Acer H5360

Later this year, TV manufacturers will begin releasing their new 3D TVs. No, the 3D price premium won't be outrageous, but you're still going to have to pay a lot of money for a very large TV (65 inches), which is probably what you want if you're looking for a truly immersive 3D experience.

The other alternative is to go for a 3D-ready projector that can cast a very large image on your wall. Acer's touting just this concept with a pair of new affordable DLP projectors equipped with Nvidia 3D Vision technology: the H5360 ($699) and X1261 ($579).

Both models offer "advanced" lamp technology with illumination of up to 2500 ANSI lumens and a 3200:1 contrast ratio. The H5360 offers native 16:9 720p video (1,280x720) while the step-down X1261 delivers XGA resolution in a 4:3 format.

The specs:

H5360 (pictured above)
• Projects 720p HD video at 1,280x720 resolution
• 3,200:1 contrast ratio
• One HDMI port
• Three RCA jacks
• Component video connection
• S-video mini DIN
• 2.5mm audio mini-jack
• 15-pin D-Sub for a PC analog signal
• Lamp life: 4,000 hours
• Price: $699

X1261 (pictured below)

• XGA resolution
• 3700:1 contrast ratio
• Component and composite video connections
• S-video mini DIN
• Stereo mini-jack
• Lamp life: 4,000 hours
• Price: $579

Obviously, if you're interested in HD content (that includes 3D gaming), you'll want the H5360. But the big caveat here is that to get 3D content you'll need to connect a computer to the projector--and that computer needs to be an Nvidia 3D Vision-compatible computer with a special graphics card.

Oh, and you'll also need Nvidia's 3D Vision Kit that includes wireless active-shutter glasses and advanced software that "can transform hundreds of PC games into an exceptional 3D experience." (For more info, go here).

We're not quite sure what that all adds up to price-wise, but we're curious to test one of these rigs to determine a) how good the picture really is and b) how impressive the 3D experience is.

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