PlayStation 3D display

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List Price: $499.99
Sale Price: $299.99
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Like many of you, I spent a lot of money for my LCD TV several years ago. When Sony announced their firmware update that allowed for 3D gaming and viewing of 3D Blu-Ray movies, I was tempted to buy another widescreen TV, but couldn't justify shelling out a few thousand more dollars for it. 3D would have to wait.

Sony did something clever with this product. They bundled a 24" monitor with 3D glasses, the game Motorstorm Apocalypse, and an HDMI cable and priced it under $500. Suddenly it was a lot more affordable.

The monitor comes packaged in a large box with a carrying handle (another benefit of ordering a smaller TV is that you don't need a crew of people to carry it upstairs). There's a slight amount of assembly required, which is a snap (literally). You attach the monitor to the stand and the stand to the base. Then, you just plug it into AC (the power cord is only about 5 feet, which was a bit small for my needs), and then plug the HDMI cable from your PS3 to the unit.

It took me a while to find the power button, which is on the back of the unit to the right. There are six buttons in total: a power button, an input selector button (which switches between two HDMI connectors and one set of component (yPbPr) connectors), two volume buttons, a menu button, and a 3D button. They're all pretty generically shaped and lined up in one column, but to help you out an on-screen diagram will pop up when you press one to make sure you're pressing the right one. From the menu you can adjust the picture, including Backlight (0 to 10) and Picture Mode (dynamic, standard, cinema). You can also define a custom picture mode, setting your own brightness, contrast, color, hue, sharpness, and color temperature. It can be quite a pain to adjust menu settings with the buttons behind the unit, but you get used to it soon enough.

The PS3 recognized the monitor immediately. I was pleasantly surprised by the crispness of the display. The colors and clarity on the LED display were definitely deeper and crisper than my current LCD TV. Likewise, the sound was powerful (it has 2 channel stereo output at 3W and a subwoofer at 5W built in).

The 3D glasses come in a separate felt pouch, and the lenses come protected with some plastic over them (you pull off the plastic with convenient pull-tabs). It took me a while to figure out how to turn them on--there's a power switch on the inside for "battery" and then a separate power button on top, both of which need to be switched on. I was very happy to see a micro-USB connector on top (you need to pry open a little door to see it). I was afraid that like other Sony 3D glasses it'd be powered by a watch battery, but it looks like these glasses can be charged. Note that the connector is a smaller micro-USB connector and not a mini-USB such as the one used to charge the Dualshock and Move controllers. But happily there's a small USB-to-micro-USB cable included. I wear glasses, but the 3D glasses fit comfortably over them.

I popped in the game "MLB: The Show 11" to test it out. No 3D. I went to the menu options, and the 3D option was greyed out. I finally realized that I had to go to the PS3 menu under "Settings", and select Video Output Settings > HDMI > Auto and set the screen to 24 inches before 3D would be enabled. Once I did that I returned to the game where now I saw all kinds of new disclaimer screens I didn't see before referencing 3D.

Within the game, I adjusted the 3D settings. The first settings I tried had a lot of ghosting. But by adjusting the sliders a little I finally got a picture that was absolutely perfect. I wish that Sony had a "universal" setting instead of having us control it game-by-game, but bottom line, if the game developer did it right you will have control over the depth of 3D you can see.

Next, I tried a 3D Blu-Ray which I happened to get today in the mail, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1. The disc started up and went right into 3D mode, with the opening menu gloriously popping out of the screen. It was a clean, crisp picture with no ghosting as far as I could tell. As is typical with these active 3D glasses, the picture was very dark even with the backlight set at maximum (it's like watching a TV screen with sunglasses). But if you sit close enough to the TV and/or adjust the menu settings, you should find a viewing setting that's comfortable.

Last, I tried connecting it to my laptop, which happens to have an HDMI output jack. To my delight, I was able to go to YouTube's 3D channel, play videos with the "side by side" viewing method, adjust the 3D mode of the TV, and see the videos in full 3D! Not surprisingly, the picture quality, resolution and color fidelity were excellent. I hadn't planned on it, but I will be most likely be making this my second computer monitor of choice.

