Deal on 3D glasses?

[savess]

Does Future Shop or Best Buy ever have deals? My nephew wants 3D glasses….
Thanks!!

[bhlombardy]

You first might need to determine if he has a 3DTV in the house... if not, then the 3D glasses, either passive or active (see below), are going to be of absolutely no use to him. Despite having a 3D TV, he ALSO will need a device that plays back content in 3D (A blu-ray player or a Playstation 3 for example).

After you've determined that he's all 3D ready then you can size up what he needs... but there's another caveat here. 3D Glasses are a very specific order.

You are going to need to know what he needs them for. That is to say, what his 3D requirements are (TV or display type mainly) and what he plans to view with them. Here are what you MIGHT be looking for:


PASSIVE GLASSES: Just like the ones you can get at the movie theatres, and currently in use by *SOME* LG, *SOME* Vizio, and *SOME* Toshiba models -- but they will ONLY work on these types of TVs, or at the movies. They are only a few bucks each (I've seen them as low as $18 for a 3 pack out of the US), but you can probably pick up a few at the theatre next time you go to out to a 3D movie.


ACTIVE SHUTTER GLASSES: These require batteries or are rechargable and are usually proprietary to 3DTV manufacturers. (ie: Sony glasses might not work on Samsung TVs, etc).

In the past year, however, manufacturers have seemingly come to a standard in active shutter glasses, and generic models ARE available -- HOWEVER, they ONLY work on NEWER TV models (in the past year), and their compatibilities ought to be specifically addressed.

Active shutter glasses typically sell for about $60 and up, depending on what you need and where you shop.


ANAGLYPH GLASSES (multicolored lenses) designed for use on TVs that are not designed for 3D, but these glasses also have a very limited use. Only movies and games specifically designed for these types of glasses would be compatible.

There are two 'accepted' types of anaglyph glases... ones with Red/Cyan lenses and ones with Magenta/Green lenses. And again, the content he wants to view will determine which glasses to get. -- I've seen these for sale for around $20-$30 each.

Some video games (most recently Batman Arkham City and Assassin's Creed Revelations) come with an insert on ordering a pair of the Green/Magenta from a company called TrioViz.


PC 3D... OR maybe he wants them for his computer, which is an entirely different beast altogether and need to be compatible with his video card and display (and again, require the 3D technology on his computer) NVidia I think are the only ones with a viable 3D on PC tecnology and their glasses are $100 (and require a compatible video card)


Again, unless you know the specific reason for why he wants them, you'll most likely wind up buying the wrong set. And for anyone here to suggest pricing or deals is tricky since it's all over the map, ranging from $6 to $100 or more.

[bhlombardy]

ALSO... He might be referring to the Sony Personal 3D Viewer. (Let's hope not... these are $800)

Sony's HMZT1 are a pair of goggles that fit over your head and have the display built right into them. They still require a 3D source (blu-ray player or PS3) but they don't require a TV to view the content in 3D. The display is built right into the goggles... a seperate OLED screen for each eye.

As well the headphone support a simulated 5.1 surround sound.

Seen here: http://store.sony.ca/webapp/wcs/stor...ditionalImage1

[savess]

Wow!! Thanks for the tips!!
My BIL sent me a link for Samsung 3D glasses, for $59.99. They are a techie family, so know exactly what they are talking about. I'm just wondering if I can get a better deal (naturally!).
Had no idea there was so much of this out there!!!

[bhlombardy]

Now that you know the brand, the next thing you'd want to be careful of is how "new" the TV is. As I suggested in my previous post, current generation TVs switched to an industry standard for compatability.

Sony DIDN'T change (older model 3D glasses work with new TVs)... I know this from personal experience. However, Samsung MAY have had to change... I dont know this for certain, but I notice that the Samsung model at FutureShop for $59 (model #: SSG-3100GB) says "Compatible with select 2011 3D-ready televisions" - As do other models... That might be a caution right there that these only work on the newer sets and not the older sets.

I'm not trying to discourage your efforts, I just hope you are able to pick up the right model glasses for him.

[savess]

I believe they are buying a new TV and blu ray or something. They picked these out themselves. Wow - you know a lot about this.

[bhlombardy]

I did a lot of research a few months back when I bought my 3DTV, and have been following it a bit since. I simply am passing on the knowledge. Hope it's been helpful.