ViewSonic’s V3D231 – Passive 3D vs. 3D Vision

Conclusion

The ViewSonic V3D231 is a great way to inexpensively experience S3D gaming and to play 3D movies.  The glasses are dirt-cheap and every member of the family can have their own pair.  The only issue is that the TriDef solution pales in comparison to Nvidia’s 3D Vision and especially compared to 3D Vision 2.  The issue of course with playing games with passive polarized glasses is that you are fixed to one spot and the vertical resolution is cut in half to 1920×540 with associated artifacting and aliasing.  However, we do not necessarily see these as competing formats since the price is so unequal.  If you want to game in full 1080P at a high framerate and with the best support, you will choose Nvidia’s more expensive 3D Vision solution.

For the approximately $300 that you pay for the ViewSonic V2D231, you get a very fast 60Hz LED that is excellent for 2D gaming and as a general purpose display.  You also have the option to enjoy your 3D BluRay movies and many games in 3D.  This might be considered “entry level” 3D and it is satisfying for many.  It is also a great display for a family with young gamers.  The passive polarized glasses are comfortable and almost disposable and are far cheaper to replace than the $150 active shutter glasses that they or their friends will likely break.

Pros

• The display is very fast with a 2ms rated response time and is ideal for gaming
• It is very thin and stylish
• The connectors are very easy to get to (but stick out from the back)
• The OSD menu has great options
• The included TriDef 3D Software works with either Nvidia or AMD video cards
• It is a very inexpensive way to enjoy passive S3D with cheap glasses; great for the kids!

Cons:

• The color balance is slightly off and cannot be adjusted perfectly; the panel has all the issues associated with TN
• 3D Gaming with TriDef is not a very robust S3D solution compared to 3D Vision; it requires a lot of adjustments, tweaking and research.
• Scan Interleave cuts the resolution from 1920×1080 to 1920×540 per eye and the visual fidelity suffers; you are also forced to hold one position to keep visual artifacting to a minimum in S3D gaming.

With passive 3D’s limitations in mind, the ViewSonic V3D231 is an inexpensive way to enjoy 3D movies and gaming with dirt-cheap polarized glasses that are perfect for a family with children.  We will give it our ABT Great Value Award to ViewSonic’s passive polarized 3D solution in a complete $300 package.

Next up, we expect to review Thermaltake’s Frio and Frio OCK cooler as we overclock our aging but eminently serviceable Core i7-920 as far in excess of 4.0GHz as we can in preparation for Ivy Bridge and for evaluating some really fast new video cards.  You can also expect a Kingston HyperX 240GB SSD review and several mini-reviews on Genius’ Ring Presenter and Power2U’s AC/USB wall outlet.

In the meantime, check out our new and evolving “Mobile Corner” as our new contributing editors cover the SmartPhone and mobile platforms in anticipation of the explosion in “mobile everything” that is coming with Windows 8.  Also, check out ABT forums for the latest news and more than rumors of the upcoming Kepler GPU and say what’s really on your mind.

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