Thanks to a land of blue people, a classic Charles Dickens tale and a house floating away on balloons, the inception of three-dimensional cinema is emerging as a staple in theaters across the country.
And 3-D technology will expand to a new medium this year, as television brands begin announcing plans to unveil official 3-D TVs on store shelves.’
The technology is broadening and garnering more attention with a slew of 3-D films released into theaters in 2009 and a handful of others slated for release in 2010.
‘Up’ and ‘A Christmas Carol,’ two 3-D film offerings in 2009, each raked in more than $130 million at the box office. And in addition to a handful of Golden Globe nominations, box-office analysts predict James Cameron’s epic sci-fi picture ‘Avatar’ is on pace to overtake ‘Titanic’ as the highest-grossing film of all time.
High box-office earnings are prompting brands like Panasonic, Sony and Toshiba to echo this entertainment trend and make plans for a splash in the world of 3-D technology as early as this spring.
But Charles Shindo, history of American pop culture professor, said the impact of 3-D television will be negligible, much like the switch to color TV in the 1960s.
When color TVs hit the market, they soon fizzled out because of their high prices. It took more than a decade for the innovativeness of color television to catch on.
‘I see this mainly as a way for the industry to sell a new technology,’ Shindo said. ‘Not as a major event in television history.’
Major TV brands displayed demos of their most expansive 3-D models for judges at this month’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. ‘Best in Show’ and ‘Best in Television’ accolades went to Panasonic’s top-line 3-D HDTV model TC-PVT25.
But high costs and underdeveloped technologies are throwing curveballs to companies despite forward motion from retail brands. Investors claim they are not willing to place stock in the innovations, according to a Jan. 7 article from Reuters.
Investors and consumers predict an initial lack of a surge in sales of 3-D TVs because of high prices, according to reports from CNET and other analysts. Vizio is one of the first brands to announce a suggested retail price, with its 47-inch XVT Pro priced at $1,999.
Other issues plaguing 3-D development include the necessity of special glasses to view programming and for networks to agree to switch to 3-D production methods.
Some TV brands are planning to include one pair of glasses with each set purchased, and every pair after that will sell for $75, according to CNBC’s Web site. ESPN and Discovery Channel are the only two networks that have officialized their plans to adapt to the inception of 3-D programming.
Some student consumers are also skeptical to jump on the 3-D bandwagon without further development.
‘I don’t think I would buy a 3-D TV,’ said Elizabeth Fall, communication disorders sophomore. ‘Most of what I watch, I don’t want to be in 3-D. A lot of channels would just be weird to watch in 3-D.’
Robert Ruffino, owner of Sherwood Electronics & Appliances, said he foresees an initial surge in sales of 3-D TVs within the first six months of their release.
‘Videophiles are the ones who have to have the lastest and greatest, and they want it now,’ Ruffino said. ‘But once they get their product, sales may taper off.’
But Ruffino said 3-D technology could be here to stay.
‘3-D is here to stay. Eventually, everything may be in 3-D,’ Ruffino said. ‘Who knows? Eventually, there may be projection methods where you don’t even need to use glasses to watch it.’
Follow Matthew Jacobs on Twitter @TDR_mjacobs.
