As consumer and industry interest in 3D HDTV, Blu-ray and movie development increases, the demand for such products will also increase. Industry experts and analysts recently met during the 3D@Home Consortium to discuss realistic ways to help accelerate 3D adoption.
During the 90-day period after manufacturers started supporting 3D, the 3DTV and compatible Blu-ray Disc sales topped $55 million.
The 3D@Home Consortium will help gauge the popularity of 3D -- and how it can change for the better.
"3DTV will [continue to] be a premium home entertainment experience in 2010," said Ross Rubin, NPD Executive director, in a note. "Many consumers have already shown that they are willing to use special glasses to obtain the 3D effects, but want to preserve the social aspect of the group television viewing [without glasses].”
Even though there is a higher level of growth, there are several looming issues that need to be addressed if 3D popularity is to increase further. A major issue is that no one has stepped forward to develop 3D glasses, but I expect this to be an issue that will be taken care of before CES 2011.
Supporters may be willing to wear custom glasses -- an issue that was widely discussed earlier -- but manufacturers need to retail the technology better. Best Buy shows several different 3DTV products from partners, Fry's and other electronics companies are not likely to be far behind.
Both Nintendo and Sony are on the 3D bandwagon, but Microsoft is willing to wait for 3D demand to increase from the gaming community. Nintendo has an upcoming 3D version if its DS handheld console and Sony offers 3DTVs and 3D-enabled Blu-ray players.
If Nintendo and Sony want to battle it out, I think it's wise for Microsoft to be patient and wait for its opportunity to enter the 3D gaming market. Nintendo and Sony have financial reasons to support 3D, but Microsoft is in a good position to listen to complaints from users.
