• Watch Out for 3D TVs

    Watch Out for 3D TVs

    Rahul Srinivas, Jan 16, 2009 1723 hrs IST

    Companies like LG, Panasonic, and Philips working on 3D televisions, first lot to hit the market by the end of this year

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Just when you thought TVs have been through all sorts of changes/feature additions possible, here comes talk of the next big thing - 3D TV.




While we are fairly well versed with 3D movies, TV manufacturers seem to think 3D technology might just hold the key to attract consumers to the latest TV technologies and help to boost sagging sales and revive waning interest. Thanks to the economic slump, 2009 is expected to be a gloomy year for television manufacturers with a revised growth rate pegged at 17%; the same figure for 2008 was 29%. The boom in the adoption and sales of the latest TVs was partly aided by the US Government's decision to switch to digital broadcasts by February 2009 - a fast approaching deadline. However, with the arrival of 2009, the boom seems to be dying-mainly owing to the economic slump and of course stagnancy in the development of features.




Manufacturers seem to have run out of tricks to woo cost conscious consumers into spending on large screen displays. The latest in the attempt to woo consumers seem to be 3D televisions. The sole intention behind the relatively faster adoption of 3D televisions by manufacturers seems to be the fact that their cost of production is almost the same as their standard LCD/Plasma brethren - most importantly, they offer a far more visually appealing experience as compared to "standard" TVs. However, as of now, spending such amounts just to watch a one-off 3D broadcast doesn't make economic sense. However, this might not be the case in the near future. While 3D movies have been around since the late 50s, the technology never achieved its full potential - with the perception being that it was more a gimmick than a technology to enhance viewing experience. This perception is set to gradually change with the adoption of glassless 3D viewing. That's correct. Remember those gawky spectacles with colored 3D lenses that helped you watch 3D movies minus a headache? These lenses were necessary to sent different images to both eyes so that you get a wholesome 3D experience. If you remove the lenses, all you see is a blurry mess. These lenses might be objects in remote history soon as newer technologies have come up, which may find their way into 3D televisions of the near future.




As for the push for 3D technology, Hollywood seems to be leading from the front. Dreamworks has announced that all its films in 2009 will be "3D enabled," and it has even started working with the chip giant Intel to design chips optimized for 3D home setups. Even the NBA (National Basketball Association) and the NFL (National Football League) have begun 3D broadcasts in the US - albeit still with the spectacles. As for how long the wait for the "perfect 3D" would last, according to experts, it would at least take a decade for the perfect, glassless 3D viewing experience to enter your living rooms. However, that doesn't seem to stop TV manufacturers from shying away from the technology. Almost all companies including the likes of LG, Panasonic, and Philips are working on 3D televisions, and we can expect the first lot of these TVs to hit the market by the end of this year. We're talking about the versions where you would need to wear the 3D spectacles to watch a 3D broadcast.




On the downside, it remains to be seen how production companies react to this adoption by the manufacturers. This is because the production of a 3D program/movie involves the use of more cameras (read: expensive!), and of course, the broadcasting of events live in 3D demands a huge investment in terms of infrastructure upgrades - so its not just about the consumers accepting the technology. However, the technology is still in its infancy as of now and it will eventually be consumer demand that will drive its growth.




On a lighter note, let us hope they at least change the design of those 3D spectacles and maybe we can live with them - it has remained virtually unchanged since the fifties, so it seems!


Via: CNET

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Discussion Board
(4) Comments
Vinay T N
,Bangalore, on Jan 23, 2009 07:25 PM
I have seen a working model of PHILIPS 3D tv ( about 6 months ago ) , It looks like a regualr LCD tv , but the video is just spectacular - its 3D and the best part is you dont need to wear any glasses , just watch it like normal TV's .
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none
,none, on Jan 23, 2009 05:14 AM
If they're talking about those horrific red/blue glasses... forget it. However, if they're planning on using polarized displays to achieve the 3D without the color distortion, then that might be a viable option. I just fail to see how they think the current manufacturing process can to twin polarized displays. If you don't know about polarized 3d, you should check it out. The glasses you wear have clear lenses. The screen plays 2 images simultaneously on top of each other, and the polarized lenses separate them. You get a 3d image, with no revolting blue/green colors.
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Narasimha
,bangalore, on Jan 21, 2009 03:12 PM
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M R Goplani
,Gandhinagar, on Jan 19, 2009 11:10 AM
It is not important howsoon we are going to have 3D Tvs. It is to be seen as to when are going to shift telecasts in 3D technology from the present day digital and anolog. Most of the world has not even shifted to digital broadcasts !! However, the news is welcome.
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