest LCD screen that the reviewer has every come across in terms of picture quality.
The following are some select quotes from the January 2012 Widescreen Review magazine:
“Basically we have a winner here, you can’t get any better measurements with the test equipment I have available.”
“Visually, I was dead black, to the point that it was not possible to tell that the HDTV was on unless you saw the little blue LED on at the bottom left.”
“With its stellar black levels and overall superb picture, this high-end model ranks as the finest I have come across.”
In late 2012 OLED flat panels might beat the 2008 Pioneer Kuro plasma technology in overall 1080P picture quality
There is a very large possibility that the new 2012 Samsung and LG 55 inch OLED display’s might offer an overall better picture quality when compared to the reference 2008 Pioneer PRO-141FD 60 inch model. The black levels in theory will be closer to the CRT black levels with OLED (maybe even better than CRT).
We will need to wait for a professional review from one or more reviewers to know for sure if OLED is the new King in flat panel picture quality. Perhaps Tom J Norton at Home Theater magazine will do a head to head comparison between the 60 inch Pioneer PRO-141FD and the 55 inch OLED models. The OLED model from either LG or Samsung might become the new King in 1080P flat panel picture quality. Consumer 4K Front Projectors are already on the market and consumer flat panel 4K displays are coming soon. A possible new 4K optical format coming around the year 2016 makes me want to wait until 2016 or later before upgrading. At around the year 2018 the 2008 Pioneer plasma’s will be 10 years old which would be an ideal time for a upgrade in theory. The ideal flat screen display might turn out to be a 4K or 8K OLED display. Maybe Warner one day will do a 16K scan and restoration of “The Wizard of OZ”, and “Gone With the Wind” from 1939. I would also like to see “Ben Hur” with a 16K master scan of the original film negative (All 3 of those movies received an 8K master scan already before being downconverted to 1080P for the Blu-ray release).
4K displays are ideal with large screen sizes of 80 inches and above. Today we have 1080P screen sizes as small as 20.1 inches. Several years from now 4K screens might become more mainstream with screen sizes at 32 inches and smaller. On a 50 inch 4K screen I might have to move my chair two feet from the screen to see the improved picture quality resolution. A 50 inch 8K or 4K OLED computer monitor would be nice to own one day.
A 16K resolution display should offer a good 3-D quality without the need for 3-D glasses.
More evidence of a new 4K optical disc format possibly coming around the year 2016
We could see a multi-layered 200GB or 500GB Blu-ray disc in the future that offers 4K quality movies. Better yet perhaps instead a new 500GB+ holographic disc technology to offer 4K quality video that is not Blu-ray based. If Sony does decide to make a Playstation 4 console that uses a new 4K optical disc it could be launched around the year 2016. The Playstation 3 still has more life in it and affordable lower cost 4K displays are at least 4 years away.
Quote from article:
“By the way, I asked a Sony staffer when and how 4K content would be made available to consumers. She said a 4K movie would fit on a Blu-ray disc; the capacity is there. But it hasn't been decided officially that Blu-ray will be the format. She also could not say when 4K discs would be available.” http://www.tvpredictions.com/firstlook011112.htm
Sound and Vision Test Report: Sharp Elite PRO-60X5FD 3D LCD HDTV
A few select QUOTES from review:
“I won’t assume that everyone will know what I’m talking about when I drop the word “Kuro,” but longtime Sound+Vision readers may recall a line of high-end, and accordingly high-priced, Pioneer Elite plasma TVs that we heaped praise upon back in the day. (In this case, “back in the day” means circa 2008.) What set those TVs apart from all the rest was their near-perfect picture quality, which rightly put all other flat panels to shame.”
Bottom Line
“The Elite PRO-60X5FD’s overall performance easily counts it among the best TV options — if not best TV option — around.”
JVC DLA-X70R April 2012 Home Theater magazine review
The JVC DLA-X90R and DLA-X70R does not qualify to be added to the 3-D list since the frame rate is below Digital Cinema 3-D projectors
The JVC DLA-X90R and DLA-X70R offer simulated 4K quality
On the positive side, the latest JVC Front Projectors have excellent black levels for a consumer Front Projector. Only a Pioneer Kuro and Sharp Elite flat screen according to the Home Theater magazine review offer more impressive black levels.
The new JVC DLA-X90R for $12,000 and the JVC DLA-X70R for $8,000 will properly display 2-D 1080P/24 signals at 96Hz using a 4:4 pulldown repeating frame method. These projectors offer simulated 4K quality since they will not accept native 4K source material (Possible in 4 years or so a 4K optical format might launch). What is disappointing is that the new JVC Front Projectors Clear Motion Drive is limited to a maximum of 120HZ. The modern JVC Front Projectors just like last year’s models display Blu-ray 1080P 3-D frame packed movies at a total refresh rate of 96Hz (48Hz for each eye). 48Hz for each eye is a low refresh rate for 3-D.
