3D TV Is Dead

[Bender]

WOW! $127.49 is a simply stupendous deal, brand new w/free shipping [probably local sales tax though] for this little powerhouse. I paid $299 for it last year [with 2 free UHD 4K movies which you can buy for $15 each today]. What can you lose? It's a great deal.

and now... it's gone...

 

[4-earredwonder]

and now... it's gone...
View attachment 31354

Wonder if it's still available from local Target stores at that price.

BTW, I paid MORE than that for a 2 meter HDMI cable manufactured by Shunyata Research........and yes, it's THE best HDMI cable I've ever tried [and I've tried quite a few....and yes, it did make a difference]

I'm sure more Sony X~800s will be available for $149 at some future date. It's also sobering that, IMO, UHD 4K Universal Players aren't making a dent with the general public, especially at these ridiculously LOW prices. And they're working on 8K??????????

 

[Wunlow]

I love this movie. What shortcomings it may have are more than offset for me by the utter insanity of the 3D segments. I really appreciate the work you did on it and on other titles and am heartbroken that my 3D TV died with no ability to replace it.

Thank you as that means a lot. I had seen those 3-D sections in anaglyphic form for decades, and to finally be able to view those be true discrete (3D bluray) for me was a night and day difference. Dr. Brian May was so thrilled with the project that he made it possible to include his stereoscopic short and cut through a lot of red tape to make it happen. He is a big, big supporter of 3-D film preservation.

In various parts of the stereoscopic community the loss of a 3D display is especially tragic news, as just like with quad gear, now one cannot be assured of a proper replacement, at least not without deeper pockets. Everyone's preferences may vary, but I would currently have two suggestions for a replacement 3D display.

* The first is consider browsing through Craigslist. Unlike ebay and other online auctions that are national or global (where the prices of a used 3DTV can fetch higher prices), at a local level with Craigslist, its often just someone trying to push off their old display, most likely for the new 4K TV or just wanting a larger display. At least that what I've found in my given area.

* While flat panel 3D displays are currently discontinued here in the States, a number of front projectors still offer 3-D as an extra feature. Some these start around the $500 mark. I love my current 3D OLED, amazing blacks .. etc.. but there is still nothing like a front projection 3D system. Visceral .. more cinematic ... and with 3-D, bigger is always better. I do both and love each system. The biggest detriment to projection is needing a room that can accommodate the proper throw and offer the needed light control.


My fingers are crossed that a solution that works best for your situation pans out!

 

[atrocity]

Thank you as that means a lot. I had seen those 3-D sections in anaglyphic form for decades, and to finally be able to view those be true discrete (3D bluray) for me was a night and day difference. Dr. Brian May was so thrilled with the project that he made it possible to include his stereoscopic short and cut through a lot of red tape to make it happen. He is a big, big supporter of 3-D film preservation.

When consumer 3D sets first became common, I kept waiting for someone to start putting out the classic old titles. Seems like that took a little time to happen (or maybe the work started immediately but since these projects can take time...) but the last couple years have had an amazing number of extremely well-done releases and I just can't thank you enough.

One thing I'm curious about regarding "The Mask" that I don't remember being addressed on the disc: Were there actually 4-track magnetic prints?

* The first is consider browsing through Craigslist.

That was the first thing I did when I realized my old set was not coming back. At the time there were several overpriced active displays but I really prefer passive. I should definitely look again, though my luck with buying used hardware has been iffy over the years.

* While flat panel 3D displays are currently discontinued here in the States, a number of front projectors still offer 3-D as an extra feature. Some these start around the $500 mark.

That's a pretty good price, but I'm afraid I'm stuck with an uncooperative space, unless it's possible to have a short throw at a sharp angle with some kind of keystoning correction. Hmm...curious now...

 

[Wunlow]

One thing I'm curious about regarding "The Mask" that I don't remember being addressed on the disc: Were there actually 4-track magnetic prints?

