Nowadays, 3D technology is on the stage. Accompanied by new types of image errors, these image errors either completely disappear in 2D or occur rarely. I'm not saying that the 3D image is not viewable. In fact, the 3D projectors on the CES show are often stifling and lingering, and the dramatic 3D effects are endless. Yes, many consumers will enjoy the large amount of sensory stimulation and visual enjoyment brought about by 3D projection.

The 2011 International Consumer Electronics Show has already ended in Las Vegas, USA. As the world's largest consumer electronics show, it can be seen as the vane of the development of consumer electronics in 2011. Every year at CES, there will always be The products representing the forefront of science and technology are making a great appearance. The projector has become an important product to be displayed at the exhibition every year. In this exhibition, 3D Full HD home theater projector has been the most outstanding product for this exhibition. Including the JVC DLA-X9, LG CF3D, Mitsubishi HC9000D, Samsung SP-A8000, Sharp XV-Z17000 and Sony VPL-VW90ES, and based on the observation of live demonstrations of these products, we have reached the following conclusions:

1. Basically, these new models are excellent traditional projectors that represent the highest level of 2D TV and movie standards we have seen in digital projectors. Among these product demonstrations, only JVCDLA-X9 shows both 2D and 3D. We have seen the 2D picture of Mitsubishi Electric's HC9000 before, but at this exhibition it did not run in 2D. In terms of traditional 2D content, the picture quality of these models cannot be overstated. Although we failed to see Sony, Samsung, and Sharp’s 2D demos, we are also looking forward to seeing excellent 2D performance based on their 3D performance.

2. Although all these models have 3D capabilities, no single machine can perform 3D as well as 2D. With the current state-of-the-art technology, 3D projection introduces a large number of different types of image errors that 2D does not have. These image errors include ghosting, mealtimes, dropped frames, and brief elastic deformations of fast-moving objects. Sometimes the image has a greasy glow, as if you are watching through a cellophane. For those models that require a silver-plated screen (LG and any other two-machine system, such as the system demonstrated by Da-Lite), the screen itself will give the image a sense of flicker. Nothing appears on the white screen or the gray screen. All these image errors have reduced the viewing experience to some extent.

3. In these CES demos, although all 3D projectors exhibit obvious 3D image errors, different machines exhibit different degrees and frequencies. The frequency and intensity of image errors have a lot to do with what the manufacturer chooses to present. Some demo pieces are obviously more difficult to handle than others.

If we had to choose one of the best performing projectors, then it would be the Sharp XV-Z17000. Its picture is brighter and more stable than most competing models. Although not entirely free of image errors, the picture is extremely impressive (especially for aggressive pricing). However, Sharp's presentation is a fragment of the animated film "Desective Me", and this piece is likely to be the most challenging presentation at the show. We speculate that if other manufacturers also use the same segment, their projectors show fewer image errors than they actually do.

4. As usual, we cannot make any comparative evaluation of these new products at the exhibition because they all demonstrate different program contents under different conditions. The only way to get them up and running is to bring them back to Projector Central Lab and use the same 2D and 3D programs for evaluation. When we get the evaluation prototype, we will evaluate all these models, but because each manufacturer faces the additional challenge of listing 3D models, this year's product release cycle is slower than normal.

A Little Idea A decade ago, digital projectors also had a lot of image errors and flaws that were detrimental to the viewing experience. Deinterlacing image errors, pixel structures and screen effects, dead pixels, DLP rainbow effects, dust spots, etc. are all areas of dissatisfaction. Although these are completely different in nature, they all have one thing in common - they both distract the audience and interfere with the audience's investment in the story. They let you escape from another reality created by the movie and remind you to watch a defective projector in your own room.

In the past decade, the projector industry has made great strides in reducing or basically eliminating all these annoying flaws. Freezing is not a day, but year after year, the video processing technology becomes better and better, the resolution increases, the pixel grid becomes invisible, and the DLP color wheel speed increases. At the same time, color accuracy, contrast and black levels have been steadily increasing. Today, the latest level of technology in 2D is a stunningly clean picture that is approaching an almost perfect level.

Nowadays, 3D technology is on the stage. Accompanied by new types of image errors, these image errors either completely disappear in 2D or occur rarely. I'm not saying that the 3D image is not viewable. In fact, the 3D projectors on the CES show are often stifling and lingering, and the dramatic 3D effects are endless. Yes, many consumers will enjoy the large amount of sensory stimulation and visual enjoyment brought about by 3D projection.

At the same time, serious videophiles will find that these new image errors will eventually bring the same old problems as before - they distract the audience and undermine the investment in the story. Once you watch it for a long time, you will automatically think of the limitations of this technology, not the movie itself. And if you've watched Avatar in a 3D cinema and are looking forward to the same level of experience at home, you may be disappointed. None of the home theater projectors we saw at the CES show can present the refreshing and clean 3D effects that you can experience in commercial theaters.

We recommend that all buyers do not think that these new models are 3D projectors, but they should be regarded as excellent 2D projectors that happen to have 3D capabilities. They are good for occasional 3D content appreciation. And, some types of 3D programs are more suitable for 3D playback than other types of programs—the first thing I think of is animated movies and video games.

The presence of 3D image errors does not stop people from buying these models, just as the presence of 2D image errors has not prevented people from buying 2D models in the past decade. People always like the experience of home theater big screens, and people can always endure the inherent defects of the technology level at that time. Until recently, the biggest “image error” we faced was still the monetary cost of extending the screen to 120 inches.

The wave of this wave of 3D1080p projectors will also be like this. Many people will happily ignore these image errors and sit on the sofa to enjoy the highest level of home theater 3D. Some shows look really cool. After watching the Demon Me demo at Sharp's booth, I also had the urge to see it from the beginning. However, among us, there are still many persistent videophiles who are pursuing perfect video, and they will find the defects in 3D images to be annoying. If you think that you belong to this type of person who is pursuing perfection, then these latest 1080p projectors may end up getting your approval because of their outstanding 2D performance rather than the admired 3D performance of advertisements.