The set does support "SimulView", which allows two people to play a game watching the same screen with both players seeing their own (2D) view of the game. I wasn't able to test because I didn't buy a second pair of glasses (which is kind of pricey at $70), but I'll update this review once I do.

To sum up, I was honestly a little afraid that at this price Sony might try to push a cheap TV on the masses. But everything about this set screams high quality, from the crisp picture, to the 176/176 viewing angle (meaning that multiple people can be between 2-8 feet from the screen and still see perfect 3D as long as they all have the 3D glasses), to the 5000:1 contrast ratio and 240 Hz refresh rate. Aesthetically, it's quite gorgeous too--the black, polished screen really looks distinctive, especially next to the sleek lines of the PS3 itself. And surprisingly, I put the 24" TV next to my 42" LCD and didn't really miss the fact too much that it was smaller (granted, I grew up watching a 25" cathode ray tube TV).

The one possible caveat I'd have about this set is what I'd have about all 3D sets--there are some people who might experience some mild-to-severe nausea. For this reason, I'd recommend you play at a friend's house or spend a good couple of minutes in front of a store display to make sure you're not one of those who are affected. For me, I experienced a tiny bit of nausea, but I'll admit that the coolness factor definitely made up for it. Worst comes to worst, you can switch off the 3D and still have a very high quality LED display.

One other thing to note is that this isn't a "TV", as there's no TV tuner. But with the extra HDMI connector, you can easily plug in a TiVo or a cable box. Ironically, I also plugged in an Xbox 360 using the component cables, and that picture looks crisp as well.

Long story short, if you've been tempted to try out 3D, this makes an excellent entry-level display.

Unfortunately, I have to end my review with a couple words about Amazon. I have always been blown away by Amazon's customer service and I routinely pre-order games and systems from them. In this case, I had ordered the PS3 Display back in September, because they promised that everyone who pre-ordered would get a free copy of Resistance 3. Lo and behold, like many of you probably did, I found out that my order was cancelled--my invoice of September had the correct price of $499.99, but some klutz in Amazon evidently repriced it after I ordered it at $4.99 and then $49.99. Because of this, my order was cancelled. I called their customer service, and the rep "Bill" was very kind and understanding, but said he had to "check with his manager" to see what he could do. A few minutes later I get a generic email basically telling me tough luck and that I should re-place my order--which meant I wouldn't get it for another few weeks AND I wouldn't get the free game. No apology or anything. Needless to say, I immediately drove to GameStop where they gave me the system and a free copy of Uncharted 3 to boot. My message to Amazon--clean up your act or you'll see a lot more people doing the same.

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Around Black Friday there were sales of these screens for $299 at Best Buy and I almost went for one but held back and regretted it. A few days later the price went back up, of course. The regret just grew and grew. I had already bought an LG 23" IPS screen that was pretty good, plus some speakers, so I couldn't justify the extra expenditure. But I kept on going back to the BB website, seeing if this screen was back on sale. Well, Amazon showed this refurb unit for even less money and so I instantaneously bought it too impulsive? Maybe. And the delivery was incredibly quick next day. So not enough time for buyer's remorse. As it turns out, the screen arrived not only quickly but also in great shape, no dead pixels, packaged well and with the free Motorstorm game still sealed. There was even some charge in the glasses so you could use them straight away. And I must say, while I am generally skeptical about 3D cinema, for certain games there is an incredibly immersive 'wow' factor. Also, even for non-3D games the screen is extremely clear and the widescreen format is great for certain games like FPS Battlefield 1942 looks beautiful. We haven't tried seeing films or Netflix yet, but frankly I am delighted with this screen and will be selling my previous equipment this is neater, has good sound, fewer cables, includes HDMI and has a great resolution. I'm actively seeking out 3D games to try out, and the build quality is superb. Great stuff Sony you don't always get it right but in this case you have hit the sweet spot for quality and affordability. I was thinking about purchasing a huge 50" screen previously, but we don't watch TV. So having a smaller, beautifully designed screen like this, for the occasional 3D game or Blu-Ray, is a strange but pragmatic compromise. Recommended.

