CES was the official coming out party for the 3D TV. Manufacturers Sony, LG, Samsung, Panasonic and others had all their wares to show off. The seemingly sudden consumer interest and manufacturer push in a technology that’s been around for the last couple of years is spurred on mostly by the phenomenal success of the film Avatar, and this was nowhere more evident than at CES.
What is CES?
CES, or the Consumer Electronic Show, is an annual electronics trade show where manufacturers give sneak peaks at products they have on the horizon, as well as their product line up for the next 12 months. The big trends at CES 2010 were a reboot on the failed tablet PCs project of yesteryear, a flood of new ebook readers as well as an increasing focus on the still surprisingly strong netbook category of personal computers. However the undoubted star of the show was the 3D TV, thanks in no small part to the James Cameron film Avatar.
The Avatar Effect
Avatar, the first ‘true’ 3D live action film, has proven to be a revelation at cinemas by becoming the highest grossing film of all time with over $2 billion at the box office and manufacturers of home entertainment systems are betting a similar windfall will accompany the introduction of 3D technology into homes. The feeling at CES is that the financial rewards of moving from plain HDTVs to 3D TVs will be similar to that of the shift from SDTVs to HDTVs. So a veritable gold rush has ensued with everybody attempting to beat each other to market.
Will consumers buy it?
The question many CES pundits left with is whether people actually want this. The first drawback a 3D TV has is the need to wear glasses. The sheer weight of the glasses, as well as how inappropriate they are for social viewing may make these displays undesirable. The second drawback is the discomfort many viewers feel when viewing 3D TV, ranging from dizziness to extreme cases of nausea. This discomfort is felt from watching a two hour long movie, can you imagine how bad it would be if this were to happen day in day out for 5 hours or more each day?
CES, however, quelled some, if not all of these fears. Intel unveiled the world’s first 3D display that did not require 3D glasses. Whilst still in testing and very limited, it was indicative of where this display technology is inevitably headed. The side effects question has yet to be answered, though. The attitude seems to be to get these products to market as soon as possible and then to iterate relentlessly once consumer feedback begins pouring in.
The immediate future
Sure, the shift from flat images to 3D has done wonders on the big screen, the question is will the same ring true for the small screen? If CES is any indication, manufacturers sure think so, although to base these massive bets off of isolated successes may be jumping the gun a little bit. Nevertheless, expect to see 3D TVs in UK shops by April.
Tags for this article: 3d, Avatar, CES
