The message at this year’s CES was clear: 2010 is the year of stereoscopy. 3D-capable televisions are being pimped by almost every major manufacturer, broadcast television stations are preparing to air 3D content and over 30 films currently in production will utilize 3D stereoscopic technology. Consumers are being bombarded by the technology, and will soon have to make the decision on whether or not to get on board and buy in.
Patrick Houston of Tech Media Today wrote a piece addressing the urgency television manufacturers have for getting stereoscopy into the home. Houston encourages tech websites to help prepare consumers by taking the early high ground, suggesting that we begin informing the readers about stereoscopic television to help ease their transition into the world of 3D.
While it is certainly true that manufacturers like Sony and Panasonic are on the brink of unleashing 3D Hell on home consumers, I think that Patrick is wrong about the need to blitz readers with stereoscopic information. The need for this technology is little more than fabrication.
As electronics companies dish out their 3D-capable offerings, they continue to assure us that now is the best time to upgrade. “The future is here!” they clamor, “Buy now, or else!” they shout. Big money is being spent by these companies to ensure that the unsuspecting public decides they cannot live without 3D technology at home.
Do consumers really need to worry about upgrading while the technology is so young? Do they need to shell out top-dollar for the newest home theater setups with bleeding-edge 3D technology? Relax, dear readers, as your wallets are safe for now. In the words of the great Todd Rundgren: it won’t help to panic.
Even AVATAR's Quaritch doesn't care about 3D TV
With $2.6 billion in the bank, the wild success of James Cameron’s AVATAR in the worldwide box office is proof enough for the commercial viability of stereoscopy. If you combine that success with the growing number of 3D films set to arrive this year, it’s no wonder that TV manufacturers are trying to sell consumers on the technology in their homes.
So, AVATAR blew my mind and showed potential of 3D stereoscopic media. I’m a convert. My next display will be 3D-ready and I recently added a Blu-ray drive to my PC. I’m getting my home theater ready for stereo content and, as a graphics enthusiast, I want to be on the cutting edge. Despite all this, I must be realistic with myself. I don’t expect to experience much 3D content at all in 2010. This lack of content leaves few reasons for general consumers to join me.
Stereoscopic content in the home theater will be very scarce in 2010. Despite the massive influx of stereo films in the cinema, very few of these films are likely to see a Blu-ray release that utilizes the recently ratified stereoscopic spec. In fact, AVATAR, the poster child of stereoscopic technology, will not see an immediate 3D Blu-ray release. James Cameron said himself that he wants to wait on the 3D Blu-ray release until there are more 3D-capable sets available.
And what of 3D television? For now, ESPN is the only major network committed to broadcasting 3D content in 2010, but it will be limited to just 85 live broadcasts over the period of a year.
IMAX, Sony and Discovery Channel also announced a partnership at CES 2010 to establish a 24/7 broadcast channel that will present nothing but stereoscopic content, but it isn’t slated to go on the air until some time in 2011.
Beyond those two announcements, there are precious few channels in the pipeline, none with any immediate plans. Given the lack of content, what reason is there to adopt 3D now?
(But seriously, think about it. Shark Week in 3D. It will be stereoscopy’s crowning achievement.)
That reason definitely isn’t in the TVs, which gives consumers very few options. Panasonic and Samsung have only begun rolling out their 3D televisions, the first of which hit stores just last week. Sony’s 3D televisions won’t hit market until early summer.
I CAN SEE THE FUTURE
If 2010 is to be the breakout year for home theater 3D as Sony is suggesting, then expect it to be a breakout made of weaksauce. The amount of 3D content for scheduled for 2010 hardly justifies the cost of admission, and even if all of that content were compelling to everybody, stereoscopy still has a polarized glasses-wearing 800 pound gorilla on its back: consumers still think 3D is a gimmick.
Stereoscopic cinema is not new, but I would argue that AVATAR’s unobtrusive use of 3D makes it the only proper example of the technology to date. Until Hollywood producers decide to stop throwing teacups, bits of rocks, fingers and who knows what else in our faces, the public will never escape this perception, regardless of AVATAR’s success.
Beyond how 3D gets implemented, the technology still gives viewers headaches. There is much to learn about 3D presentation, content producers have to prove to consumers that they want it.
If 2010 won’t be 3D’s breakout year, perhaps it’s simply worth waiting until 2011. Your patience will even be rewarded in several ways as sets will continue to grow in screen size and features, content will become more readily available and, above all, prices will drop. Let the companies battle it out for now. They’re the ones that believe so strongly in this 3D revolution, anyhow. Let them bloody each other up to create real reasons for why the consumer should once again refit their home theater.
It isn’t enough to have 11 foot tall blue cat people, men kicking around balls and 3D frog mating to convince a smart consumer to put on a pair of glasses when they sit down in front of their television sets, and it’s certainly going to take a lot more than tech sites saying “Yes you can! Yes you should!”
In a time when the consumer’s dollars matter most, 3D TV is just another frivolous purchase that they really don’t need to worry about. Suggesting that 2010 is the year of home theater 3D is being far too generous to a technology that’s too new to deserve exuberant optimism. In the mean time, consumers can relax and count their pennies; when the time is right for 3D, I promise it’ll pop out at you faster than a Na’vi’s poison-tipped arrow.
Articles RSS