Panasonic 3D TVs sold out on week one

Bobby Miller 17 Mar, 2010 at 11:10pm ET Article published in Tech

Panasonic is today reporting that their stock of 3D TVs has completely sold out within days of the products hitting retail.

The rate at which these television sets were gobbled up is leaving market analysts hopeful that the public is ready for stereoscopy; analysts say that the sales are a strong indication that either the marketing hype is working, or consumers are truly excited about taking cutting-edge 3D technology home.

Panasonic has in recent weeks been heavily promoting their new range of 3D televisions. The Japanese company is currently in the middle of a nationwide tour dubbed the Touch the Future Tour, which focuses heavily on the company’s 3D HDTVs, as well as their lineup of digital cameras, audio systems and other electronics equipment. In addition to the television equipment, NVIDIA has also supplied a PC utilizing their 3D Vision technology to let tour-goers experience stereoscopic gaming.

Best Buy began selling Panasonic’s 3D-capable 50″ plasma HDTV bundled with a 3D-capable Blu-ray player and a pair of polarized glasses for approximately $2,900 last Wednesday. The bundle may have prompted quick sales, but some analysts believe that consumers are simply ready to experience 3D television in the comfort of their own home.

Samsung, the worldwide leader in television manufacturing, also introduced their first 3D-capable HDTV on March 14; their 55″ set retails for approximately $3,300. Sales figures on the units have not yet been released by Samsung.

While eager early adopters certainly played a roll in this lighting quick sellout of 3D TVs, more conservative estimates suggest that long-term sales will paint the true picture on the success of stereoscopy in the home.

Comments

17 Mar 2010 ~ 11:56pm Sledgehammer70 Yeah but how many where shipped & sold? 500? 5000? 50,000?
18 Mar 2010 ~ 12:01am Thrax That, of course, is the trick of any marketing. Who cares how many? OMG THEY SOLD OUT.
18 Mar 2010 ~ 12:16am clifford_cooley I'm still not interested in screwing my eyes up anymore than they already are. Wearing those glasses has got to be bad on your eyes.
18 Mar 2010 ~ 12:24am Sledgehammer70

Thrax wrote:

That, of course, is the trick of any marketing. Who cares how many? OMG THEY SOLD OUT.

I love marketing... Dude we sold 25 and that is what we shipped! We sold out! "Hey Frank!" Make a GOD Damn Press Release!
18 Mar 2010 ~ 3:16am Tim You have to wear those 3D glasses to watch this TV?

I wonder how many domestic violence fights will be started by a guy wanting to watch his football game with a beer and he can't find his 3D glasses to watch his new expensive TV because his wife hid them to mess with him.

My 19" 13 year old $200 K-mart CRT tv works fine for me! And I play Halo 2 on it also!
18 Mar 2010 ~ 4:49am Sledgehammer70 CRT... ewwww
18 Mar 2010 ~ 8:16am MAGIC

Tim wrote:

My 19" 13 year old $200 K-mart CRT tv works fine for me! And I play Halo 2 on it also!

Well, that makes one of us.

Even if they only shipped a 1000 of them I would still be amazed they sold out. Who is buying these things?
18 Mar 2010 ~ 8:30am Tim People with more money than brains.
18 Mar 2010 ~ 11:07am UPSLynx Tim, you don't have to wear glasses with these sets. They're simply 3d-capable sets. So if you have 3D content (lol yeah right), then you bust out the glasses. Otherwise, you just watch the thing like a normal TV.
18 Mar 2010 ~ 1:09pm tmh88 1080p was supposed to be "the future of entertainment" and look what happened with that. Why can't the cable companies focus on a way to get plenty of 1080p channels rather than 3D? I don't understand why Verizon and Direct TV can have movies on demand @ 1080p, but can't broadcast their channels in that format.(bandwidth issues?) The only reason I have a blu ray player is because of my PS3 and I have only 1 blu ray movie.