Passive 3D vs Active 3D - Page 4 - Blu-ray Forum

RonSwanson · 07-14-2011, 05:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KS76

It may be possible that Best Buy did a poor setup of the 3D demo. I watched clips of IMAX Under the Sea and a game where a dragon came out of the screen, also a clip of a basketball game, but the scan lines or "screen door effect" were obvious and ugly on each clip. Are you saying you don't see these scan lines at all on your set at home? If so, then just wow at Best Buy for their demo setup.

No, it isn't best buy. The "screen door" effect is a perfect way to describe it, and it's what it is. Has nothing to do with the demo, I've seen it at Best Buy, a smaller local retailer, and a friend who himself said he wants active as soon as this years sets get cheaper next year, but he couldn't wait for 3d.

doby · 07-15-2011, 06:28 PM

I looked at a lot of 3d tvs myself. But with 2 adults and 3 kids watching a movie with active glasses was just not ideal. I ended up with the Passive Vizio and couldnt be any happier. Sure you see lines if your a foot or two from the screen but at normal viewing distance its great. To me its as sharp as any other tv and the 3d is great. And the apps are a nice bonus. When my 1 year old grabbed the glasses of my face and threw them....then yep, a good decision!

VRFan · 07-16-2011, 01:17 AM

I ordered the passive Vizio 42" E3D420VX last week from Amazon and received it a few days ago.

Admittedly I'm a newb on the forum and not a hardcore "Videophile" (I was making due with a 32" 720p set for the last few years) but the Vizio is very very nice IMO.

I can only start to see "scanlines" or screen door effect if I get within about 4 feet from the TV, at which point you start getting crosstalk w/ the 3d so it's kind of a moot point. At my normal seating position which puts the TV right at eye level around 6-7 feet away the 3d is great IMO. I can honestly say I can't see any scanlines effect at all. If you could I think you'd have to be trying pretty hard... Sounds like perhaps the bigger you go the more of a problem that could be, at 42" I'm more than happy with the quality of the image with mine.

From reading a few other reviews it actually sounds like the LGs may somehow be worse with the scanline effect than the Vizios, which doesn't make much sense as I thought LG provided the panels for Vizio... Perhaps LG has an issue w/ whatever hardware/firmware is involved w/ processing the images, beats me.

Oh, and I really don't think I notice any resolution drop, but I think the way your brain works the two half resolution images get combined back to make a more or less 1080p image anyway. People are definitely making alot more out of that than it really should be. It is definitely not even close to just being "540p". I think you'd need an active 3d tv sitting right there to directly compare to notice much of anything unless you're a real perfectionist.

Anyway, if you stop and look at this TV as basically a 120hz internet TV with virtually free passive 3d thrown in to the bargain then it's hard to beat. I was pricing other regular non-3d 42" 120hz internet connected TVs at this price range, and some didn't have built in WiFi. True you would probably get LED edgelit stuff for the $650 I spent but for a casual non-hardcore user this is great and the 3d is just the icing on the cake.

Just my .02, big thumbs up on the passive Vizio from me. Hopefully these passive sets really get the 3d tv adoption rate up, then they benefit all 3d fans whether you love em or hate em...

john_1958 · 07-16-2011, 09:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KS76

It may be possible that Best Buy did a poor setup of the 3D demo. I watched clips of IMAX Under the Sea and a game where a dragon came out of the screen, also a clip of a basketball game, but the scan lines or "screen door effect" were obvious and ugly on each clip. Are you saying you don't see these scan lines at all on your set at home? If so, then just wow at Best Buy for their demo setup.

saw demo at bestbuy where they had that under the sea and no i don't see the lines your refering to
loved the glasses as there is no battery and you can use theatre glasses as well

Bigups · 07-18-2011, 10:36 PM

I know that 3Dtv technology will be improved next year, but since I want a set now, what is the better option for passive- the Vizio 42? Vizio 47? The LG 47LW5600? My room is small and think the cheaper option is to get the Vizio 42" now and then get a sick one a year from now. But IDK, a 47" is just too good to pass up, but $300 more. Are the Vizio's that good for the price? Do you think the 3D is adequate for a 42 inch screen? Or do you think the 47" Vizio or LG passive would be the sweet spot?

