3D may be all but dead, at least on TV, but plenty of 3D films are still coming out in theaters and on Blu-ray. “The Hobbit.” “Pacific Rim.” “Man of Steel.” “Thor: The Dark World.” “The Wolverine.” “Cars.” “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2.” “Gravity.”
And numerous TVs are available with 3D capability — and include the requisite glasses — to handle playing those movies in the home. Until now, however, they all demanded severe picture quality sacrifices when you donned the glasses.
That is, until 4K resolution TVs with passive 3D came along. I just finished reviewing my first one, Toshiba’s 65L9300U, and it delivered the cleanest, most artifact-free 3D image of any TV I’ve had in the lab. If you care about 3D TV — and don’t worry, I won’t judge you if you don’t — you’ll want to experience one for yourself.
When a 4K resolution TV uses passive 3D, however, the extra pixels play a much more obvious role. You still lose half the vertical resolution, but since there are so many more pixels, you can afford to lose it. 4K TVs (3,840×2,160-pixel resolution) with passive 3D, like the Toshiba L9300U, can still deliver greater than HD resolution in 3D, at 3,840×1,080 pixels per eye.
Damned if you’re active, damned if you’re passive… [Keep reading…]