The soundtrack for this restoration was a journey in itself. We were collaborating with another group and the facility that had transferred the sound had processed it heavily. The high end was gone, the lows absent, and what was left had then been extremely compressed. 3DFA founder Bob Furmanek knew it could be better so we opted to do a new transfer of the audio ourselves and give it the TLC it deserved. The mix can be quite dynamic and the low end (like the thump, thumps.. that start before the Mask is worn) can go down pretty low for a mix of this age. The original archival "master" elements are also unique in that the 2-D element did not have the 3-D sections included. They are literally missing and have a blank space with a slate simply saying "3-D Insert" where they were to be added for release prints. We had various elements on the 3D sections including as previously mentioned the 'discrete' left and right 35mm sections for the 3-D dream sequences. With the audio TLC and various elements on hand, to complement the added dimension that 3-D added to the dream sections, we opted to open up the mix to 5.1 so the audio essentially does a 3-D shift as well for those given sections. And with 3-D bluray, we also included the original mono mix via another DTS-master lossless track. So the listener can opt for either mix, which differ only for the 3-D dream sequences.

Dr. May's excellent 3-D short "One Night in Hell" was going to be 5.1, but thankfully the authoring facility was able to be approved in time by Dolby so the theatrical Dolby Atmos mix could be used instead.

That was the first thing I did when I realized my old set was not coming back. At the time there were several overpriced active displays but I really prefer passive. I should definitely look again, though my luck with buying used hardware has been iffy over the years.


That's a pretty good price, but I'm afraid I'm stuck with an uncooperative space, unless it's possible to have a short throw at a sharp angle with some kind of keystoning correction. Hmm...curious now...

With 4K and far cheaper brand new 1080p sets now available, the used 3DTV prices have dropped in my area, but yeah .. anytime buying used is a crap shoot and not something to take lightly.

There are short throw 3D projectors for narrower rooms that work well, but short throw projectors do tend a cost a little more than their longer throw counterparts.

 

[~dave~~wave~]

today only (Cyber Monday) target dot com has the Sony X800 for $149.99 - 15% discount if you buy online.

Free shipping or free store pickup

https://www.target.com/p/A-52167191

4K
DVD-A
SACD
2 HDMI
Metal Frame
Wi-Fi

Thanks buddy, I owe you one.
This was the price point I've waited for to get DVD-A compatibility.
Massive & quiet metal case compared to my plastic starter Sony, which will move upstairs to the family room.
At last I'm hearing my King Crimsons in MLP. :sun

Love this forum for these pearls of knowledge.

 

[Clint Eastwood]

HDMI 2.1 FINALIZED.....details....HERE

 

[surroundme33]

Please, be aware..

I have purchased the Sony UBP-800X Ultra Blu-Ray Player yesterday. It will play all formats as advertised HOWEVER, it WILL NOT play DVD-A that are on DVD-+R Discs. Again, if you, like me, make DVD-A discs using DVD-A software of quad recordings - this player will not play them. It doesn't recognize them.

It will play pre-recorded SACD, DVD-A, DVD-V, CDs, Blu-Ray, Blu-Ray UHDs.

Thanks buddy, I owe you one.
This was the price point I've waited for to get DVD-A compatibility.
Massive & quiet metal case compared to my plastic starter Sony, which will move upstairs to the family room.
At last I'm hearing my King Crimsons in MLP. :sun

Love this forum for these pearls of knowledge.

 

[dobyblue]

Please, be aware..

I have purchased the Sony UBP-800X Ultra Blu-Ray Player yesterday. It will play all formats as advertised HOWEVER, it WILL NOT play DVD-A that are on DVD-+R Discs. Again, if you, like me, make DVD-A discs using DVD-A software of quad recordings - this player will not play them. It doesn't recognize them.

It will play pre-recorded SACD, DVD-A, DVD-V, CDs, Blu-Ray, Blu-Ray UHDs.

Have had mine since August - you can take the original files and play them directly via USB. So if you have a 128GB USB 3.0 stick with all your DVD-A files in folders, the player works like magic.

I personally keep all my DVD-A back-ups on my PC and I stream to the SOny through my Gigabit LAN using Plex Media Server, works great for all my 5.1 FLACs and has no issue playing full .mkv Blu-ray back-ups also.

For anyone looking, it's $149.99 right now at Amazon and Best Buy.

 

[surroundme33]

So, I would have to make an image or convert the DVD-A files (uncompressed) to MKV or some other container and place it on a USB Stick?? THat's crazy! I have over 300 DVD-A discs recorded on DVD-Rs.. That's waaaaaaay too time consuming.