EDIT: It is now three weeks later. I think you know what to expect at this point. After being wowed by the display, and downloading Crysis especially to play in 3D (it still plays well after these years, and in 3D it's a dream)... well, the red light of death. Hadn't used it for a while, went to turn it on and... nothing, the lights cycled through colors but no display whatsoever. Usually I balk at Sony's high prices for electronic products but you know that at least the build quality is decent. Not any more how many hundred of people are complaining about this exact problem, the blank screen after a few weeks? This is gonna cost Sony in terms of brand loyalty as well as return shipments. A real shame I now have no monitor or TV in the house, and am wary of ordering another of these. I have changed my rating from 5 stars to 1. Very disappointed.

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So much has been covered in other reviews that I'll just cut right to what matters to me.

I could probably qualify as a Sony Fanboy. I've had a PS3 since launch, had a VITA pre-ordered within 30 minutes of it showing up on Amazon and have a nice collection of other Sony electronics. I would love to give this 5 stars and use ZOMG Awesome at least 20 times, but unfortunately I can't.

Sony really hyped this up as a premium 3D display with stunning picture and sound. I think it fell quite short of the expectations Sony set for it. Overall, it's not a bad product, just completely overhyped.

First, the sound is really weak. I have a basic set of 2.1 computer speakers that absolutely blow it away. The sound is about typical for what you would expect for TV speakers. Unfortunately Sony led us to believe these would go far above the average TV speakers. I also don't notice any hint of a subwoofer. I use the new Sony PlayStation Headphones when playing PS3 games, but more on that in a bit.

Second, glare. If you have a light source behind where you're sitting the glare will be so bad you won't be able to see through it to see the screen. In my case, when using the 3D glasses, I was getting bad glare reflecting both on the screen and on the inside of the glasses. I can only use the 3D enjoyably when I'm playing in a completely dark room.

Third, either I have a really big head or the glasses are made for teenagers. The pressure on the ends of the arms of the glasses is so tight I get pain and headaches after 30-45 minutes of use. By an hour it's unbearable. I understand you don't want them to fall off, but it's not like I'm going to be wearing the glasses while riding a roller coaster. What's even worse is that I use the PlayStation Headphones while gaming. Trying to use the headphones and the glasses is really difficult. I can tilt the ends of the glasses up slightly but then the glasses are even tighter on my head. Granted, both things are competing for the same physical space, but I think if the glasses weren't so tight I could more easily find a comfortable position.

Last, I'm not impressed with this display as a computer monitor. I'm running it in a dual display with a LG IPS monitor. The PlayStation Display doesn't even compare. The text is really pixelated and fuzzy, although it seems to be getting clearer the more I use it. A lot of my programs have an all white background and on the PlayStation Display the white background doesn't look even across the whole monitor. If I move my head areas of white get lighter and darker as I move.

So far I've only had this happen when being used as a computer monitor, but infrequently the screen blacks out and then the picture comes back after 4-5 seconds. I've seen this in other reviews too I'm not sure what this means but this doesn't leave me with a lot of confidence that this monitor is going to have a long life.

In Conclusion, I think this is a decent product that Sony completely advertised wrong. Sony should have advertised this as an affordable (helped by now being $100 less) entry-level Playstation 3 only 3D display. Sure, you can use this as a computer monitor, or to hookup your Wii, but this is really meant to be used only with your PS3. It's an OK PS3 display, but it's not great. If it's properly priced and advertised an OK PS3 display can be OK and doesn't have to be a bad thing.

Given the seemingly disappointing launch of this product, it's probably safe to say we'll never see a larger 32" version. But if this is the best Sony can do, maybe it's for the best.

