When you hear the term "3D" you may immediately think of a movie theater full of 1960-era viewers, donning red- and blue-lens paper glasses. Or perhaps those various attempts to capture that past "magic" will come to mind. But actually, as we've seen with recent smash Hollywood hits, "UP" and "Avatar," 3D is getting a makeover for the millennium. In the coming months and years there will be a big push to bring the new technology home to living rooms and home theaters.
While the glasses are still a requirement (and will be for some time), they're now a much hipper black plastic, some with active shutter technology to greatly improve the 3D effect and overall viewing experience. HDTV models and projectors that support 3D are now on the market with many more models coming in 2010. Manufacturers acknowledge that the concept is a hard sell for consumers, "you want me to buy another big screen HDTV?" The overall feeling is that the newly improved technology needs to be seen to be believed and, once they've seen a proper demo, customers will line up, credit cards in hand, to bring home the goods.
Demonstrations at additional retailers will follow with different manufacturers at each stop. "What's interesting about this technology is that it will enter at prices far below what we saw happen when flat panels were introduced," said David Berman, director of training and public relations at HTSA. While early high-definition television sets hit the market for prices in the five digits, HDTV 3D sets are more affordable. Mitsubishi's Home Theater Television line starts at around $1,000.
HTSA and its members are hoping consumers will learn about 3-D technology and its availability before making purchase decisions. As more 3-D content becomes available, it could signal a need to update a still-new television.
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