Who has a 3D television? Opinions & Movie Recs, plz...

[megabyteme]

If I hadn't come across the WD player, I think I would have gone the same direction as you for media playback. There is so much that can be put into a PC- yet alone inexpensively AND with fairly easy upgrade-ability that I am somewhat surprised there is such a thing as "high-end" audio these days. With digital switching amps, software upgrades, etc.

The reasons for a PC based system running XBMC are many. First of all running a PC expanding storage is simply a matter of either upgrading the size of, or adding another hard drive. The LC16M silverstone home theater case can support up to 7 3.5 internal drives + DVD/BD-Rom drive + multicard reader so the expansion capabilities are large. the two 3.5" cages at either end support 3x3.5" drives each with an optional 120mm fan mountable at the front of the cage.

XBMC itself is a great application, it is skinnable with multiple skins designed by the community. The real beauty though is the database scrapers. You can set the contents of a drive to be scanned by a scraper and it will load media information for the contents of the drive. This means with a movie drive, the scraper will load the movie poster, along with a synopsis of the movie and fan art. You can also have it scrape additional information like actors etc.

If it is a music drive it will download the album artwork as well as synopsis info about the album, tracks list etc, and has separate categories for movies, TV, music, music videos. There are also many plugins available, for instance I have a couple of movie preview plugins and can watch movie trailers at fullscreen resolution on my TV via XBMC, it even lists the latest, most popular etc movie trailers. I also have plugins installed to access content from the local tv stations, so if there is a show I have missed I can watch it via XBMC.

As to the second part of the quote, HDMI has greatly simplified interconnecting A/V devices and with a decent modern graphics card installed into a computer connected via HDMI the signal quality is superb. There will always be an argument for separate components, when I had the money I had a monster of a monoblock setup, but a family has a habit of changing your priorities. Separate components will always give better fidelity simply because there is less interference, but the cost of separate components these days is quite prohibitive, you can spend the cost of a new car quite easily, but there is a difference. The competition for the home theater market has seen alot of 'high-end' features become mainstream and this is a good thing, but there will always be the true audiophile experience.

I've got a PC in the bedroom feeding a 37"(?) Philips LCD. I think I will have to revisit the XBMC software. I spent maybe 20 minutes with it once, and then returned to VLC.

My twins are now 19 months old. I FULLY understand the effects family has on a stereo system. (TBH, the experience has really been more of than anything else.)

Even if I could afford "high-end" at this point, I really don't know if I would. The Onkyo TX808 has yet to disappoint me in ANY way. Also, the heat produced by my 4 separate amplifiers in the theater is an issue- yet alone the cost of the electricity meter spinning off its axis when they are fired up (yeah, that's one of the first true signs of being a parent). There just aren't the shortcomings of a moderately priced stereo/theater system the way they were 15+ years ago. Sure there's still some crap being sold to unsuspecting consumers, but the limits of human hearing are more real than many of the "details" high-end dealers would have them believe. Even limitations of 2-channel speaker design has been overcome by multi-channel systems.

Look at the improvements in speakers alone. The driver materials have gotten vastly lighter. If properly designed, low distortion and flat frequency response are no longer limited to exotics. Cabinets are more rigid, and many of the experimental gimmicky driver configurations have come and gone. What's available cheaply now couldn't be had for 4+ times the price 20 years ago. My Polks are a perfect example of this.

FTMP, the remainder of components (unless poorly designed) don't effect the end sound significantly enough to cause concern. Times are good- music and movies for everyone!

[IdolEyes787]

I don't know about you but I think investing a ton of money just so "The Biggest Loser" sounds a bit better is kinda stupid.

The chick is the Australian version is hawt so a could see a better TV being a consideration though.

[megabyteme]

You don't know what you are missing, Idol. With a sophisticated sound system, and a proper sub woofer, "The Biggest Loser" sounds just like you are standing in line at Wal-Mart. You are transported directly to the world of wheezing, grunting, and palpitating. If it were any more lifelike, you would need a towel to dry the sweat off.

[manker]

I bought a 3Dtv a couple of months ago. I'd always considered it a gimmick but that was only because I wanted to justify not having one.
I needed a new tellybox anyway and as they weren't that much more expensive, I'd have been foolish not to.

The concern expressed above with regard to throwing the baby out with the bathwater is unfounded as new hdmi cables cost me approximately £9, my other hardware remains the same. I'd never owned a BluRay player before, as I only play movies and tv shows that I've downloaded from the internets, my PC is hooked up to the TV for that purpose - but I bought a reconditioned one from Ebay for £50 for the hell of it. It was mainly to see if the 3D effects on a BR disc were better than that displayed when viewing a 3D film that I downloaded.
They are, but not so much so that I'm tempted to add to my collection of one solitary BluRay disc (Piranha; Kelly Brook's tits in 3D ftw )

There is a 2D to 3D function on the tv, but when this is applied, the results aren't anything someone who isn't mental would enjoy watching.

It's active 3D which means the glasses are pretty expensive. The tv came with two pairs, so I went back to Ebay and bought the proper Samsung active shutter glasses for an average of £30 per pair. They all work fine and they retail at circa £95. So that was nice. I got the feeling that the people I bought them from were selling the extra pair that came free with their telly, which made me feel good as watching a film for me is frequently a social thing - rather than a solitary wankpit affair.


I feel that I should write some kind of review for you people:

3Dtv is good.

[megabyteme]

3Dtv is good.

Thanks for the first-hand review, manker. I'm in the market (near future, anyways) for a new PC monitor, and may spend a bit extra then to try it out via that system first. There are enough movies available on BT sites to give it a fair shot.

[manker]

I've got most of mine from the 3D section in tpb.
The Green Hornet was particularly good in 3D.
When you get your monitor, I'd be happy to PM you a few links of the torrents I DL'd. There are a few crappy encodes out there too.

[megabyteme]

Thanks, manker. I expect our finances will allow for the purchase around mid-January. The wife should be getting a bonus, and our tax return will arrive around that time, as well. I will keep your offer in mind.