Vizio becomes the latest manufacturer to jump on the 3D bandwagon by announcing they plan to show their 3D HDTVs at CEA Line Shows in New York City which starts today. The sets will be 42, 47" and 55" featuring LED backlights, with "Smart Dimming" technology. Localized dimming helps improve the contrast ratio of the display and yields a better image. They will also incorporate Vizio's wireless connectivity features to connect to devices such as set top boxes and Blu-ray players. They will also sport high refresh rates (480hz) which in conjunction with the 3D will allow smooth motion as well as Vizio's internet connectivity features. These sets are not expected to arrive until the 4th quarter. Since MSRPs have not been released it is hard to determine how these sets will stack up against currently available Samsung and Panasonic sets as well as the forthcoming LG and Sony sets.
Whether or not the high refresh rate will help in practice remains to be seen until the actual product arrives on store shelves. 3D sets I've demoed can have motion blur at the currently common refresh rates especially in panning shots whether its from the shutter rates of the glasses or from the panel in the TV itself. Hopefully the upgrade to 480hz eliminates this problem.
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Actually Vizio was one of the early ones announce and show 3D sets. They showed off their 72 inch 3D TV in January of this year. There are youtube videos showing it as well. Also MSRP's have been released and quoted from Vizio reps. They will trounce the prices of competitors. The 47 inch $1999, 55 inch around $2499, and the 72 inch will be around $3500. According to someone who's seen the 72 inch set in person, they had favorable things to say about the 3D and set in general. Especially that since it was big that it seemed more immersive and it allowed plane wing to almost hit him in the nose. So it looks very promising.. Refresh, and update are apparently good. The point is it needs to look good and be near the limit of what the eye can perceive, but beyond that is not needed. After that size is important.
I couldn't post links but Google:
"VIZIO Launches NEW XVT Pro™ Series of Advanced HDTV Technology"
"Vizio kicks off the CES 3D TV parade : Ben Patterson : Yahoo!
Also even though they are often thought of as a secondary company, Vizio has gone after 3D in a big way and is one of the leaders this year. In the early articles they mention that no prices are announced for glasses, but that's changed. They mention Xpand glasses that will be about $139 to $149 each. Also as of June they have announced they will have added a passive 3D set to their line which allows for cheaper polarized glasses. However, I heard somewhere else that the shutter glasses would be more accurate. Not sure, but I will continue to check that out.
I neglected to mention the 72" set in this article, I was mainly going off what Vizio had to say for the show. If I recall correctly it is also going to be a cinema wide aspect ratio. I hope the increased refresh rate helps, motion blur is still visible on the 3D LCDs I've demoed personally.
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