Ask S&V

3D Obsolescence

Scott Wilkinson  |  Jul 5, 2011

I'm thinking about getting a Samsung UN46D7000 with my tax return this year. That means I'll have to upgrade my A/V receiver and HDMI cables, plus I plan to get a 3D Blu-ray player since the PS3 doesn't do 3D Blu-ray as well as a dedicated player.

The thing is, all this gear is made for 1080p at 24 frames per second, but filmmakers like James Cameron and Peter Jackson are talking about 48 and 60fps. If I buy now, am I just going to have to buy a new system again next year, or will the standard stay viable at least long enough to get some value out of the current generation of gear?

Nik

I think the standard will remain viable for quite some time, so I'd go ahead and make the investment. Blu-ray can support 1080p 2D and 3D at 24fps as well as 1080i at 25 (European) and 30fps, but I don't know if it can do 3D with those specs. I do know it cannot support 1080p at 48 or 60fps in 2D, so it sure can't do 3D at those speeds. The entire Blu-ray specification would have to be significantly updated to allow this, which ain't gonna happen any time soon. If Cameron and/or Jackson do shoot 3D at 48 or 60fps, it will have to be "downconverted" to 24fps for Blu-ray. For this reason, I hope they choose 48, which is much easier to convert to 24 than 60 is.

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