IOGEAR 3D Complete+ 2D to 3D Converter Preview

I usually write these preview articles with a "royal we" tone. "We love it when...", "We were impressed by...", etc. When the subject of 3D comes up, however, I lose all objectivity. I hate it. I really, really do. I've tried it. I've seen all the movies that people say have "the best" 3D and I've always felt like I could have spent my money on just about anything else and left more satisfied. Movie theaters have been pushing 3D down our throats for higher ticket prices while display manufacturers have been trying to convince us to upgrade our displays so we can enjoy 3D headaches in the comfort of our own homes. Pah! I say!

One of the major rebuttals I have to 3D pundits is that there is no content. Sure, there are Blu-rays and a few shows or event you can catch on TV. Maybe a game or two. But that's about to change.

IOGEAR, damn them to hell, has released a new 2D-to3D converter box. The 3D Complete+ (not sure what the + is about) will take video, regardless of source, and convert it to 3D. Not only that, it was upscale it as well. If the incoming video is 480i/p, it will scale it to 720p and and incoming 720p is scaled to FULL HD 1080p. So, basically, it is a 2D-to3D converter AND an external video scaler in one. But, surely, someone that hates 3D like I do can find something wrong with the 3D Complete+

Yep, that's four HDMI ports back there. If you look around the side there is a fifth port. The four on the back are inputs and one around the side is the output. This means you can scale/convert up to four sources (that's if you aren't just putting the 3D Complete+ between your receiver and display). The Complete+ is usable with all forms of 3D including active and passive glasses. It can be used with both flat panel displays and projectors (Provides "Page-Flip" and "Frame Sequential" formats needed). On top of that, with the remote, you can manually adjust the 3D for the about of "pop" and "depth" it has. 

The scaling included sounds pretty robust. With deinterlacing, noise reduction, bad light correction, and frame by frame correction, it seems to be well featured. Of course, without putting it on the test bench, we won't know. The IOGEAR 3D Complete+ will convert not only video but your game console, computer, or even HD phones to 3D.

Of course, the big question is the price. At just under $200, the IOGEAR 3D Complete+ looks to be quite the deal - if it works well. The ability to use 3D all the time rather than just occasionally means that upgrading actually makes some sense if you really like 3D. Even if you don't, the IOGEAR 3D Complete+ has upscaling features that should improve your HD experience.

Conclusion

The only knock we can find against the IOGEAR 3D Complete+ 2D-to-3D Converter is that we can't know how well it will perform in the real world from the specs. We're certainly interested in seeing the 2D-to-3D conversion in action. We're impressed that IOGEAR included full upscaling for those that aren't as interested in 3D as in maximizing their 2D experience. If the 3D Complete+ tests well on our measurement suite, it could be the next go-to product for 2D and 3D lovers alike.

For more information, please visit www.iogear.com.

Unless otherwise indicated, this is a preview article for the featured product. A formal review may or may not follow in the future.