A Samsung 3D Experience

I went down to Takashimaya on Monday for a shopping trip for an evening dress for (lots of 'fors' there!) my youngest sister's upcoming wedding dinner.

And as luck would have it, there was a TV show at Taka Square!

I went to have a quick look at the two TVs I am eyeing and asked for their updated prices.

They dropped again by just a couple of weeks' difference!

Sony NX720 would go for $4017 if you took up the credit card promotion and bought it based on 24-month-interest-free instalment while Samsung would be about $4200 if you took up the same promotion.

Very attractive indeed!

I did a quick comparison of the 3D function between the two TVs. In fact, the comparison was between Sony NX925 (the highest-end model of Sony) and Samsung D8000 as NX720's 55-incher was not on display.

I tried the Samsung 3D first, thinking that it couldn't be more different than my Lava Girl experience* at LG's 2D-to-3D transformation, and I was (almost) entirely impressed!

* I had read a ton on the internet about how impressive LG's passive 3D was and that passive 3D was the way to go, and how LG has this incredible, state-of-the-art technology to transform 2D definition images into 3D, so you could watch Standard Definition Channels like Channel News Asia in 3D.

I had a go at the 2D-to-3D at a Gain City outlet and was sorely disappointed.

Eons ago, I had watched a 3D movie about a Lava Girl and Shark Boy in honour of Coco. We wore those cheap-looking, disposable 3D glasses at the movie. And the experience made me swear off 3D pictures. Colours were dull, 3D was not evident - the images were merely blops of bobbing and slow-popping selected parts of pictures. At some point, I was fed up with the so-called 3D effects and took the paper glasses down.

LG's 2D-to-3D transformation had the same effects. Perhaps I should have tried the passive 3D function but the transformation was so distasteful that I did not even bother to try the actual 3D.

So back to Samsung experience:

The images were exactly like what was advertised! The pictures were some aviation images and the jet was moving slowly towards us. It felt very real! A set of humongous wheels was moving in a circular motion and swinging slowly towards us - oh my gosh - it looked as though it was swinging out at me as the image loomed bigger and bigger! I got a little worried but the wheels were cut off by the bezel at the bottom as they were swinging towards me. I felt like a child again - believing that something in the gogglebox was emerging as live. Wow! An out-of-the-world experience for me there!

Perhaps the video played had a part in it too, but coming from someone who thinks little of the Science Centre's Omni Theatre effects, the deliverable was indeed impressive!

My sister got my little one to try viewing from the 3D goggles and after watching for a few seconds, she pushed the goggles away and covered her eyes like she was frightened by the huge aircraft coming towards her. So cute!

I quickly went to Sony NX925, in heightened anticipation, and tried out the 3D function as the salesguy said that NX720 enjoys exactly the same 3D technology as its higher-end counterpart.

Unfortunately, the test was a letdown.

The Sony was featuring underwater images with changing flow of water and medium-sized sea creatures swimming around.

But the effect did not stand out. In fact, compared to Samsung, the experience was forgettable - or rather, better to be forgotten. The goggles itself had different degrees on each side! It made the viewing for a few seconds dizzying.

I got Coco to try out 3D on Sony (first) and she was intrigued. Quoted from her,"They look like they are coming towards me!"

When I took her to Samsung and got her to try the same function, she said,"They look like they are coming towards me!" (again!)

When asked which one was better, without telling her our preference, she said without hesitation,"This one (Samsung) is better."

She could feel that Samsung images were sharper. I thought it amazing to have that coming from a non-techie child!

So I am quite set on Samsung.

But I am still waiting for the price to drop. SITEX is coming.

While gushing about how impressive Samsung's 3D was, my elder sister said,"I read that in the near future, we will be able to watch 3D without glasses."

Intrigued, I asked,"How soon?"

She quipped,"How should I know?"