The Wall Street Journal takes a good look at how 3D TV is performing in the home, only 2% of homes according to the Consumer Electronics Association with only 4% projected for next year, and wonders if it’s even worth getting into? Television doesn’t have the captive audience of theaters, with people frequently multitasking TV with reading the mail, surfing the net, or folding laundry. Perhaps some of the folks in the movie industry need to talk to folks in the TV industry for a nice wake-up call, like this comment from Alan Wurtzel at NBC Universal.
“Just because we can do it doesn’t mean the audience wants it,” says Alan Wurtzel, president of research at NBC Universal. He compares 3-D to previous technological flops like TV sets in cars and built into stoves so cooking housewives can watch while cooking.
Then, there’s the nauseating comments like this from Panasonic’s VP of Technology & Government Affairs Peter Fannon:
The companies believe that as 3-D TV becomes mainstream, not only will glasses work with every brand, but opticians will offer prescription models and fashion designers will create high-end, branded eyewear. Chanel 3-D glasses, Panasonic’s Mr. Fannon says, “would make great stocking stuffers.”
And this statement:
So far, some companies feel they have more to gain than others. Sports and nature-show purveyors are exploring the technology, along with cable operators who see the potential for added fees from subscribers, including pay-per-view movies and special events.
So there you have it.. It’s got nothing to do with “improving the experience”, but rather “gouging the consumer out of every penny”.
