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The Short Form
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| $19.99 ($52.94 as tested) / HDWRAPAROUNDS.COM / 866-262-2403 |
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Snapshot
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| They're glasses that you can use to see the world in HD. Maybe? Sort of? |
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Plus
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| • Incredibly cheap as HD goes • Side panels for peripheral HD viewing • Lightweight and portable for HD viewing anywhere • Terrific scaling — absolutely no motion blur or jaggies! • Free visor clip, carry case, and cleaning cloth • Gives wearer ability to fit in as senior citizen or '70s porn star |
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Minus
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| • Exorbitant shipping and handling charges • Color bias towards pinkish-yellowish-brown • Night Vision glasses offer no actual night visionb • Endless spam e-mail offers following purchase • Fitting in as a senior citizen or '70s porn star |
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Key Features
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• UV400 amber lenses • Large enough to wear over existing prescription lenses • Modern (though questionable) European style • Two-year replacement guarantee • Includes bonus visor clip, cleaning cloth, leatherette carry pouch, and HD Night Vision WrapArounds • Rush shipping available for additional $6.99 |
With the digital TV switchover looming on the horizon, it was inevitable that someone would finally address the root limitation of all high definition displays: our eyes. No matter how great the image is coming off the screen, if your eyes suck, so will the picture.
That "someone" is HDVision. Through a highly targeted, pinpoint e-mail campaign, HDVision reached out to me with an offer to purchase their new high-performance, HDVision WrapAround eyewear. HDVision promised "clarity that you have never experienced" that will "enhance your vision . . . just like High Definition TV!"
And most titillating of all, they feature "modern European style." I've been to Europe and I've seen Europeans, and I'm here to tell you, they are stylish. If I can capture even some of that lightning in a bottle, then brother, count me in!
To sweeten the pot, they also offered me two exclusive bonus offers. As a reviewer, I generally shy away from manufacturer bribes as I don't want to risk anything biasing my opinion, but I felt I could make an exception in this case after I confirmed that they would extend this offer to Sound & Vision readers. For a limited time, HDVision will throw-in a pair of night Vision WrapArounds and a patented visor clip for your car, said to be a $10 value. You're welcome.
With this being such a potential leap forward in optical technology — bringing HD quality to every aspect of our lives — I owed it to Sound & Vision readers to bring these in for a full review. Again, you're welcome.
SETUP
After placing my order, I was told I could expect to receive my HDVision WrapArounds in 6-8 weeks. Well, that certainly wasn't going to do. When the opportunity to live life in HD arises, one must step up and grasp it with both hands! After several phone calls, I finally reached an English-speaking operator. I could tell she was impressed by the fact that I wrote for Sound & Vision and that I would be reviewing these glasses for publication. After some small talk, my passion for HD — and an extra $6.99 — convinced her to upgrade me to RUSH shipping status. These are the kinds of perks we reviewers enjoy on a daily basis. Sweet, huh?
After paying $22.96 for shipping and handling on a product that was initially billed as costing only $19.99, I was a little surprised when the package showed up in my mailbox via US Postal Service with no fanfare. The "Priority Mail" logo hinted that maybe the actual shipping was somewhere around $5, however I'm certain my package received VIP handling. This was confirmed when I opened it opened it and saw how the two pairs of glasses had been packed Tetris-style into the small box.
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The standard HDVision WrapArounds (left) and the NightVision edition (right). |
Before experiencing the full glory that is life in HD, I was cautioned not to stare directly at the sun, use as machinery eyewear protection, wear at night, or indoors. While these restrictions were going to greatly impact my normal daily routine, I was willing to sacrifice sun watching for a 1080p lifestyle. Also noteworthy is that the quality, Chinese-made optics should never be cleaned with any harsh or abrasive chemicals.
Prior to installation, I closed my eyes and wished away the memories of 38 years of standard-def viewing. The actual installation was simple and trouble free. The mounting brackets (aka "frames") fit nicely over my ears and made for a snug fit. I took a deep breath and opened my eyes . . .
PERFORMANCE
While HD Vision WrapArounds look an awful lot like regular old-person sunglasses, the scaling technology delivers a jaggie-free view of the world with zero motion blur. If they destroy your ability to interact with the opposite sex, you'll have more time to enjoy the high contrast, edge-enhancement cloud-viewing feature.
Life in HD, meanwhile, is definitely darker. However, I know that a properly ISF calibrated screen has a darker, more film-like image, so I was OK with that. It also made me comfortable knowing that the glasses were in a "contrast safe" setting, meaning I probably wouldn't have to worry about screen burn-in or image retention.
