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4 really good reasons to upgrade to a 3D TV.

Submitted by Clyde DeSouza on Wednesday, 20 January 2010No Comment
3D TV brings the family together

3D TV brings the family together

Upgrading to 3D TV is inevitable:

Every home electronics manufacturer worth mentioning has jumped onto the 3D TV train. In this year and the next there will be 3D Television sets from Sony, Panasonic, LG, Samsung, and that’s just naming a few of them. If the recently concluded CES trade-show is anything to go by, it seems that everything is being labelled with 3D TV ready or 3D enabled. There are even blue ray 3D players due soon to bring the 3D Cinema experience into living rooms.

Major broadcasters are also upgrading or making contingency plans to go 3D. Ironically just as 3D Cinema has bailed out a dying Cinema culture, which was previously suffering from the proliferation of HD home theaters, TV broadcasters are now hoping that the magic of 3D just may save the passive TV viewing experience! After all, audiences are turning away from the passive model of television broadcasting, and looking at technologies such as Mobile TV and also a “Connected TV” experience. Some initiatives such as Sony, IMAX, ESPN , DIRECTV and others will start 3D TV broadcasts soon.

Content to drive 3D TV is the main concern and everyone in the business realizes that this is what will make or break the 3D TV revolution.

4 Reasons to upgrade to 3DTV:

As of the beginning of the year 2010, world economies are still not out of a recession. Just a couple of years ago, people would have already upgraded their old TV sets to newer flat panel HD TVs. HD TV broadcast itself is not widespread. So why would consumers, and rather, could consumers be convinced to upgrade to 3DTV sets now, also full well knowing that 3D content is not widely available. In the best case scenario 3DTV manufacturers are shooting blind, hoping for 3DTV adoption. In the worst case scenario they don’t know what else to do to pull through the recession and turn profitable again.

Is there a strategy in place to seduce and woo customers to upgrade and purchase 3DTVs? Will clever advertising do the trick? 3DTV  though present since the 1950′s, the latest incarnation is a technology that is so new it has taken everyone by surprise. Marketers are still learning the ropes about how it will all fit in. There are pros and cons to Home 3DTV sets. It’s not the same experience watching Avatar on a 20 foot 3D Cinema screen and then watching a 3D Blueray disc on a 6o inch 3DTV. In 3D, bigger is better.

So taking the pros and cons of what is available, how can an 3DTV marketers convince people to upgrade?

1)  Gaming in 3D at home: Hardcore PC gamers had an advantage over console gamers for many years now. Those in the know, could run games in full 3D for quite a few years before 3D became a household name. Recently Sony has announced that via a firmware update, the popular Playstation console can output true 3d. This will mean that no new version of the gaming console need to be bought to enable it to output 3D. The playstation already has a built in Blue-Ray disc player as well. This is one big reason for upgrading to a 3D TV, to enjoy an immersive gaming experience.

2) Homework in 3D : Finally there is a great way of getting kids to do their homework! and enjoy doing it at the same time. The same suspension of  disbelief that occurs when watching a 3D movie, is possible when watching educational material on a 3DTV, such as Geography, History and Nature documentaries. Children will love their home assignments and absorb more if they are immersed in a 3D experience. They say the difference between Stereoscopic 3D (the correct term for 3D in this context) and 2D visualization for scientists and doctors is like black and white versus Color TV in their area of work.  A Lesson produced in 3D will have the same engaging effect on Children. The Play Station may just be dubbed the Study Station within the next few years, as real-time educational 3D content is produced.

User created Home 3DTV content

User created Home 3DTV content

3) Family Photo Albums and 3D Home Videos: One great way to overcome any lack of 3D Content is to have the consumer create their own. A basic two lens 3D Camcorder or something like the FujiFilm FinePix Real 3D camera should be bundled with every 3DTV set, to at least kick-start the 3D content shortage. There is a feeling of nostalgia when 10 years down the line you relive a very real scene of a child’s first birthday party in a 3D photograph on the home 3DTV system. Vacation videos allow you to re-live the whole experience. These are very strong emotional hooks that are at the disposal of Advertisers to convince consumers to upgrade to 3DTV systems.

3D Webcams and 3D Camcorders for User Generated 3D Content

3D Webcams and 3D Camcorders for User Generated 3D Content

4) Family Hour over Connected 3D TV: Connected TV is the new buzz word in television content consumption. New TV sets will now contain embedded chip-sets that can stream made for TV versions of sites such as Youtube and NetFlix. Connected TV implies that there will be two way communication, mostly via broadband networks. This has been something that companies like Microsoft have been hoping for with their Windows Media Center operating system and the 10 foot user interface project. With broadband and connectivity becoming affordable and available, a new use for the 3DTV can be found. To virtually bridge the distance between family members.

Senior Citizens living across town, in another city or even another country, can sit down during “family time” and interact via broadband and simple devices such as stereoscopic 3D webcams like the Minoru Webcam. While it may not be comfortable to wear 3D glasses while having Virtual Dinners as shown in the first picture in this article (image © Accenture), the depth and realism of 3DTV can bring much joy to older family members who may be living on their own. A few years ago companies such as Accenture had introduced such family collaboration projects. With 3D TV the experience can be more fulfilling to all participants.

3D TV is no doubt here to stay. Getting people to adopt this emotionally satisfying technology should be a priority with the right approach and while allowing it to “make meaning” in some way. Creative use of Technology in introducing 3DTV will make it a must have sooner rather than it waiting on a wish list for a majority of the public.