The LG sets look slick at the stores and the 3D is good for me. Active is just too dark for me to sit there and accept a clear picture. Brightness is my #1 factor in 3D quality.

Cevolution · 07-19-2011, 02:44 AM

Active glasses are not really any darker than passive glasses. Why people think they are is because when u put active glasses on they are lighter to begin with (they are much lighter than passive glasses when u 1st put them on) and change to being darker once they are activated, but passive glasses are already tinted to the darker shade when u 1st put them on. When u 1st put active glasses on they don't really change the brightness at all, everything looks the same as it did before putting the glasses on. The problem is that when people put any type of eye wear on they expect any changes in brightness to be instant, but with active glasses it is not, so when they change from being lighter to darker after people have had them on for 10-20 seconds, it throws them off, because they weren't expecting it. By active glasses working in this way it makes some people believe they are seeing a darker image than what they do with passive.

I would almost bet that most people who complain about active glasses being darker than passive (when they are about the same) are also the ones who use vivid or standard modes on their tv's instead of cinema mode, because they don't like how much cinema mode appears to darken up the image when they change between the modes to compare them.

partridge · 07-19-2011, 01:21 PM

jeez, talk about "defending your purchase"!! You "active" guys don't like passive at all do you!

You can talk about facts all you want, but today I've read half a dozen reviews of an LG passive set and the average score was 9/10, the reviewers found that the drop in resolution was barely noticeable, that the viewing angle was better, that the experience was less tiring for the eyes and the picture was brighter. You get 7 pairs of glasses in the box, all of which are compatible with cinema 3D too. They even make clip on lenses if you already wear prescription specs and you can get a spare set of prescription glasses polarised to work with these tv's for even more comfort and convenience.

In other words any negatives are more than compensated for by the positives.

I'm considering a 3D tv and odds on it will be a passive model, I can live with a slight drop in resolution for the overall convenience these sets offer. I don't want flickering lights, I don't want to have to charge the glasses up continually to ensure they don't suddenly switch off and I'd like the option to have more than 2 people watching at a time and not have to pay out stupid money for a set of glasses that only work on that particular set!

Active may have the edge of full HD, but for most viewers the difference is barely there. If you're going to go looking for problems, you'll always find them!

LG and Sony are apparently in talks about passive technology, watch this space...

partridge · 07-19-2011, 01:30 PM

I'm considering the 42" version of that set, so you recommend it then? My family are not interested in active glasses; price and weight, etc, but we have no problem with the light as a feather passive glasses which I understand are also available as clip ons if you wear prescriptive glasses

Do you have a PS3 by any chance? What are games like on this set as I've read the set suffers input lag?

Blu Myers · 07-19-2011, 03:54 PM

My 47LW5600 will be delivered today! I'll let you guys know what I think once I get it going. Can't wait.

Also, I picked up 3 more pairs of glasses from the theater this weekend, and they were the limited Harry Potter ones. So all together I already have 6 pairs.

TWright · 07-19-2011, 09:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by partridge

jeez, talk about "defending your purchase"!! You "active" guys don't like passive at all do you!

Personally I think the cheap passive sets are a boon for the industry and I welcome that. Even though the quality is reported to be less than on active sets (I personally can't say because I've never viewed a passive set), more of the general public will be drawn to those sets due to the cheap entry price and the more comfortable (and even cheaper) glasses. The more people that embrace the technology then the more future 3DBD releases we'll see, and the more manufacturer interest there will be in improving the technology in the future.

