Forgive me for being the pessimist, but I do not think that 3-D television will take off this year. I know that it is being pushed heavily, but I do not see people going out and buying a new television set when many people have switched over the past few years to HDTV. There are other factors affecting this as well. For one, there is the added cost of purchasing a 3-D TV. For another, there is the lack of content to watch on a 3-D TV. As of this writing, there is only 1 movie that is 3-D on Blu-Ray. CNet has published an article talking about the arrival 3-D televisions, and their problems.
The most obvious hurdle is the fact that viewers still need to wear glasses when they watch 3D TV. TV manufacturers are working on technology for glass-less 3D viewing. While similar technology is being used in digital signage, it’s still years away from showing up in consumer TVs.
Simply getting people to even wear special glasses isn't the biggest problem. The real issue is that the glasses that work with the current version of “active” 3D TVs require crystal shutter glasses, which work by very quickly blocking each eye in sequence. The glasses, in addition to the liquid-crystal lenses, contain electronics and batteries, typically good for 80 or more hours, that sync to the TV via an infrared or Bluetooth signal. These glasses cost about $150 a pop. And to make matters worse, glasses made for one manufacturer’s TV won’t work with a competitor’s TV, even though it uses the same “active” 3D technology.
Personally, I would rather buy a passive 3-D TV, preferably one where the glasses use circular polarization. But since my current LCD HDTV works just fine, I do not plan to go out and buy one any time soon.
via 3D TV has arrived, but glitches remain | Signal Strength – CNET News.