Looks like I'll be keeping my Pioneer ELite Blu Ray player from 2010.

Have had mine since August - you can take the original files and play them directly via USB. So if you have a 128GB USB 3.0 stick with all your DVD-A files in folders, the player works like magic.

I personally keep all my DVD-A back-ups on my PC and I stream to the SOny through my Gigabit LAN using Plex Media Server, works great for all my 5.1 FLACs and has no issue playing full .mkv Blu-ray back-ups also.

For anyone looking, it's $149.99 right now at Amazon and Best Buy.

 

[dobyblue]

HDMI 2.1 FINALIZED.....details....HERE

It's about time they're going to put a stop to misleading marketing claims by cable manufacturers who put HDMI chipset versions on their cables instead of cable category.

 

[4-earredwonder]

Please, be aware..

I have purchased the Sony UBP-800X Ultra Blu-Ray Player yesterday. It will play all formats as advertised HOWEVER, it WILL NOT play DVD-A that are on DVD-+R Discs. Again, if you, like me, make DVD-A discs using DVD-A software of quad recordings - this player will not play them. It doesn't recognize them.

It will play pre-recorded SACD, DVD-A, DVD-V, CDs, Blu-Ray, Blu-Ray UHDs.

Sorry the X~800 won't play your DVD+R files [without conversion to USB] but so as NOT to turn off perspective buyers to this little powerhouse of a unit, it does everything else right. Those who had the great fortune to purchase it for $137 on Black Friday are privy to exceptional UHD 4K picture/sound and phenomenal 3D quality and a great little SACD/DVD~A player.

Hell, I've paid way more for interconnect cables and having had $4K elite Laserdisc players in the past [Theta, etc]....this little SONY unit blows it away in absolute spades.

 

[surroundme33]

I agree, the unit does everything else right, so far... Oh, and the price is right at $150 at Bestbuy etc. However, I think forums like these are important to point-out the short comings, as the buyer isn't expecting something different. For instance, as soon as I inserted 3 or 4 different DVD-As on DVD-Rs, my heart dropped to the floor when the player responded with 'unrecognized disc'. Many of us, in this forum, have spent alot of time burning old multi-track recordings (Q8, SQ, CD-4, etc.) onto high res DVD-As, only to find that very few 'universal' players are being produced today. It's actually very sad.

But, for $150, it does a great job playing 4k UHD, streaming apps, and CD cover-art too (thanks to Gracenote). I noticed that the H8EE setting bumping-up 88k resolution for stereo audio (native 44/48k) is a nice addition too. Now, if I can find a way to make DVD-A onto DVD-Rs and fooling the player - would be wonderful

Sorry the X~800 won't play your DVD+R files [without conversion to USB] but so as NOT to turn off perspective buyers to this little powerhouse of a unit, it does everything else right. Those who had the great fortune to purchase it for $137 on Black Friday are privy to exceptional UHD 4K picture/sound and phenomenal 3D quality and a great little SACD/DVD~A player.

Hell, I've paid way more for interconnect cables and having had $4K elite Laserdisc players in the past [Theta, etc]....this little SONY unit blows it away in absolute spades.

 

[Clint Eastwood]

I agree, the unit does everything else right, so far... Oh, and the price is right at $150 at Bestbuy etc. However, I think forums like these are important to point-out the short comings, as the buyer isn't expecting something different. For instance, as soon as I inserted 3 or 4 different DVD-As on DVD-Rs, my heart dropped to the floor when the player responded with 'unrecognized disc'. Many of us, in this forum, have spent alot of time burning old multi-track recordings (Q8, SQ, CD-4, etc.) onto high res DVD-As, only to find that very few 'universal' players are being produced today. It's actually very sad.