Blu Myers · 07-20-2011, 04:03 AM

I received my 47LW5600 today and let me just say WOW! It far exceeded my expectations. The picture is just jaw dropping gorgeous. I was a little worried at first because I've never dealt with the "soap opera" effect before, which was a default setting. One quick search in this thread and I found out how to disable it.

Now on to the 3D. My player of choice is the PS3 and it doesn't disappoint. I was skeptical about Passive 3D tech being that the glasses were pretty much free, but the 3D is the finest I've ever seen on this set, and I've tried Samsung and Panasonic active setups, and to my eyes they don't compete. The title I tried were Tangled and Resident Evil: Afterlife and both displayed amazing depth. I didn't notice any screen door effect whatsoever.

I also tried a few blu-rays and dvds. Not only did the blu-rays look amazingly sharp, but to my surprise the dvds shined as well.

TWright · 07-20-2011, 04:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by leem6453

I also tried a few blu-rays and dvds. Not only did the blu-rays look amazingly sharp, but to my surprise the dvds shined as well.

The PS3 upconverts DVDs which makes them look pretty good from across the room (8 or 9 feet on a 55" screen), but if you get close enough (5' or so) you'll really see the difference in image quality between BD and DVD. BD continues to look crisp and detailed whereas DVDs start to look a little fuzzy. There are players that unconvert better than the PS3, but considering the PS3 is a gaming system rather than a dedicated player it's a bonus that it does as well as it does. Congrats on your new set!

Blu Myers · 07-20-2011, 12:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TWright

The PS3 upconverts DVDs which makes them look pretty good from across the room (8 or 9 feet on a 55" screen), but if you get close enough (5' or so) you'll really see the difference in image quality between BD and DVD. BD continues to look crisp and detailed whereas DVDs start to look a little fuzzy. There are players that unconvert better than the PS3, but considering the PS3 is a gaming system rather than a dedicated player it's a bonus that it does as well as it does. Congrats on your new set!

Agreed, no DVD is going to compare to Blu-ray in terms of PQ. Thanks and loving the new set so far.

ObiWanShinobi · 07-20-2011, 05:43 PM

So is the picture nice and sharp? Do you notice the difference with the lower resolution?

PaulGo · 07-20-2011, 08:38 PM

I was at Costco and they got in the Passive 3D LCD set. The only feature I liked were the lightweight 3D g;asses which is similar to the Real 3D glasses you get in the movies. The 3D picture quality was not good. You could see jaggy lines on some items plus it it almost appears like a tube set with scan lines. The 3D illusion was good, but overall I was very disappointed.

Blu Myers · 07-21-2011, 12:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ObiWanShinobi

So is the picture nice and sharp? Do you notice the difference with the lower resolution?

I can definitely notice a difference between HD cable and blu-rays. I would even say that most of my DVDs look better than HD cable on this set. All are hooked up via HDMI btw.

partridge · 07-21-2011, 07:17 AM

Have you played any games yet, I've read reviews that claim it suffers from lag, but I've also ready forums where owners haven't noticed lag when playing (it would notice most of FPS or games where timing is critical)

I'm looking at the 42" version of this set and would be interested in your views of the set you bought.

KS76 · 07-21-2011, 08:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by partridge

Have you played any games yet, I've read reviews that claim it suffers from lag, but I've also ready forums where owners haven't noticed lag when playing (it would notice most of FPS or games where timing is critical)

I'm looking at the 42" version of this set and would be interested in your views of the set you bought.

I've read that playing on 'Game Mode' solves any lag issues. I have a friend who has the 47" Vizio Passive set and he said he hasn't noticed any lag on Game mode.
Overall I'd prefer a passive set due to the fact that I already have about 4 pairs of passive glasses at home, and 2 kids sized all from the local theater. I need to see a demo of a blu-ray3D playing on the passive set, because I think my local best buy may have been using a inferior source on their LG demo.
My friend with the passive Vizio said he hadn't noticed any scan lines and said the resolution drop when watching BD3D was not really noticeable. However the LG demo I saw at Best Buy was just plain bad.

partridge · 07-21-2011, 09:29 AM

You'd think shops would take the time to set their sets up properly, but I've seen the same LG set in two different shops, both demoing 3D; one looked great, the other was terrible. I guess it comes down to the technical ability of the shop staff.

