OK, when I saw Ryan Lawler of NewTeeVee’s post on 3D TV it really caught my eye. Call me a Luddite, but I just don’t get it. Seems based on a KPMG study, I might not be alone. He said it well so I’ll just quote him:
According to recent survey data from KPMG, few consumers see the need to bring 3-D into the home, with just 15 percent saying they expect to buy a 3-D-capable set the next time they shell out for a new TV.
According to the most recent KPMG Media and Entertainment Barometer, more than a quarter of respondents said they had viewed a 3-D film in the theater over the past 12 months, and those numbers are even higher for 18-24 year olds (42 percent) and 25-34 year olds (45 percent).
Comparatively, only 5 percent of those surveyed said they had watched a 3-D film on TV — and very few seemed to want to, with only about one in six respondents said they were likely to buy a 3-D TV for their next purchase. Only about a quarter of respondents said they would prefer to watch TV in 3-D if it was available, with a third saying they would prefer not to. A whole 42 percent were unsure if they’d prefer to watch 3-D TV, which signals unfamiliarity with the technology.
And, here’s my favorite stat “More than 40 percent said they believed 3-D was a gimmick.” While I’m certainly not a 3D technology expert, my feed-reader is filled with news about 3D and you couldn’t get away from it at CES. My quandary is those glasses. First, you have to find them in your living room (I don’t know about you, but I loose my remote at least once a day). Second, the glasses aren’t interoperable. You can’t use one brand’s glasses with another brand’s TV. So think about the Super Bowl in 3D. Only some of your friends who come for the party can see the event it its full glory. The rest of the party goers will see a screen that makes them feel drunk even if they are only drinking soda. And last, think about how silly you look in those glasses.
All that said, the change and growth in video generally is one of the things that makes this space fun.
What do you think about 3D and how that might play out – not just on the physical set in your living room, but online too?
Later Update: Hey…ask and ye shall receive. I saw this posting on companies that have 3D TVs without the “goofy” glasses. This article suggested that the glasses are what’s holding back the 3D flood waters. While none of these new technologies are without issues, and all are expensive, it shows progress towards something more mass market.
I read that 3d TV has depth INTO the screen and not OUT of the screen. It’s also not true “depth” but layered two dimensional.
Overall the review seem to be. “OK”. “OK” does not sell a technology to me. I remember my dad telling me that he had seen HD in Japan back before it hit the market place and he was “wowed” by it.
Seems this is a ho hum technology.
The glasses aren’t holding it back. The problem is that auto-stereoscopic TVs have such a narrow view angle. That and this 3d is not 3d – it doesn’t have a true depth feel.
Holographic TV without glasses. That would impress me.
I don’t think the 3dtv will catch on, its over priced and it came out way before it should have. The high definition craze hasn’t even been fully implemented and now companies want us to buy these tv’s and even high priced glasses to go along with it. It will be a flop in my opinion.