Do I need HDMI on a 3D DLP projector?

June 10, 2010 5:33 AM

I'm planning to buy a new video projector, and thought that while I'm at it I should buy a 3D-ready projector so that in a couple of years when there are more 3D movies available, I'll be ready to watch them. Ultimately I think I'll end up getting a new PC with Blu-Ray and probably an NVidia card to play 3D Blu-Rays, as per this AskMeFi thread. But do I need to get a 3D-ready projector with HDMI, like this Acer P1200? Or does HDMI not matter? I don't want to end up buying a projector only to find I can't plug it in to the right source a year down the line.
posted by skylar to technology (6 answers total)

I believe you'll need devices capable of HDMI 1.4 to get 3D:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HDMI#Version_1.4

I would be surprised if you'll be able to get 3D without HDMI.
posted by chengjih at 5:58 AM on June 10, 2010

Thanks for this. There are certainly some 3D-ready projectors on the market that don't come with HDMI. Mostly these are at the lower end of the market. So for example the Acer X1130P does not have HDMI but still says its compatible with 3D DLP and NVidia.

Does anyone know why this is the case? Is it possible to run 3D to the projector purely via a VGA cable?
posted by skylar at 6:08 AM on June 10, 2010

I find this stuff confusing as well, but keep in mind that the PS3 supports what I think of as a scaled-back version of 3D. The PS3's HDMI port is version 1.3a.

I know the wiki linked above states that only HDMI 1.4 supports 3D, but it doesn't seem like its really that simple.

So, if you come across something that isn't HDMI 1.4 (maybe it has to be 1.3a? dunno) and claims its 3D ready, it isn't lying.
posted by MustardTent at 6:51 AM on June 10, 2010

Well, if you don't use HDMI, you will have a hard time getting 1080p, let alone 3D, on a PC. As MustardTent points out, it's likely some form of HDMI is required.
posted by zombieflanders at 6:54 AM on June 10, 2010

Actually, for DRM-protected content (e.g., Blu-Ray), you probably will need HDMI to pull this off. You might be able to get away from not having HDMI, but you probably will encounter problems in the future.
posted by chengjih at 7:09 AM on June 10, 2010

Nvidia's 3D Vision solution works well for some games, but I would really, really wait. It's unclear whether it'll work at all with 3D blu-ray discs, and even then, if you don't have HDMI, you can be blocked if a disc implements Selectable Access Control to shut off VGA.
posted by Oktober at 7:10 AM on June 10, 2010