The entire point of frame compatible 3D is the ability to send
a 3D signal via 2D equipment so that only the source and the display itself needs to be 3D aware. Now for a reason that we can't comprehend, DirecTV decided to try to make things simple and in the process completely
disabled 3D for every customers except those who bought a select number of 3DTVs and have already upgraded their AV receiver to a 3D aware model. There is a solution though. You see DirecTV's receivers are simply checking for specific
EDID information via HDMI, so a simple device like Gefen's HDMI Detective can trick the satellite receiver. All you have to do is connect the Detective to one of the officially supported 3DTVs (might require a trip to the TV store) and record the EDID information. Then you connect it inline to your DirecTV receiver and you can enjoy yourself some 3D -- or just watch the
side by side image. This trick will probably also work for Samsung owners who want to use Mitsubishi's checkerboard converter and might even force your old HDMI equipped AV receiver to pass 3D -- Blu-ray's 1080p24 per eye signal actually requires less throughput than 1080p60 so it should work. It is an expensive test at $129, but at the very least it'll eliminate, or speed up, any HDMI handshake issues as well; so it might come in handy regardless.
posted June 20th 2010 10:12AM
I like the device, but it seems to be on the tad bit expensive side. What DirectTV needs to do is just upgrade it's existing loyal customers to a free box. Of course, that is just my honest opinion. By the way to all, have a happy Fathers Day to all of the wonderful men who have sacrificed their time and energy into raising productive children.
@blckman
This probably won't help those with older HR20, but it will help those with Mitsubishi and Samsung 3DTVs that aren't on the list as well as those with a 1 year old AVR with HDMI inputs who want to watch 3D via the AVR.
@blckman Gefen == Expensive. Just like Bose, Monster Cable, etc.
Its a shame one has to buy a $129 device to get this working. What about HTPC users? They are starting to get their ducks in a row to have 3D support soon as well.......if a cable provider was to do this, the press would have a field day.
(Un)Luckily, the DirecTV MCE tuner never came about. And its more likely Dish will do something in that arena before DirectTV anyway. I've always sided with them over Dish, I always believed them to be better, but this is just abhorrent.
@SikSlayer
HTPCs should just work, this is only because DirecTV locked down the 3D output except to specific displays. You will have to manually set your 3DTV to side by side however. Interestingly HTPC users have been using the HDMI Detective for some time to work around the poor EDID support in most HDMI enabled video cards.
@BenD meh, my thoughts were sorta disjointed a little.
One thing you wrote in the article I just noticed "(It) might even force your old HDMI equipped AV receiver to pass 3D -- Blu-ray's 1080p24 per eye signal actually requires less throughput than 1080p60 so it should work".
This is something I didn't think of at all, and I totally agree. There's no reason it shouldn't work at all. That easily makes it worth the asking price if you got a newer HDMI receiver that supports lossless codecs, just to find out it won't pass 3D.
@SikSlayer
Yes, there are reasons why it will not work on older AVRs. They do not understand the frame packing timing of the Blu-ray 3D signal, and will be unable to pass it through, or extract audio from it.
@Scarabaeus Yeah I knew all that, I just didn't consider using the HDMI Detective for anything beyond what it was made for.
Maybe I should have said " just to realize it won't pass 3D".
@Scarabaeus
Actually I think it will work. Blu-ray's frame packing format isn't that much different. This is especially true if you are outputing PCM from your AVR.
"all you have to do is connect the Detective to one of the officially supported 3DTVs (might require a trip to the TV store) and record the EDID information."
Yeah, right. Like BB is going to let me bring my own electronics into the store and just hook it up to one of their TVs.
@glennS
I did just that. They don't mind at all.