Comparing DLP, Plasma, Projection 3D Systems
By Lisa Montgomery
Pros and cons of projector, DLP, and flat-panel 3D setups.

3D comes in many shapes and flavors. Your customers can buy a flat-panel TV with the capability, or go for the larger screen sizes of a DLP TV. The other option is a video projector.

All have their merits, and their installation pros and cons, as you'll read about in the following profiles. After reading them, you should have a better idea of which 3D formula will work best in your demonstrations and your clients' homes.

Of course, no TV is worth a grain of salt without speakers and source equipment, so we've included a list of components used in each profiled 3D setup. This, combined with each homeowner's impressions about 3D viewing, and integrators' perspectives in some cases, will help you put together a killer showroom presentation or custom installation to showcase 3D entertainment systems.



Plasma: Space-Saving 3D
For three years Gabe Montemurro and his wife, Elizabeth, had been using a Sony SXRD rear-projection TV - quite happily. But the thought of being able to view content in 3D was too compelling for these early adopters to ignore. Plus, since the Montemurros' baby was now walking, they thought it would be best to buy a slimmer flat-panel display that could be pushed inside their entertainment cabinet and beyond the toddler's reach.

Gabe had a few other prerequisites for a new display besides being flat: it had to be on the higher end of the performance scale, it had to be plasma and it had to be somewhat affordable. Samsung's high-def PN58C7000 TV fit the bill, coming in at under $3,000. As a bonus, the 58-incher came packaged with a 3D Blu-ray player, two pairs of 3D glasses and a 3D Blu-ray disc of Monsters vs. Aliens.

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