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It is a shame that I have to write this, I love Sony, I really do, but people need to be warned and this product really needs to be taken off the market. The 3D display looks beautiful and has fantastic 3D effects. It is well worth the $270 I paid, but ofcourse there are too many problems to keep it.

A week and a half, that's all mine lasted before it started blacking out on me (this appears to be caused either by a power flux in the PSU or the HDMI is losing signal). At first the blackouts weren't a big problem, it took half a second for it to go black and come back and at most, you'd almost swear it was just your eyes blinking. But as the 2nd week went on, the problem not only continued to happen, but worsened, and quickly. The blackouts would last several seconds and started happening every 30-45 mins randomly. Some times it would go hours without one only to get 3 in rapid succession. This worsens even more according to other customer reports, to the point where the unit dies as soon as you turn it on. The Blue, Green, Red Light twice blinking problem which is about the same as the 360s RROD.

I took great care of this display as well, even coddled it a bit. I turned it off (something I've never been known to do with other TVs connected to my computers), I unplugged it (this is actually a recommendation via Sony support to someone on their 2nd display) and I kept it in a well vented area that had a temperature around 65 degrees F at all times.

Several people have speculated that this issue may be due to the PS3 being connected with a certain update. I can verify that this isn't the case, I don't own a PS3, so it was never hooked up to one. Some people thought this was a 'hard-shake' error and once again I can verify that it happened while compensating for those. Temperature wasn't an issue as stated above. Which really only leaves one possibility, the power supply.

I decided I was going to return mine for a full refund and it appears as if Amazon will be honoring that soon. But I urge people wanting to buy this, DONT! It has been 6 months and Sony has not fixed this, nor made an official comment. If you call their Customer Support, you are told that this is a rare issue, but if you look online, you'll see thousands among thousands of people all having this and even worst issues. I tried to find atleast one person who has had their display working perfectly for over 3 months, I couldn't find a single soul. Instead, I found angry customers who were on their 2nd display and some even on their 3rd and one guy who was on his 4th.

If Sony ever fixes these, I would be more than happy to buy another display from them, as stated above, the TV is marvelous and beautiful, I can only hope the $400 replacement I ordered can match it. As it stands, this TV is a poor result in their QA department not doing their job and should be marked as a disappointment to them as a company who prides themselves on being one of the great leaders in technology.

UPDATE: It even just happened writing this review...

UPDATE2: Came home from work (had the display turned off and unplugged), was going to package it up for my return, but I have a another day before UPS will pick it up. Within 10 mins, the display blacked out. Went nearly 2 hours with no problems and now has blacked out 8 times in 15 mins. Someone in the comments stated they have had theirs for 4 months, so I guess there are a few out there that are fine, but this is the first I've ever heard of someone going that long without problems. Also, I just wanted to add, I barely used the 3D. An hour here or there, so it's not like I wore it out trying to do 3D non-stop.

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I am not writing this review because I hate SONY products, but its my true experience about this particular product. I have never bought SONY TV, this was the first one. After exactly 31 days of use this TV broke on my. When I turned it on the screen went dark and the red light just kept on blinking. I've owned many TVs in my life, but this is the first product to fail on me only after about 31 days of use.

I bought it from Best Buy and their return policy only lasts for 30 days, it comes with Sony's 1 year warranty, but I have been having some issue with that. Their CSR department is not very helpful on solving the problem. They will try to avoid sending you a new display, by making excuses. Even after 5 calls, they have managed to get away from giving me a replacement TV.

In short, please don't BUY this TV. It looks like a good deal on a 3D TV, but think of it like and investment of $250-300 only for couple of months. Sony did not honor their warranty on this TV for me, even after I provided all the purchase receipts and serial #s. I am attaching some links to prove that this is not minor occurance. Its seems like a 50:50 chance that your TV will break in 1 year. Please be wise and save your money. Don't buy this crappy product.

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Official SONY PS forums

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