3D TV The Battle For Supremacy......

Latest Site Articles

Learn how 3D TV works
Easy to follow guide to the 3D TV technology used to deliver 3D imaging. Answering the question 'how does 3D TV work?'

Is watching 3D bad for your health?
Examining the latest published 3D TV health warnings - is watching 3D images bad for your health?

Discover the parts that make up the 3D experience.
Revealing what you need to watch 3D TV - an introduction to the TV sets, Blu Ray players, and glasses.

The why, what, how, where, and when of buying a 3D TV.
The top 'need to know' facts you'll want to consider when looking to buy a 3D TV.

Where can I get more info on 3D TVs, Blu Rays, glasses etc
One of the best ways to get good information on any subject is by participating in forum discussions. Here you'll find a good choice of 3D TV forum threads chosen for their interesting discussion value.

3D TV Manufacturers - The latest developments and models from the leading TV manufacturers - Toshiba   Samsung   Mitsubishi
Panasonic   Sony   LG   Vizio
Phillips   Sharp

3D TV Models - Revealing the latest new 3D models to hit the stores.

3D TV Networks - Get the lowdown on the 3D content providers, and find out who has plans for dedicated 3D channels - Cablevision, Cox, Time Warner, Comcast, DirecTV, Verizon, Sky

3D TV Converters - Guide to 2D to 3D converters.

3D Blu Ray Players - Read about the latest breakthrough developments in DVD players - an essential piece of the 3D TV puzzle.

3D Glasses - Understand why 3D glasses are required to see good quality images in 3D.

3D Movies - Examining the meteoric rise in popularity of the new 3D films to hit the cinemas.

3D TV - The Battle For Supremacy - Or A Battle For Survival?

So where are we with 3D TV? Is it a speeding Shinkansen bullet train trailing clouds of cherry blossom on a triumphant descent from Mount Fuji? Or is it acting out a last gasp Samurai battle, only to feel the sharp pain of a cold steel end?

Japanese imagery works well in the context of TV, doesn’t it. Japanese manufacturers have ruled the home entertainment world for as long as we can remember. TV, games consoles, music systems, radio. But 3D TV just might be the big mistake that will rock their foundations.

If the major manufacturers are to be believed, we‘re on the cusp of a major change in the way we enjoy our home entertainment. In addition to the recent focus on internet connected TVs, we’ve seen 3D TV making a splash in the news for the last year. It’s been a battle between the best to make the best and sell the most. But is it all smoke and mirrors?

There’s no denying the quality of some of the 3D imaging on offer. They’re good, these manufacturers. They know how to build 3D TVs to the highest standards. They know how to make 3D technology work in them. They know how to make improvements, and keep making them. They believe they have 3D cracked, and they do. Some of the best 3D TVs on offer do the job superbly.

And we do want it, don’t we? I know I do. Avatar pulled me in, I was lost, immersed. A Christmas Carol 3D stunned me. I want more. Millions of movie goers can’t be wrong, can they?

And yet, as far as 3D TV in our homes is concerned the explosion hasn’t happened. Although some sales reports suggest otherwise you only have to trawl the threads on popular Audio Visual forums to see the general negativity. Uncomfortable, expensive glasses. Health worries. Prices too high. I just bought an HDTV 18 months ago. There’s no 3D content. Those of us who believe there’s plenty of 3D content, that prices are dropping rapidly, and new technology is tackling the 3D glasses issues are clearly not shouting loudly enough.

So have the 3D TV manufacturers got it wrong? That seems unlikely given that the momentum in developments of new models continues unabated. All of the manufacturers have announced new ranges for 2011. Surely they wouldn’t be continuing pushing the technology if it had no chance of high volume sales success. Maybe it’s all about maintaining competitive advantage. Keeping your name in the frame, so to speak. 3D TV models are rapidly becoming the flagships of the line ups. High end 3D TVs guarantee an ultra high quality 2 dimensional picture too, and internet connectivity capability will surely be standard on all new sets very soon. It’s all converging, fast.

And the content providers are joining in. Two new 3D channels kicked off in the last few weeks in the US. In the UK, Sky recently announced that they’ve attracted over 70,000 Customers to their 3D channel, reportedly half of the 3D TV owners in the UK.

It’s clear that if 3D TV is to be a success, then it’s down to us, the buyers, to make it so. Great TVs on the shelves won’t do it, no matter how many different models and how good they are. Copious 3D content won’t do it, no matter how many movies are released on 3D Blu Ray, no matter how many 3D channels there are. We need to buy the sets. We need to watch the content.

So do we need to wait for 3D TV without glasses, or will the new passive glasses sets win out (akin to the cinema versions - cheaper, lighter, though not yet quite delivering the quality of the more expensive active shutter glasses), or are smaller mobile 3D TV models the real future?

Time will tell, but the indications are that the 3D TV train is yet to run out of steam, and actually might still play its promised part in the future of our home entertainment needs.