Blu Myers · 07-21-2011, 03:37 PM

KS76 is right. I've also read selecting "Game" Mode fixes the lag issue. I haven't tried out any games yet because I'm not a gamer. But my son does have some PS3 games, so I'll have him try it out and let you know the result.

I will say that the 3D is phenomenal on this set. The TV almost looks like a portal in 3D mode. I've seen active sets demoed at Best Buy and Sears and they don't compare imo. I've tried the 2D to 3D feature and it does give whatever you're watching a nice 3D effect. Of course it's not as strong as actual 3D material, but standard blu-ray editions of Avatar and My Bloody Valentine were pretty immersive.

The cheap 3D glasses is a nice bonus. I have 6 pairs from the theater and 4 that came with the TV. My kids are having a 3D movie night with their friends this weekend.

View Poll Results: Which do you think is better active or passive?
Active	101	61.21%
Passive	64	38.79%
Voters: 165. You may not vote on this poll

07-19-2011, 02:44 AM	#66
Cevolution Banned Top ranked HT gallery Top contributor Member since:Nov 2010 Location:Sydney, Australia Home Theater Gallery:23 4K collection:668 Blu-ray collection:3104 Trading Score:8	Active glasses are not really any darker than passive glasses. Why people think they are is because when u put active glasses on they are lighter to begin with (they are much lighter than passive glasses when u 1st put them on) and change to being darker once they are activated, but passive glasses are already tinted to the darker shade when u 1st put them on. When u 1st put active glasses on they don't really change the brightness at all, everything looks the same as it did before putting the glasses on. The problem is that when people put any type of eye wear on they expect any changes in brightness to be instant, but with active glasses it is not, so when they change from being lighter to darker after people have had them on for 10-20 seconds, it throws them off, because they weren't expecting it. By active glasses working in this way it makes some people believe they are seeing a darker image than what they do with passive. I would almost bet that most people who complain about active glasses being darker than passive (when they are about the same) are also the ones who use vivid or standard modes on their tv's instead of cinema mode, because they don't like how much cinema mode appears to darken up the image when they change between the modes to compare them. Last edited by Cevolution; 07-19-2011 at 02:49 AM.

07-19-2011, 01:21 PM	#67
partridge Blu-ray Ninja Member since:Oct 2005 Location:England	jeez, talk about "defending your purchase"!! You "active" guys don't like passive at all do you! You can talk about facts all you want, but today I've read half a dozen reviews of an LG passive set and the average score was 9/10, the reviewers found that the drop in resolution was barely noticeable, that the viewing angle was better, that the experience was less tiring for the eyes and the picture was brighter. You get 7 pairs of glasses in the box, all of which are compatible with cinema 3D too. They even make clip on lenses if you already wear prescription specs and you can get a spare set of prescription glasses polarised to work with these tv's for even more comfort and convenience. In other words any negatives are more than compensated for by the positives. I'm considering a 3D tv and odds on it will be a passive model, I can live with a slight drop in resolution for the overall convenience these sets offer. I don't want flickering lights, I don't want to have to charge the glasses up continually to ensure they don't suddenly switch off and I'd like the option to have more than 2 people watching at a time and not have to pay out stupid money for a set of glasses that only work on that particular set! Active may have the edge of full HD, but for most viewers the difference is barely there. If you're going to go looking for problems, you'll always find them! LG and Sony are apparently in talks about passive technology, watch this space... Last edited by partridge; 07-19-2011 at 01:26 PM.

