3D – Sounds good; means nothing

3D is back in the limelight, this time as a result of Deloitte’s survey – Revolutions 3010, which unveils some less than positive insights about what was set to be ‘the next big thing’.

The survey found that only 17% of Americans consider 3D to be important enough to buy a new television set (and most of them aren’t prepared to pay more for one).  In the last six months, only 9% of US consumers have seen 3D TV technology in action – and 31% of respondents said it did not enhance their entertainment experience, while a further 13% said it even made them feel uncomfortable or physically sick.

Needless to say, this isn’t great news for 3D TV hopefuls.  There is also the glasses issue, which Evie Haskell (writing for SkyBOX) says – “Yeah, 3D offers cool video but nobody – and I mean NOBODY – likes the glasses”.

Deloitte’s Ed Moran admits that the glasses are a barrier for “multi-taskers” – it is hard to imagine wearing special glasses while watching TV and surfing the net, or reading a newspaper.

However, there is always the the holy grail of ‘autostereoscopic’.  At a ThinkBox event last week, Matt West said he certainly sees 3D TV becoming mainstream once it becomes glasses-free.  At the moment, the autostereoscopic developments have been somewhat limited (you can watch 3D content on a set without glasses, but you need to be sitting directly in front of it, as opposed to having a side-on view).  However, the aim is to have this tried, tested and perfected by 2013, and with set prices expected to come down by then, it is possible that 3D could take off… just a little later than predicted.

Another positive is that there will be some early-adopters.  West pointed to gamers, especially because the PlayStation3 is already 3D-enabled.  And Deloitte’s findings suggest that under 30 year olds will be more likely to buy a new 3D-enabled television set once they offer a glasses-free option (55% of them in fact).  25% of people in their twenties that already own a flat screen TV said they would also be willing to pay 15% more for a 3D TV.

It is perhaps unsurprising that the younger generation (named the ‘Millennials’ in Deloitte’s report) are more interested in 3D, and Moran is hopeful that this group will provide the boost the service needs: “Pay attention to the Millennials – they’ll lead the adoption of 3D TV,” he said.

However, if the Consumer Electronics Association forecast is anything to go by – the 3D revolution may be a bit slow off the mark.  It had predicted that 4 million sets would be sold this year, but has since reduced its forecast to just over a million.

Haskell summed it up: “Until the economy improves – and some of those Millennials can move out of their parents’ homes – 3D as the new HD kind of reads like a political slogan:  Sounds good; means nothing.”