After several minutes, I started feeling a bit of eye fatigue. At first I thought it had to do with the hard, plastic frames bisecting my eyebrows, but then I understood what was really happening; I was experiencing the shock of my brain and retina dealing with life in full HD. After the giddiness wore off, I settled in for some serious testing.
Prior to testing, I gave the lenses a thorough calibration using the bonus microfiber cleaning cloth. I began by checking off-angle viewing, and no matter where anyone stood, I looked damn fine wearing these shades. Dare I say Pimpalicious? While the "Modern European Style" is perhaps more Sacha Baron Cohen's "Bruno" than Versace or Pininfarina, they definitely have a style all their own, and elicit jealous comments like, "My grandmother has a pair of those!"
Corner focus was good, allowing me to look through all sections of the lens without distortion. There was a bit of underscan where the frames cut into the lower periphery of my vision. Sadly, I was unable to find any service codes to correct this.
An HDTV must display dark, inky blacks to be truly cinematic, and the WrapArounds certainly deliver the darkest blacks I've ever seen. Sitting in my darkened theater, I couldn't even see my hand in front of my face. For a minute, I thought my eyes were still closed — it was that black! Until Pioneer's new Kuro sets arrive, these establish the new performance standard. Due to the screen (aka "lens") color, peak white performance is severely affected by a noticeable shift towards a pinky-yellowy-brown color. Using a modified eyes open/eyes closed testing method, contrast ratio measured an impressive infinity.
Scaling artifacts are something we've all come to live with. For those who can't afford top-shelf video processing, the WrapArounds offer performance every bit as good at a fraction of the cost. The Coliseum flyover in Gladiator has long been used as a test benchmark. Unfortunately, Sound & Vision's Gulfstream G650 was already wheels-up, so I modified the testing by looking at brick buildings, electrical lines, and billboards while driving to work. Never once did they break into jaggies or exhibit any judder or motion artifacts. Equally impressive was the handling of motion blur. Cars whizzing past remained stable and rock solid, out to the limitations of my testing equipment. Detail and resolution was so good, I wonder if they're using 240 — or even 480 — Hertz processing?
I wasn't sure what to expect while watching actual HDTV while wearing the HD glasses. Would I see 1080 x 2? 1080 x 1080? Or perhaps 1080 raised to the power of 1080? What I did see was regular HD, just a lot darker and with that pinky-yellowy-brown color. Then I recalled that the owner's manual cautioned against wearing the glasses indoors — this would likely avoid just such an HD resolution conflict.
Walking outside, the world seemed far more three-dimensional. I know it's crazy, but things looked so real it felt like I could reach out and touch things I was seeing. Instead of passively looking through a clear window onto the world, I was in the world, experiencing the action. Shadow detail was amazing, with no irritating gradations in the gray scale. HDVision incorporates some edge-enhancement technology that is particularly useful while cloud gazing. Clouds that were invisible with the naked eye suddenly sprang to life, clearly defined against the blue sky. If cloud gazing is your thing, HDVision WrapArounds will make it better.
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The standard HDVision WrapArounds (left) and the NightVision edition (right). |
Like you, when I hear the term "Night Vision," I think of Delta Force operators kicking in doors and taking out bad guys. Or green, blurry make-up sessions covertly captured on reality TV shows. Either way, "night vision" means seeing in the night, which is generally accepted to be dark. With the HDGlasses, Night Vision has a much looser interpretation. Putting on the bright yellow lenses immediately does two things. First, you look like classic '90s-era Bono. Second, things get brighter. Insanely brighter. Wearing them in normal lighting is actually painful on the eyes, making you want to instantly put the regular HDVision WrapArounds on top of them. They have a strong bias towards yellow, and resemble looking through a glass of bright, clear urine. When used in low IRE settings (around 20 to 40 IRE on the Grayscale), say driving in the rain or near dusk, they offer a lot of contrast and reveal low-level details that might otherwise be lost.
Audio performance was beyond reproach. Of course, the glasses have no sound producing abilities at all, so this was to be expected. The temples did fit snugly behind my ears, and didn't hinder my hearing.
BOTTOM LINE
HDVision WrapArounds won't be for everyone. Doubtless there will be cynics who will claim they've lived this long in standard def so why change now? I'm sure there were similar cries during the '60s when the switchover from black-and-white to color was happening.
However, for early adopters — and those looking to squeeze the last drop of performance out of life at any cost — HDVision WrapArounds offer an alternative to cool, designer shades. Once you've experienced HD, there's no going back.