In the commercial movie theaters 100% of all single light source projectors use a minimum of 144fps (72fps for each eye) to offer a flicker free high quality 3-D experience.
I am hoping that maybe one day on future JVC models the Clear Motion Drive might be upgraded in order to offer triple flash 3-D technology (144fps) or quad flash 3-D technology (192fps).
The following are select quotes from the April 2012 Home Theater magazine review (review located on pages 50-54)
“For 2D sources, the projector operates at a refresh rate of either 120 hertz or 96 Hz, depending on the source frame rate, 96 Hz is used for 24-frames-per-second 3D sources (48 Hz foe each eye).”
“JVC simultaneously launched a range of more affordable models that will not accept 4K source but seek to provide the key benefits of 4K projection by using 2K imaging chips in a creative 4K simulation.”
“The projectors’ maximum input resolution is 1920 X 1080, so it will not accept a native 4K source…”
“The quality of the black levels and shadow detail won’t surprise anyone who’s been following past reviews of JVC projectors. The only displays I know of that produce more impressive blacks are the now departed Pioneer Kuro plasmas and the new Sharp Elites.”
“Still, viewers bothered by the low brightness levels of 3D may want to consider either a smaller screen, one with a higher gain, or perhaps both. But that’s good advice for any relatively affordable 3D projector.”
REDRAY 4K PROJECTOR for under $10,000 might be released in 2012
It would be excellent if this 4K REDRAY projector were released this year. It would be $15,000 cheaper compared to the $25,000 Sony VPL-VW1000ES 4K consumer projector. Also consumer 3-D 1080P projectors that use passive glasses technology currently cost $50,000-$200,000+. At $10,000 the 4K REDRAY projector would be a bargain by offering true 1080P (or 2K) quality 3-D with passive glasses (2-D material is displayed at 4K quality).
The only negative with the REDRAY projector is that it would add 3:2 pulldown judder for both eyes when 3-D is shown at 120fps. All single light source projectors in the movie theater use 144fps in order to offer a flicker free presentation without 3:2 pulldown judder issues during camera pans.
Click the following link for a diagram on how the ideal consumer 3-D Front Projector or 3-D display should work when unpacking the frame packed 1920 X 2205 Blu-ray image.
Lower cost 3-D Front Projectors under $50,000 still do not offer the Digital Cinema frame rates and brightness quality when viewing 3-D source material. This Sony VPL-VW1000ES at a price of $25,000 is the cheapest consumer 4K projector on the market and is ideal for those that want good quality standard 2-D quality projection of movies. Maybe in 4 years or so consumer 4K optical disc source material might be availbe to feed 4K projectors.
The following are select quotes from part two of the Home Theater magazine review.
“This means the 3D brightness level was about 8 percent of the level possible in 2D in High lamp mode (even though the default 3D settings pushed the projector harder than the 2D settings). The results did not differ significantly in any of the three picture modes.”
“The visible results confirmed these measurements; 3D was not very rewarding with this setup. After five or ten minutes, I was ready to return to the VPL-VW1000’s gloriously bright, vivid 2D. But while 2D and 4K are the Sony’s calling card, most buyers are likely to expect a satisfying 3D image at this price.”
“If you’re shopping in this price range for a new projector, the Sony VPL-VW1000 should definitely be on your short list. If 3D is not an important target on your radar, that’s all you need to know. If you’re big on 3D, you need to accept the fact that most home-theater projectors today, including this one, really won’t light up a really big, low-gain screen with a bright 3D image. But if the VPL-VW1000 were my choice, I’d definitely be a two screen kinda guy—a big, modest-gain or 1.0-gain screen for 2D and a smaller, high-gain screen for those less-frequent 3D showings. If I had the spare change, the VPL-VW1000 and two such screens would definitely be at the top of my list.”
JVC DLA-X30 3D LCOS FRONT PROJECTOR (Home Theater magazine review)
The JVC DLA-X30 does not qualify to be added to the 3-D list since the frame rate is below Digital Cinema 3-D projectors
For $3,500 list price the JVC DLA-X30 is an amazing bargain for those only interested in 2-D viewing. The JVC DLA-X30 2-D picture quality outperforms many projectors that cost double the price. When a native 2-D 1080P/24 signal is received the JVC front projectors will repeat each frame 4 times and display the 1080P image at 96HZ which maintains the original 2-D film quality.
