NEWS: TV makers testing market for 3D

LAS VEGAS: This is supposedly the year 3D television becomes the hot new thing in the United States: Updated sets and disc players are coming out, and 3D cable channels are in the works. But it’s not clear the idea will reach out and grab mainstream viewers.

Besides having to spring for expensive new TVs, people would have to put on awkward special glasses to give the picture the illusion of depth. That limits 3D viewing to times when viewers can sit down and focus on a movie or show.

It’s one thing to put on 3D glasses in a theatre, but “at home, you’re with other people in the living room, running to the kitchen and doing other things,” said Greg Ireland of the research firm IDC.

Unfazed by the potential hang-ups, the biggest TV makers began revealing their 3D models on Wednesday before the official opening of the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

Tim Baxter, president of Samsung Electronics Co’s consumer division, said in an interview that 10% to 14% of the roughly 35 million TVs sold in the United States this year will be 3D-capable.

Samsung is determined to make 3D a big feature on its more expensive TVs this year. It’s teaming with DreamWorks Animation SKG Inc to make the Blu-ray 3D version of the movie Monsters vs Aliens an exclusive for buyers of Samsung’s 3D TVs.

LG Electronics Inc said it will introduce 47in and 55in flatpanel TVs with 3D capabilities in May. LG and Samsung are among the companies that plan to sell 3D Blu-ray disc players later in the year.

LG didn’t announce exact prices for its new sets. But Tim Alessi, director of product development at LG Electronics USA, said 3D TV sets will likely cost US$200 to US$300 (RM700 to RM1,000) more than comparable flatpanel sets without 3D capabilities, which already run more than US$1,000 (RM3,400).

Announcements of 3D TV sets were also expected from Sony Corp and Panasonic Corp.

Gradual pick up

Manufacturers aren’t counting on 3D to take over instantly. Colour TV and high definition caught on over many years. Like those earlier advances, 3D programming requires upgrades throughout the TV and movie infrastructure, from shooting to editing to distribution.
FULL STEAM AHEAD: Manufacturers aren't putting all their eggs in the 3D basket, instead banking on high definition flatpanel TV sets. — AP

Incidentally, Samsung and Dreamworks are working with Technicolor, which pioneered colour movies, to get 3D right.

Of course, movies in 3D have been around since the 1950s and from time to time have been billed as the next big thing in entertainment. And technically speaking, 3D viewing in the home has been possible for the past few years. But there has been no good way to get 3D movies and shows to watch.

That obstacle is being swept away this year, as plans for a 3D version of the Blu-ray disc have solidified. Players are expected this spring.

On Tuesday, two major cable networks — ESPN and Discovery — said they plan to start beaming 3D entertainment into US homes for the first time.

ESPN plans to have its channel running in time to show World Cup soccer matches in 3D on June 11. Discovery Communications Inc will partner with Imax Corp and Sony to bring out its own full-time 3D network in 2011.

Samsung isn’t waiting for 3D programming: It said its sets will be able to convert standard 2D programming to 3D on the fly. The effect likely won’t be as good as original 3D footage, but it will “tide consumers over” until there is more 3D programming, Baxter said.

Toshiba is taking the same tack. It plans roll out a new line of five TVs this year that will perform the 2D to 3D conversion in a separate box with a powerful processor similar to one used in the Sony PlayStation3.

Like the other manufacturers, Toshiba didn’t announce prices for the sets, but they will probably be expensive.

Blue success

TV manufacturers, movie studios and broadcasters are counting on the excitement around the latest wave of 3D movies in theatres to finally drive interest in adapting the technology for the home.

In particular, James Cameron’s Avatar has set a new standard for 3D in movies and has surpassed US$1bil (RM3.4bil) at the box office. It demonstrates that 3D is viable for more than just computer-animated children’s or family movies such as Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs.

“The hopes of the industry have undoubtedly been raised by the success of Avatar,” said NPD analyst Ross Rubin.

But it’s not clear people will be eager to pony up the premium prices for 3D in the home — at least for a few years — or even that the experience will translate well from the movie theatre to the living room.
HARD TO TELL: Experts say it is unclear if people who have recently ponied up for HD TV sets will want to splurge again so soon for what will invariably be a pricey upgrade to 3D TV. — AP

(It is possible to do 3D TV without glasses, but those solutions usually require viewers to keep their heads in one particular place. The image quality is also lower.)

Viewing 3D discs will require new Blu-ray players that could cost a few hundred dollars, to the possible annoyance of people who invested in regular Blu-ray players in the past several years.

And it may be difficult to tempt shoppers to buy new TVs after the flatpanel binge of the last few years.

Not many bites

Jay Weil, 42, a day trader from San Francisco, said he’s unlikely to jump in to buy 3D technology right away because he bought a new 52in, high-definition TV about six months ago for US$1,800 (about RM6,000). He has no problems with the setup.

“I am not suffering, even though it’s 2D,” he said on Wednesday inside a Best Buy store in San Francisco.

Analyst Riddhi Patel at iSuppli Corp said one target market would probably be people who have moved the flatpanels they bought a few years ago into their bedrooms and now want new sets for their living rooms.

Or TV makers can count on hitting the mainstream later and aim for enthusiasts first — people such as Michael Pearce, 39, a supervisor at a biotechnology company.

Pearce loves the thrill of new electronics even though his family tells him he’s gone overboard. He says he has bought 12 flatscreen TVs in the last three years and sells the old ones on eBay whenever he upgrades.

“I like to see how they push the envelope. I like to see what’s next,” he said. “3D TV is like, wow. You have to go to the movies for that.” — AP