Decide what to buy | the Reevoo.com blog, featuring news on TVs, cameras, laptops, mp3 players & other gadgets, shopping tips and deals, reviews and more

3D video is a hallmark of futuristic technology for any film set in years to come - remember Jaws 19 3D in Back to the Future II? - but recent announcements by Sky, Channel 4 and TV makers mean that 3D TV in your living room could be a reality in a matter of months.

This week Channel 4 revealed they’re going to broadcast a week of 3D TV this autumn. The mini-season will include a magic show by Derren Brown, 3D movies, 3D footage of the Queen’s coronation shot back in 1953 and (because this is Channel 4 after all) a clip show of the “100 greatest 3D TV moments”. Sky recently announced their plans to broadcast a 3D channel next year, concentrating on live music coverage, films and sport. Sky has already recorded 3D footage of Usain Bolt, the world’s fastest man, sprinting 150m earlier this year.

In fact, Sky has already experimented with 3D broadcasting: in December last year it was the first UK TV company to broadcast in 3D to a home television, and this April it also acheived another first, broadcasting the first live event in 3D.  3D films are already available on Blu-Ray, coming with a handful of the familiar cardboard 3D glasses.

3D signal is all very well, but it would be absolutely no good to home viewers without the equipment to display it. Sky is at the forefront in the hardware arena too: Sky+ HD set-top boxes are already 3D ready.

3D-ready TVs have been a niche market in previous years - and a struggling one, as manufacturers have tried and (largely) failed to acheive the nirvana of 3D TV: a TV that displays 3D signal without needing viewers to wear those silly glasses. Channel 4’s one-off 3D series will require viewers to wear these glasses, which will be made available at Sainsburys stores across the country.

There have already been 3D TVs on the market: anyone who bought a Samsung plasma PS50A476 a couple of years ago already owns one. Philips mothballed its 3D TV division this year but Panasonic, LG, Sony and Samsung all had 3D TVs to show off at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show (a big electronics industry event in Las Vegas). No word yet on exactly how soon these could be available in the UK, but Sky seems to be banking on there being enough viewers with 3D-ready TVs in 2010 to make its 3D broadcasts worthwhile.

Industry pundits have predicted 3D becoming widespread in home entertainment set-ups in as little as 3 years. 3D broadcast and technology is likely to be no more than a novelty for years to come, so don’t despair if you’ve just upgraded to an Full HD model.

If you can’t wait this long, you’re in luck. The next 12 months sees the release of the biggest crop of 3D films ever, pretty much one from every studio. Everything from a family-friendly 3D sequel to Ice Age, to the much-hyped sci-fi blockbuster Avatar will be popping out of IMAX screens across the country.

For those of a more Eeyore-ish disposition, T3 magazine is happy to remind us of past 3D blunders.

Images:
3D glasses: http://www.flickr.com/photos/dominicspics/ / CC BY 2.0

In today’s what to buy, we’re looking at home offices. Whether you work from home or you just need an office at home, there’s no need to spend a fortune on some decent kit.

We’ve looked at laptops and desktop computers, shredders and fax machines and a lot more to help you furnish your office.

Let’s start off with computers. For those of you who prefer laptops, we’ve picked out the 15 inch Hewlett Packard 530. It’s got an 80GB hard drive, an Intel Celeron M 520 1.6 GHz processor and a DVD re-writer. You can pick one up for £267.97 with an increased 120GB hard drive. A bargain, I’m sure you’ll agree.

If you’re more of a desktop computer fan, you can try the Compaq SR5219. This has a 250GB hard drive, a AMD Athlon 64 X2 Processor and a DVD rewriter. It also comes with a 17inch Tft monitor and is around £360. It has some good reveiws too. Comments in the reviews include “Everything is spot on” and “very easy to set up, nice touch sensitive keyboard, looks smart”.

You’ll be needing a desk to house your bargains. Why not try the Dakota Workstation. It’s simple but stylish and most importantly, it’ll only set you back £20.

For a printer, we’ve gone for the £75 Epson Stylus DX8400. It doubles up as a scanner/copier so you can save some more money there. We’ve also gone for an Epson because you tend to get cheaper ink cartridges, so there’s the potential for long-term money saving. One shopper left this review “the product give me exactly what I was wanting at the right price”.

You can’t do much without the net these days so if you’ve been unfortunate enough to get an internet provider who doesn’t supply you with a router, you can get the 54 Mbps Belkin F5D7231UK4 for £44. It’s got a stonking 200 meter wireless range so you can work in the house or even in the garden (unless you live in a mansion/palace, in which case, I’d checkout your distances before you embark on any ’off-piste’ activities).

They’re not used much these days but if you do need a fax machine, the Brother T104 is £67.

So there we go, under £500 if you go with a laptop and just over £500 if you chose a desktop computer, although there may be other elements there that you don’t need.

Reviews for all of the items can be found on Reevoo, along with lots of other reviews from shoppers.

In today’s what to buy, we’re looking at home offices. Whether you work from home or you just need an office at home, there’s no need to spend a fortune on some decent kit.

We’ve looked at laptops and desktop computers, shredders and fax machines and a lot more to help you furnish your office.

Let’s start off with computers. For those of you who prefer laptops, we’ve picked out the 15 inch Hewlett Packard 530. It’s got an 80GB hard drive, an Intel Celeron M 520 1.6 GHz processor and a DVD re-writer. You can pick one up for £267.97 with an increased 120GB hard drive. A bargain, I’m sure you’ll agree.

If you’re more of a desktop computer fan, you can try the Compaq SR5219. This has a 250GB hard drive, a AMD Athlon 64 X2 Processor and a DVD rewriter. It also comes with a 17inch Tft monitor and is around £360. It has some good reveiws too. Comments in the reviews include "Everything is spot on" and "very easy to set up, nice touch sensitive keyboard, looks smart".

You’ll be needing a desk to house your bargains. Why not try the Dakota Workstation. It’s simple but stylish and most importantly, it’ll only set you back £20.

For a printer, we’ve gone for the £75 Epson Stylus DX8400. It doubles up as a scanner/copier so you can save some more money there. We’ve also gone for an Epson because you tend to get cheaper ink cartridges, so there’s the potential for long-term money saving. One shopper left this review "the product give me exactly what I was wanting at the right price".

You can’t do much without the net these days so if you’ve been unfortunate enough to get an internet provider who doesn’t supply you with a router, you can get the 54 Mbps Belkin F5D7231UK4 for £44. It’s got a stonking 200 meter wireless range so you can work in the house or even in the garden (unless you live in a mansion/palace, in which case, I’d checkout your distances before you embark on any ’off-piste’ activities).

They’re not used much these days but if you do need a fax machine, the Brother T104 is £67.

So there we go, under £500 if you go with a laptop and just over £500 if you chose a desktop computer, although there may be other elements there that you don’t need.

Reviews for all of the items can be found on Reevoo, along with lots of other reviews from shoppers.