What is disappointing is that the new JVC Front Projectors Clear Motion Drive is limited to a maximum of 120HZ. The modern JVC Front Projectors just like last year’s models display Blu-ray 1080P 3-D frame packed movies at a total refresh rate of 96Hz (48Hz for each eye). 48Hz for each eye is a low refresh rate for 3-D.
In the commercial movie theaters 100% of all single light source projectors use a minimum of 144fps (72fps for each eye) to offer a flicker free high quality 3-D experience.
I am hoping that maybe one day on future JVC models the Clear Motion Drive might be upgraded in order to offer triple flash 3-D technology (144fps) or quad flash 3-D technology (192fps).
The following are select quotes from the Home Theater magazine review
“The 2D picture from the JVC DLA-X30 is truly without peer among the immediate competitors we’ve seen. Its contrast and dynamic range continue to set the bar across all performance levels. The X30 was also the sharpest projector I’ve seen at this price, and was even better than most of the projectors I’ve seen at nearly twice the cost. But I was disappointed with the 3D performance. I admit I’m not a fan of the technology as a whole, as I feel it impedes the theatrical experience, but the X30 showed more artifacts in playback that further degraded the already gimmicky experience. If 3D is your primary motivator for a new projector, I would look to some other offerings on the market. But if 2D is what you find yourself watching the majority of the time (as I certainly do), this one would be hard to beat at or near this price point, and gets my highest recommendation.”
At the High-Def Digest website most of my posts are an exact duplicate or very similar to the posts at Blu-ray.com. I restored my personal posts that were lost at Blu-ray.com with posts from the High-Def website which is like a running backup in case there is a server data loss.
Lower cost 90 inches and larger flat screens might replace front projectors in the future
Sharp LC-90LE745U 90 inch LED LCD for under $10,000 at Best Buy
On Monday June 18th 2012 I stopped in my local Best Buy which has a Magnolia section. To my surprise there was a new Sharp 90 inch LCD with LED backlighting on display. The Sharp LC-90LE745U black levels and overall picture quality did not look as good as a 2008 model Pioneer PRO-141FD 60 inch 1080P plasma. Still there was something special about seeing a screen size of 90 inches. A 90 inch screen brings one closer to the home theater experience and it makes 60 inch displays appear to be small. One can sit as close as 9 feet from a 90 inch 1080P Sharp display and not see any noticeable artifacts. This Sharp 90 inch screen only consumes 138 watts of power and with a list price of only $10,999. In fact Best Buy is selling it for $9,999 which is a breakthrough price for a flat screen of this size. It was not too many years ago that 70 inch flat screens cost $20,000-$30,000 (Now Walmart and Target have 70 inch Sharp flat screens between $2,298-$2,499.99). Consumers can get a 90 inch flat screen for under $10,000. A 92 inch Mitsubishi WD-92840 rear projector can be purchased from an Amazon dealer for only $2,849 (3:2 pulldown judder for 1080p/24). Of course most consumers do not like rear projectors because of their weight and large depth. Still if someone wants a cheap 92 inch 1080P screen Mitsubishi is the only consumer electronics manufactory that is still making rear projectors.
There is something special with watching movies at home on a large screen like 90 inches or over 100 inches. Some high-end ceiling mounted front projectors can project images as big as 150-300+ inches but most consumers do not have a big enough home theater room for a 300 inch screen. Between 90 inches to 130 inches is the limit to what most people can fit in their home theater room unless developers start building bigger houses with huge home theater rooms.
The advantage of a ceiling mounted front projector like the JVC DLA-X30 is that they cost under $3,500 and have outstanding black levels. Also the JVC DLA-X30 ceiling mounted projector is around 3 times cheaper compared to the Sharp LC-90LE745U 90 inch flat screen. The disadvantage of front projectors is that a dark room is needed for viewing and the advantage of flat LCD screens is the lights can be on for causal local news watching during the day.
As 90 inches and 100+ inch flat screens become more available we should start to see several for under $10,000 in the future as long as inflation does not increase too much. Possible 90 inch flat screens within 5 years might be under $5,000. There is a possibility that one day Front Projectors could disappear within a decade or so if large 100+ inch flat screens become very cheap.
The ideal flat screen in the far future would be an 8K or 4K 100 inch OLED that is as thin as a pencil. Possible several decades from now a 16K screen that is around 150+ inches and as thin as a poster could become a reality (it might even roll up like a poster for shipping and storage).
It looks like Sharp well terminate dealers accounts that ship 90 inch screens by the Internet/mail order and those retail stores that sell the sets to far below list price.
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