Προσεχώς 3D

Hey all.

Quick backstory. LOVE 3d. Used to use e-dimensions on a ghosting to hell CRT back in the day. 
Got  a Samsung HL67A750 67inch DLP rear projection 3dtv shipped from the US  to me in Sydney, Australia bout a year and a half ago. 
Some of you  may remember my tale of woe, when it arrived with a smashed mirror. It  took me a YEAR to get fixed and working. All kinds of hassle with  insurance and shipping co's etc. 
BUT... it was worth it. Love my DLP  with 3dvision. Absolutely ZERO ghosting, which I think goes a long way  to explaining why I've never had a headache from hours of 3d gaming. 
Downsides...  the fact that it's checkerboard. I can see the half res in the image.  The 'shine' or whatever you call it that is the flaw produced from using  the checkerboard format for 3d. And i'm one of the few people who  really notices the rainbow effect from DLP too. And it's not as sharp an  image as you get from a flatscreen. Blacks can't compete with a plasma  for example. But I'm nitpicking. It's still all kinds of awesome.

So  when i heard Samsung/Sony/Panasonic are putting their new flat screen  3dtvs out over a year ago, I could not wait. I wanted to play Motorstorm  and Wipeout and Pain on the PS3 in 3D so bad, that i was gonna get one  of these new 3dtvs soon as they were available.

I knew PC gaming  was only gonna be 720p at 60hz from NVIDIA. And that stung at first a  bit. But then i thought... it won't be checkerboard! Full res! So a bit  of AA, and it'll look sweet enough. [IMG]http://www.mtbs3d.com/phpBB/images/smilies/icon_e_wink.gif[/IMG]

Of  course, then I saw the initial line up. Sony's and Samsung's LED  backlit 3dtvs. I was horrified as I was demoed a Samsung unit, trying to  understand how such a big company could dare try to kickstart the big  new 3d push by releasing something that provided such a  blurry/crosstalking ghosted-to-hell-and-back image. And I was amused as a  Sony rep showed me 'Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs' in their city  store, proclaiming '..and with our units... there's zero crosstalk...'  as it ghosted it's friggin ass off right in front of me.

But there was a light at the end of the tunnel. Plasmas were coming!
Then  they came... and more and more I read of tales of zero ghosting from  excited forum peeps and reviewers alike. Tales of the refresh rates of  plasmas having 1000x the refresh of LCDs. And hence, why plasma will be  back in a big way thanks to 3D. As LCDs can't compete with the ghostfree  3d images of Plasma.

And so... because there were none on show  floors, or in stock here in Sydney (since EVERYONE was trying to get one  for the World Cup or League State of Origin games at the time). I  double checked some reviews, and confidently went and ordered one from a  local store.
I waited 6 weeks.
I got it yesterday and set it up last night.
I turned on the PS3 and started playing Wipeout in 3D.
And  i have never seen so much goddamn ghosting in my life. (Exaggerated for  effect. My CRT from 7 years ago ghosted a little bit more TBH)
I try Super Stardust. Pain. More ghosting than a haunted house.
Refusing to give in I try a few games on the PC using tridef drivers.
To  be fair. SOME, actually worked quite well. Pure looked awesome, since  it's mostly bright, and has a smeary oversaturated look to it, reducing  your awareness of the ghosting (that was still there) . Bad Company 2,  being bright and washed out in the sandy sections meant you frequently  wouldn't notice the ghosting (that was still there). 
But all in all it was the same as it ever was. Anything bright near anything dark on screen ghosted substantially. 
I  say to myself...That's it then. I'm going to return it tomorrow, and  get the Panasonic, which absolutely doesn't ghost. I know so, coz i've  read at least 2 reviews on reputable sights saying so. And a zillion  Panasonic fanboys on forums evrywhere are claiming a ghost free  experience. Asta la vista Samsung. It's been real. I'm a Panasonic lad  now.
I call the store I bought it from. Turns out that they have a  Pansonic on the floor now. I ask if i can bring my PS3 to hook it up and  see for myself how well it copes. They say no problem. So I do.
I go in and watch some Astro Boy. Some deep sea footage. And play wipeout on it.
[B]Ghosty, ghosty.... friggin ghosty.[/B]
And  herein lies the problem. If you're somebody whose never seen/used DLP.  Or is coming from a smaller lcd monitor (where you've had to deal with  substantial ghosting already). Or maybe you saw the LED tvs, and then  saw that the plasmas were 'better'. Maybe you just watched some bright  demos in the shop. Played a game that lacked a lotta contrast between  items on the screen. Or at worst, you blew a bunch of cash on one of  these suckers, and just can't admit the 3D effect is at times simply  woeful, because then you (like me) would be an idiot early adopting beta  testing monkey, right? 
Whatever. They're all ghosting. Every one of  them. And it's unbelievable imho that they're out there for sale. If  the image from these things in 2D looked like the crappy one you get in  3D, they wouldn't sell a single one. Thankfully... most of them look  gorgeous in 2D. Which is why I'm keeping this for blurays. And I'll  continue gaming in 3D on my DLP.
But there it is ladies and gents.  Dont' belive the reviews. The jacked up fanboys in the forums. They ALL  ghost. Sony, Sammy, Panny. Plamsa and LCD, LED lit or no. Go see for  yourself... it's the only way.
This first gen is a lemon. Maybe  they'll find a way to get around this problem in future versions. I'm  not sure how. Coz from what I've read the last 24 hours, it all revolves  around the times it takes for phosphors to decay or turn on and off or  some such nonsense. At the moment they're not quick enough, and leave a  trail. Super fast refresh rate or not. But I'm no dude in a lab coat. So  I'd never assume to know what those crazy cats can think up to improve  it.
Right now tho... it's a double image fest. And if you like headaches. You're invited.   
Later. 
Ad