GardenGrrl's WunderBlog

3D TV Review

Posted by: GardenGrrl, 8:49 AM GMT on November 29, 2010

Sometimes an impulse buy is a good thing...or at least it is lots of fun. Having just finished dinner we were across the parking lot from Conn's Appliance and Electronic store. I needed an SD card to complete a friends birthday present. Why not stop at Conn's where the deals are good but the sales people stalk you like 3rd world street vendors.

It's not busy so when we walk through the door 3 sales guy's rise off their chairs. Sally, hungry for commissions pops out from behind a display near the door. (Really lol)
Speed talking like a Midway Carny she says, "Folks, I don't know what your here for but right now only I have a smokin hot deal on a 55" tha-reee Deee television with four sets of glasses and a 3D Blu-Ray player that you will never see priced this low again."

Dinner and a show? Let's follow the entertaining sales gal and see what she's going to do next. It was indeed an LG brand 55" LED 1080p, 240hz, internet ready, 3D, HDTV currently showing a live football game in a perfectly crisp 2D picture so clear it made me want to throw rocks at my 9 year old 32" TV. Sally hit all the features and then launched into the 3D. Finally came the price; $1699 for everything. Everything! TV, four sets of high dollar glasses, a 3D Blu-Ray player that was backwards compatable to older media. I had been looking at 40" high-end TV's a couple weeks earlier and knew the prices. All I could say was; Honey, here's my credit card, bag it and tag it.

But you dear reader do not care about that story, you want to know about the new 3D technology. Is it good? Oh yeah, it's good! Should you run right out and buy it? Maybe.

Let's talk simple tech here. What makes this different than the 3D movies at the theaters? The new TV's come with a signal emitter that talks to the special battery operated yet low weight glasses. They have a light shutter that opens and closes at about 120 cycles per second. They only work with media formatted for this technology and produce 3D effects superior to those seen with the analog glasses at the theaters.

Currently there are only about 20 titles made for 3D Blu-Ray players listed at Amazon. Anything else that is listed as 3D must be viewed with the old school analog glasses.
ESPN and some other cable channels are broadcasting games using the 3D emitter process that only works with these new TV's.
3D emitter glasses are not yet interchangable between brands of TV's. If you buddy owns a Sony and you bring your LG's or Samsungs, they won't work on his TV.

I have not watched the ESPN 3D channels yet. My two official 3D Blu-Ray disks have shown up from Amazon. We watched IMAX Under The Sea 3D. Straight up, this was the coolest 3D experiance ever!!! The picture was so vivd and three dimensional I really felt like there were fish swimming around my living room. Amazing. Better than at the theater.

While image quality is awesome there is a dark side. The manual comes with over a page of health warnings regarding using the 3D product. Admittedly I was tired when I watched this movie. Twenty minutes into it my eyes felt wore out. I would shut them, nod off, wake and repeat through the rest of the movie. My spouse had no issues. Some day, when I have had enough sleep I will watch the next movie.

I have a hunch that this new technology will alert many people to a new realization that they are prone to photosensitive seizures. Hopefully the remote is robust enough to use as a bite block if your guests have seizures. Just kidding, we don't use bite blocks for seizure first-aid anymore. Follow this link for info on dealing with seizures Link

Bottomline, this is a really fun new novelty. I seriously would not recommend watching this type of 3D for more than two hours in a 24 hour period. Wait until consumer groups compile info from a large enough sample of people who ignore all the warnings and get hurt to know what the actual safety baseline is on this new tech.

But, if you find a really great deal like I did or have lots of disposable income AND live in a household where everyone is disciplined enough not to over do it, sure get one, they are really fun.

A Word About HDMI Cables If the box says "Highspeed Video" or "Highspeed Internet" (or both) and costs LESS than two dollars per foot, this is the cable to buy for your new TV's etc.
Another sales clerk at Conn's tried to get us to buy the $100 cables (you need atleast two) when we came to pick up our TV. He says the $100 ones are special just for HDTV and 3D TV. The $8 six foot cable and the $20 twelve foot cable seem to work just fine on our new TV.
But, get the spendy ones if you like spending money.

Surge Protectors. While you can go cheap on HDMI cables, do not be cheap about your surge protector.
Purchase on that has an indicator light that tells you if it has been tripped. A surge protector will turn into a powerstrip after being tripped...it will still power up your electronics but it won't protect them anymore.
Older surge protectors do not have this indicator. You won't know if it's been tripped before until all your equipment gets fried during a storm.
Buy a good surge protector with a "Trip Indicator Light" that your cable and computer can plug into too.

Hope this information was helpful to you.

Updated: 9:40 AM GMT on November 29, 2010

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Thanks Giving Gratitude

Posted by: GardenGrrl, 9:29 AM GMT on November 22, 2010

Well here it is Thanks-Giving and a New Year are almost upon us. So If you haven't been counting them during the year, take a little time now to count your blessings.

Love and laughter are the two greatest blessings that I count this year.
Here is an awesomely funny picture I found on Flickr for Thanks-Giving. It's done by Moggierocket.

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Policeman vs. Kitty #19

Posted by: GardenGrrl, 8:22 AM GMT on November 13, 2010

In typical North Texas fashion, it first rained this morning followed by sunshine perfect weather which meant Roxie and I had to go for a long walk.
Then suddenly the sky darkend, the wind blew and it got cold. The front line looked really cool to the east.

Special shout out to Mom. Hi Mom, Love Ya!

Okay, because I have an ornery cockatoo that looks just like this guy, I think these videos are hilarious.

Manny the Fighting Cockatoo strikes again

Updated: 7:38 AM GMT on November 17, 2010

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Bird Washing Pictures

Posted by: GardenGrrl, 5:17 AM GMT on November 03, 2010

Roxie my Corgi gets lots of blog time so this week it is Sydney's turn.
Syd is a Sulpher Crested Cockatoo. Of the cockatoos people keep as pets, the Sulpher Crest tends to be the most psychologically hardy. Umbrellas and Mollucans are prone to depression and self-mutilation because they have a very intense need for constant companionship (a flock) that few households can provide.
Think very hard before you decide to purchase one of these birds. Cockatoos also live 50 to 90 years. If you are over 30, you better think of who you can will the bird to.

Syd being a Sulpher Crested Cockatoo has many of the attributes of his cousins, he likes to be held, cuddled and played with. They are more independent and can be left alone all day while you are at work without harming themselves. However, these are bossy, aggressive birds that will bite and draw blood for no apparent reason. One has to be vigilant and possess quick reflexs if you own a Sulpher Crest. On the other hand when they are not being evil they are comical and really fun to have around.

Syd is 12 years old. His favorite games are "Peek-a-Boo" where we "hide" behind something and pop our heads up saying, "Peek-a-Boo".
His other favorite game is "I'll Get Your Beak" which he hollers just before biting. The idea is to catch his beak before you get bit. The little monster laughs if he tags you first.

All birds at one time or another want a bath. Sydney really enjoys his. The following are pictures of my bird when he is sweet.