It is time for another 3D monitor review, this time of the 23-inch Philips 236G3DHSB passive 3D monitor that promises nice 3D features, good performance at an attractive price point. This Philips monitor uses passive 3D technology (FPR 3D) on top of an TN LCD panel withe matte screen not a glossy one, it features two HDMI 1.4 interfaces with support for frame packaged content as well as Side by Side and Over/Under and there is also a built-in 2D to 3D conversion functionality. It seems to deliver what pretty much all other passive 3D monitors offer you, but the real question is what you can expect from the monitor in terms of performance and especially how good it handles stereo 3D content.
Philips 236G3DHSB Specifications:
- Panel Size: 23-inches (58.4cm)
- Monitor Type: TN TFT-LCD with LED Backlight
- 3D Technology: FPR 3D Technology
- Pixel Pitch: 0.265×0.265mm
- Brightness: 250 cd/m2
- Contrast Ratio (typ.): 1000:1
- SmartContrast: 20,000,000:1
- Response Time (typ.): 5ms
- SmartResponse Time (typ.): 2ms
- Viewing Angles: 170° (H) / 160° (V) @ C/R > 10
- 3D Viewing Angle: 80° (H) / 12° (V) @ 3D CT < 10
- Input: 2x HDMI 1.4, 1x VGA
- Power Consumption: On Mode 28.39W (typ.); Sleep (Standby) 0.5W; Off 0.3W
- Phys. Dimension with Stand (WxHxD): 566x426x219 mm
- Weight with stand: 3.26kg
What kind of surprised me here in a good way is that Philips, unlike most other manufacturers of FPR 3D displays lists the specifications for both 2D and 3D mode of the monitor. They list 12 degrees of vertical viewing angle (6 up and 6 down from the center) for when in 3D mode, something that most others kind of miss to mention in their specifications, and not everyone knows about the very narrow vertical viewing angle that is actually common for the passive 3D technology. And this technology limitation is more of a problem for the passive 3D monitors, because you watch them from closer distance, than for 3D HDTVs where you have larger screen that you watch from a distance. The other common drawback for passive 3D technology is the half vertical resolution you get when in stereoscopic 3D mode, though the technology also has its advantages over active 3D solutions as well. These are things like more affordable glasses, no flickering etc.
With the monitor you get two pairs of passive 3D glasses, one is traditional with full frame (the lenses are solid plastic, not from foil) and the other one is a clip on to use over prescription glasses. So not the cheapest possible solution for the 3D glasses, and the lenses and the frame are comfortably big as I’ve seen other manufacturers presenting a bit smaller and not so comfortable glasses. The good thing with passive 3D technology is that you can easily find a lot of alternatives for 3D glasses that will be compatible, from more affordable traditional solutions to specially made designer glasses, they just need to be compatible with the RealD technology that is also used in many 3D movie theaters.
As already mentioned, this monitor has two HDMI 1.4 inputs and supports Frame Packaged 3D input, but you should be aware that using this is not always the best choice, especially if you plan on using the 3D monitor for gaming. HDMI 1.4 frame packaging is limited to 720p 50/60Hz 3D (good for gaming) ор 1080p 24Hz 3D (good for movies), and while you also get support for Side by Side (both L-R and R-L) and Top/Bottom and Bottom-Top modes that you can manually activate from the monitor menu, these do come with additional reduction in resolution resulting in not so good quality on top of the already halved vertical resolution that you get with FPR 3D. One of the best things of the passive 3D monitors however is that regardless of what interface you are using you can directly feed them with Row Interleaved 3D data and have it displayed in stereo 3D, and this is the best choice for gaming as it helps in minimizing the input lag and gives you the best possible resolution and refresh rate you can get out of the monitor – 1080p at 60Hz in stereo 3D mode with half vertical resolution. The monitor comes with the TriDef 3D software as a solution for playing games in stereo 3D mode, though if a game (of application) has native stereoscopic 3D support and works with Row Interleaved output you can directly use that without the need of intermediate software.
Special thanks to our reviewer, 3D Vision Blog.