  • Fredog

    I have never read such rubbish in my life apart from Goon Show scripts and they did it for fun!
    Do you really think that people are going to spend thousands of dollars to make homework more fun for teenagers. Only if the parents are wealthy enough to not worry about the expense. For the rest it's a case of put up with what you've got.
    Why would people buy a double lens camera that takes pictures that need special glasses to see the image, how would you see the replay of what had just been taken on the camera screen? Who would want to look at 3D prints of photos that require glasses to see them properly?
    What about that large percentage of the population that won't be able to see it properly because of eye defects, why would they want a set? It only needs one person in the house like that to make a 3D TV a waste of money, unless it is a very selfish household, or has more than one set.
    And what about the glasses? How long before people get sick of buying new ones because they've broken or lost the old ones?
    I”m old enough to remember 3D movies coming out in the 1950s and how soon they disappeared because people just got sick of them, yet you think that people are going to watch them all day. In your dreams!
    Within two years of them hitting the market the shops will be desperate to move unsold sets.
    Credit where it's due, the above article was humorous and I see a great future for the writer.

  • clydeD

    Well first for the plus points. Thank you for seeing a future in me ;-)

    now I have to assume you are really old and quite out of touch with technology, so that's understandable. The alternative would be you failed in doing something in stereo 3D for whatever reason. So to shed some light on the matter

    1) Education has changed drastically from the 50's as had homework. Kids now use products like Smart boards and software like EduSim. The educational games that are there and available on PC and the Playstation will automatically be rendered in 3D, (This is something that is done with technologies called OPENGL or DIRECX). The effect is a more immersive experience.

    2) Networks like Discovery Channel will be broadcasting documentaries in 3D. If you have to learn more about animals, macro photography of insects etc, it's more absorbing when watched in stereo 3d.

    3) Did you click on the link to one such camera? You can save out either a 2D or 3D image. the 3D image is not “hard baked” as you may have thought it is from the “old days” and such cameras.

    4) You have obviously not enjoyed the depth of a 3D photograph or video.

    5) Glasses break and so do remotes and a glass of water as well, when you get mad and throw it at the screen because you hate the “3D” content. In all cases you have to buy new ones. You'll get over it.

    6) This is not the 1950s.. really, get over that too.. TUBE amplifiers died, Vinyl died, the Walkman died.. even CD died. It's MP3 for now. and it will be 3D, just as we were settling in with HD.

    Best Regards.

    P.s If you could re comment with a link to some online presence of youself, that would be helpful to know the authenticity/experience behind many of your claims.

  • Jarty

    In answer to some of your questions:

    > Do you really think that people are going to spend thousands of dollars to make homework more fun for teenagers.

    Yes. Parents already routinely invest in technology to aid and stimulate their kids. Laptops are a necessity for most shoolchildren above the age of 10. A precident has been set; if the device can also be used for watching 'Avatar' on 3D Blu-ray then all the better.

    >Why would people buy a double lens camera that takes pictures that need special glasses to see the image, how would you see the replay of what had just been taken on the camera screen?

    Not necessarily. A lot of the new generation of stereo stills cameras use a lenticular screen to allow auto-stereo preview. In laymans terms these screens don't need glasses to view the 3D.

    >Who would want to look at 3D prints of photos that require glasses to see them properly?

    I predict an auto-stereo digital photo frame within the year, i.e. no need to wear glasses to view.

    >What about that large percentage of the population that won't be able to see it properly because of eye defects, why would they want a set? It only needs one person in the house like that to make a 3D TV a waste of money

    They wouldn't. In just the same way that people who are colour blind probably don't care too much about the colour aspect. Or people who are deaf in one ear care about stereo hi-fis. Are you really suggesting that if I go deaf in one ear I should expect my family to throw out any stereo hi-fi equipment? Anyway, statistically the vast majority of the population is fully able to experience and enjoy both colour, stereo and 3D.

    >And what about the glasses? How long before people get sick of buying new ones because they've broken or lost the old ones?

    I'm short sighted so wear glasses all the time, and I have to admit it's a bind. Especially when they get broken as they are expensive to replace. However, the cheapest passive 3D-glasses cost less than a dollar a piece. I'll have 10 please.

    However, you could be totally right in suggesting this is another 3-D 'fad'. I guess only time will tell…

  • KNERDS!

    I fully agree that we need to get 3d devices out to the hands of the consumer so they can start making their own 3d content, so hopefully a standard can quickly be ironed out. I don't think 3d tv is going to have as much an impact on students homework as you think it is, but its likely to increase the time spent playing games and not getting homework done. Also you're writing before 3d is mainstream, and not looking at it right, because when 3D does become mainstream, and people are used to seeing stuff in “3D' then it'll lose its glitz. Sort of like today, how when we watch TV, we pretty much expect modern shows to be in color instead of Black & White. I dont know many people anymore who watch tv and marvel at, saying “this is so much better in color, what a great and immersive show!” Once 3d goes main, it''ll be just another technology, and people will be wondering when the next surround-3d tv is coming out.

  • KNERDS!

    I fully agree that we need to get 3d devices out to the hands of the consumer so they can start making their own 3d content, so hopefully a standard can quickly be ironed out. I don’t think 3d tv is going to have as much an impact on students homework as you think it is, but its likely to increase the time spent playing games and not getting homework done. Also you’re writing before 3d is mainstream, and not looking at it right, because when 3D does become mainstream, and people are used to seeing stuff in “3D’ then it’ll lose its glitz. Sort of like today, how when we watch TV, we pretty much expect modern shows to be in color instead of Black & White. I dont know many people anymore who watch tv and marvel at, saying “this is so much better in color, what a great and immersive show!” Once 3d goes main, it”ll be just another technology, and people will be wondering when the next surround-3d tv is coming out.

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