But, for $150, it does a great job playing 4k UHD, streaming apps, and CD cover-art too (thanks to Gracenote). I noticed that the H8EE setting bumping-up 88k resolution for stereo audio (native 44/48k) is a nice addition too. Now, if I can find a way to make DVD-A onto DVD-Rs and fooling the player - would be wonderful

I agree with you 100%...noting the shortcomings are pivotal in helping people make a decision on purchasing the item...for some this won't be a problem..for others it's a deal breaker...so knowing ahead of time lets that potential buyer make an informed decision...when I first got involved with surround music I wasn't really sure if it was something I wanted to do....long term...so I bought a budget priced player...a Pioneer Elite...which was around $250 at the time...which was the cheapest player that would play the numerous formats...once I knew that I wanted to be involved in this hobby I purchased an Oppo....my Pioneer would struggle with "home made" discs...but the Oppo plays them all...the only problem I have sometimes is the Oppo won't open to retrieve the "home made" disc...so I have to turn the power off and back on again.... and the drawer will open

 

[dobyblue]

So, I would have to make an image or convert the DVD-A files (uncompressed) to MKV or some other container and place it on a USB Stick?? THat's crazy! I have over 300 DVD-A discs recorded on DVD-Rs.. That's waaaaaaay too time consuming.

Looks like I'll be keeping my Pioneer ELite Blu Ray player from 2010.

I just convert them directly to flac using DVD-Audio Extractor, easy peasy lemon squeezy. In the long run, it pays off. In fact now that I just added a brand new 4TB mirror (thanks Black Friday) I'm converting more of my DVD-As as we speak...so much easier to just turn on the player, select "Media Server", go to my "DVDA-BDA-SACD" folder and have multiple titles at my fingertips.

The SACD .ISOs I have is another story, can't play those and Sony won't play burned SACDs I've read although I haven't tested it, I wonder if people have tried both DVD-R and DVD+R discs as Sony was always pro-DVD-R if memory serves correct.

But yeah, I only went with the Sony because my BDP-62FD crapped out and I got it for $125 open box at Best Buy and the drawer/loader/mech repair was gonna be $266! F-that noise!

 

[salsdali]

I just convert them directly to flac using DVD-Audio Extractor, easy peasy lemon squeezy. In the long run, it pays off. In fact now that I just added a brand new 4TB mirror (thanks Black Friday) I'm converting more of my DVD-As as we speak...so much easier to just turn on the player, select "Media Server", go to my "DVDA-BDA-SACD" folder and have multiple titles at my fingertips.

The SACD .ISOs I have is another story, can't play those and Sony won't play burned SACDs I've read although I haven't tested it, I wonder if people have tried both DVD-R and DVD+R discs as Sony was always pro-DVD-R if memory serves correct.

just convert the sacd iso to dsf using sonore iso2dsd and the sony will play those individual dsf’s

easy peasy

 

[timbre4]

The Sony player is a bargain, no doubt. In fact I bought two of them, but once I found it wouldn’t play burned DVD-R, I returned one of them because it wasn’t solving that problem for someone else (long story.) SACD-R discs would require a hack to the firmware. So I know it’s not going to play those, which is too bad since I have about 200 of them.

What I don’t see mentioned here is the fact that it plays burned AVC HD discs just fine! I tested every type of disc to see which would be recognized. So if you were using Cirlinca HD audio solo you could specify AVC HD or Blu-ray instead of DVD audio to get discs that will play on this machine.

My future upgrade plan next year is to park the OPPO BDP 93 right below it in the living room to handle the burned DVD A and SACD-R discs, should I want to play them.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[seilerbird]

I took 4earredwonders advice and bought the Sony UBP-X800 player and I am blown away. Thanks 4EW. I was using a Philips BDP7501 for my 3D, Blu ray and 4k discs. I was using an Oppo DV970HD player for my SACDs. DVDs played on either. The Sony replaces both units. One less remote control, and the player matches the Sony STRDH770 receiver perfectly. I love the fact that there are about a million options that can be adjusted with this player. It has a very clean interface that needs no explanation. It cost me only $129 refurbished and it works perfectly. I will get more than that for the other two units when I sell them on Amazon.

 

[edisonbaggins]

I took 4earredwonders advice and bought the Sony UBP-X800 player and I am blown away.

Any idea if they are region-locked or not? Since I hardware unlocked my OPPO BDP-103 and I have a lot of discs from various regions, I'm hesitant to move away.
Still, at the $129 price point, I might pick up one of these for my mom.

 

[Clint Eastwood]

Any idea if they are region-locked or not? Since I hardware unlocked my OPPO BDP-103 and I have a lot of discs from various regions, I'm hesitant to move away.
Still, at the $129 price point, I might pick up one of these for my mom.

They are locked..region free units run close to $400 for this model..