07-19-2011, 03:54 PM	#69
Blu Myers Blu-ray Knight Top contributor Member since:Sep 2007 Location:Haddonfield, IL Home Theater Gallery:17 4K collection:37 Blu-ray collection:655 Digital collection:10 Blu-ray reviews:3 Trading Score:108	My 47LW5600 will be delivered today! I'll let you guys know what I think once I get it going. Can't wait. Also, I picked up 3 more pairs of glasses from the theater this weekend, and they were the limited Harry Potter ones. So all together I already have 6 pairs. Last edited by Blu Myers; 07-19-2011 at 03:57 PM.

07-20-2011, 04:03 AM	#71
Blu Myers Blu-ray Knight Top contributor Member since:Sep 2007 Location:Haddonfield, IL Home Theater Gallery:17 4K collection:37 Blu-ray collection:655 Digital collection:10 Blu-ray reviews:3 Trading Score:108	I received my 47LW5600 today and let me just say WOW! It far exceeded my expectations. The picture is just jaw dropping gorgeous. I was a little worried at first because I've never dealt with the "soap opera" effect before, which was a default setting. One quick search in this thread and I found out how to disable it. Now on to the 3D. My player of choice is the PS3 and it doesn't disappoint. I was skeptical about Passive 3D tech being that the glasses were pretty much free, but the 3D is the finest I've ever seen on this set, and I've tried Samsung and Panasonic active setups, and to my eyes they don't compete. The title I tried were Tangled and Resident Evil: Afterlife and both displayed amazing depth. I didn't notice any screen door effect whatsoever. I also tried a few blu-rays and dvds. Not only did the blu-rays look amazingly sharp, but to my surprise the dvds shined as well. Last edited by Blu Myers; 07-20-2011 at 04:06 AM.

07-15-2011, 06:28 PM	#62
doby New Member Member since:Jul 2011	I looked at a lot of 3d tvs myself. But with 2 adults and 3 kids watching a movie with active glasses was just not ideal. I ended up with the Passive Vizio and couldnt be any happier. Sure you see lines if your a foot or two from the screen but at normal viewing distance its great. To me its as sharp as any other tv and the 3d is great. And the apps are a nice bonus. When my 1 year old grabbed the glasses of my face and threw them....then yep, a good decision!

07-16-2011, 01:17 AM	#63
VRFan New Member Member since:Jul 2011	I ordered the passive Vizio 42" E3D420VX last week from Amazon and received it a few days ago. Admittedly I'm a newb on the forum and not a hardcore "Videophile" (I was making due with a 32" 720p set for the last few years) but the Vizio is very very nice IMO. I can only start to see "scanlines" or screen door effect if I get within about 4 feet from the TV, at which point you start getting crosstalk w/ the 3d so it's kind of a moot point. At my normal seating position which puts the TV right at eye level around 6-7 feet away the 3d is great IMO. I can honestly say I can't see any scanlines effect at all. If you could I think you'd have to be trying pretty hard... Sounds like perhaps the bigger you go the more of a problem that could be, at 42" I'm more than happy with the quality of the image with mine. From reading a few other reviews it actually sounds like the LGs may somehow be worse with the scanline effect than the Vizios, which doesn't make much sense as I thought LG provided the panels for Vizio... Perhaps LG has an issue w/ whatever hardware/firmware is involved w/ processing the images, beats me. Oh, and I really don't think I notice any resolution drop, but I think the way your brain works the two half resolution images get combined back to make a more or less 1080p image anyway. People are definitely making alot more out of that than it really should be. It is definitely not even close to just being "540p". I think you'd need an active 3d tv sitting right there to directly compare to notice much of anything unless you're a real perfectionist. Anyway, if you stop and look at this TV as basically a 120hz internet TV with virtually free passive 3d thrown in to the bargain then it's hard to beat. I was pricing other regular non-3d 42" 120hz internet connected TVs at this price range, and some didn't have built in WiFi. True you would probably get LED edgelit stuff for the $650 I spent but for a casual non-hardcore user this is great and the 3d is just the icing on the cake. Just my .02, big thumbs up on the passive Vizio from me. Hopefully these passive sets really get the 3d tv adoption rate up, then they benefit all 3d fans whether you love em or hate em...

