Just in case you’ve already gotten too complacent about high-definition TV, the manufacturers want to show you Avatar in 3-D — in your living room. At the Consumer Electronics Show now taking place in Las Vegas, glasses-required 3-D TVs and Blu-ray discs are everywhere.
Some industry watchers are predicting that more than three million 3-D TV sets will be sold in the U.S. this year, following lackluster sales in 2009. In addition, prices for high-definition TVs are dropping rapidly, a situation that delights consumers and worries manufacturers.
‘Five to 10 Years’
DreamWorks Animation’s Jeffrey Katzenberg, however, is among those who are tempering industry goals, pointing out that it often takes “five to 10 years” to move from one technology platform to another. Katzenberg has committed to using 3-D movie technology on all the movies coming from his studio.
At CES, 3-D TV sets are being shown by Sony, LG Electronics, Panasonic and others. Sony is also upgrading all its new PlayStation 3 consoles so they can show 3-D.
On the content side, the Discovery Channel has announced it’s forming a joint venture with Sony and IMAX to create 3-D TV channels. ESPN said it will have dozens of sports events on its new 3-D channel. DIRECTV will be premiering three 3-D HDTV channels by the summer, and British satellite service BSkyB will be unveiling a 3-D service sometime this year.
The Consumer Electronics Association said that, in a survey, 25 percent of consumers expect to own a 3-D TV within the next three years.
James McQuivey, an analyst with Forrester Research, noted the irony of seeing Taylor Swift at CES’ opening night, with her 3-D TV image shown right behind her. “You had to put the glasses on in order to see Taylor Swift in 3-D,” he said, “when she was, actually, in 3-D already, right…