With a Sony Style store around the corner, I headed out on Thursday for a peek at the Masters Tournament in 3D. It was just me, one avid golf fan, and a Sony Style staffer. In other words, the viewing event clearly wasn’t a big draw for the store. Nonetheless, Sony sucked me in, and I have to say I came away more impressed by the demo than I expected.

Sony was showing off its prototype Bravia LX900 3D TV connected to a Comcast cable feed. (No, the set-top wasn’t one of my employer’s, but I hear tell that Motorola set-tops are supporting other demos around the country.) Sony also had several pairs of 3D glasses on hand, and I was surprised at how comfortable they were. I don’t even like wearing sunglasses, but I could see getting used to these. They felt solid, but not heavy; close-fitting, but not tight. Score one for Sony.

As for the 3D picture itself, it was almost hologram-like. Instead of pictures jumping out from the TV, I had a strong impression of depth, as if I could walk right out on to the green like Picard entering the holodeck. I also had an overwhelming urge to see if I could pluck some of the tiny people right off the golf course. They looked like little animated dolls fit for the palm of my hand.

The golf fan next to me was pleased too. While he said he couldn’t see bothering with 3D for a sitcom, he loved being able to see the texture of the course in Augusta while watching the tournament.

I did find some negatives to the 3D experience. Looking at the screen from far to the side or below was headache-inducing. And when I had to hold my phone between cheek and shoulder to take a call, the tilt of my head made the picture unbearably blurry. Still, as a first-gen commercial 3D TV showing, the quality was a lot higher than I would have guessed. The photos below won’t convey that, but take a gander anyway. I even managed to snap one pic before the video feed was integrated. Check out the side-by-side view, and the complete hardware set-up. Available soon at a Sony store near you.

(This post republished from Zatz Not Funny.)

 
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