07-18-2011, 10:36 PM	#65
Bigups New Member Member since:Jul 2011	I know that 3Dtv technology will be improved next year, but since I want a set now, what is the better option for passive- the Vizio 42? Vizio 47? The LG 47LW5600? My room is small and think the cheaper option is to get the Vizio 42" now and then get a sick one a year from now. But IDK, a 47" is just too good to pass up, but $300 more. Are the Vizio's that good for the price? Do you think the 3D is adequate for a 42 inch screen? Or do you think the 47" Vizio or LG passive would be the sweet spot? The LG sets look slick at the stores and the 3D is good for me. Active is just too dark for me to sit there and accept a clear picture. Brightness is my #1 factor in 3D quality.

07-19-2011, 01:30 PM	#68
partridge Blu-ray Ninja Member since:Oct 2005 Location:England	I'm considering the 42" version of that set, so you recommend it then? My family are not interested in active glasses; price and weight, etc, but we have no problem with the light as a feather passive glasses which I understand are also available as clip ons if you wear prescriptive glasses Do you have a PS3 by any chance? What are games like on this set as I've read the set suffers input lag?

07-20-2011, 05:43 PM	#74
ObiWanShinobi Power Member Member since:Nov 2010 Location:Jackson, MS Blu-ray collection:407 Blu-ray reviews: 1	So is the picture nice and sharp? Do you notice the difference with the lower resolution?

07-20-2011, 08:38 PM	#75
PaulGo Power Member Top contributor Member since:Aug 2007 Location:North Potomac, MD	I was at Costco and they got in the Passive 3D LCD set. The only feature I liked were the lightweight 3D g;asses which is similar to the Real 3D glasses you get in the movies. The 3D picture quality was not good. You could see jaggy lines on some items plus it it almost appears like a tube set with scan lines. The 3D illusion was good, but overall I was very disappointed.

07-21-2011, 07:17 AM	#77
partridge Blu-ray Ninja Member since:Oct 2005 Location:England	Have you played any games yet, I've read reviews that claim it suffers from lag, but I've also ready forums where owners haven't noticed lag when playing (it would notice most of FPS or games where timing is critical) I'm looking at the 42" version of this set and would be interested in your views of the set you bought.

07-21-2011, 09:29 AM	#79
partridge Blu-ray Ninja Member since:Oct 2005 Location:England	You'd think shops would take the time to set their sets up properly, but I've seen the same LG set in two different shops, both demoing 3D; one looked great, the other was terrible. I guess it comes down to the technical ability of the shop staff.

07-21-2011, 03:37 PM	#80
Blu Myers Blu-ray Knight Top contributor Member since:Sep 2007 Location:Haddonfield, IL Home Theater Gallery:17 4K collection:37 Blu-ray collection:655 Digital collection:10 Blu-ray reviews:3 Trading Score:108	KS76 is right. I've also read selecting "Game" Mode fixes the lag issue. I haven't tried out any games yet because I'm not a gamer. But my son does have some PS3 games, so I'll have him try it out and let you know the result. I will say that the 3D is phenomenal on this set. The TV almost looks like a portal in 3D mode. I've seen active sets demoed at Best Buy and Sears and they don't compare imo. I've tried the 2D to 3D feature and it does give whatever you're watching a nice 3D effect. Of course it's not as strong as actual 3D material, but standard blu-ray editions of Avatar and My Bloody Valentine were pretty immersive. The cheap 3D glasses is a nice bonus. I have 6 pairs from the theater and 4 that came with the TV. My kids are having a 3D movie night with their friends this weekend.

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