3D Glasses

3D Success Still Coming Into Focus

As we move further past the one-year anniversary of the first 3D TV sets launched in the U.S., it’s clear 3D hasn’t leapt to the forefront of consumer technology market. But it hasn’t fallen completely into the background, either.

The recent announcement by Nintendo that it would dramatically cut the price of the Nintendo 3DS could be seen as another tough break for 3D products. In fact, Nintendo’s newest handheld gaming system overcame two of the most commonly cited objections for 3D–high prices for hardware and the need to wear glasses. Read more…

3D TV penetration to grow 50% in 2013

Spurred by rapid consumer acceptance, the 3D TV’s market penetration is projected to exceed 10 percent in 2011 and 50 percent in 2013, overtaking connected or Internet TVs. Consumer demand has also prompted local technology companies in Taiwan to develop and release new lines of 3D and Internet-enabled televisions in the second half of this year.

Leading these companies are Chimei Innolux (CMI), which announced plans to adopt active 3D TV panels for its large-size LED TVs, and BenQ, which will adopt passive 3D panel technology for its 3D TV product lines. Read more…

XPAND to Supply Active 3D Glasses for Mitsubishi Televisions in North America

XPAND, the global market leader in active 3D technology for home, cinema and education applications, will supply two models of XPAND 3D glasses for 3D capable televisions manufactured by Mitsubishi Electric Visual Solutions America, Inc. One will feature a single pair of 3D glasses designed for Mitsubishi 2011 television models with a built-in 3D emitter. The second will include a single pair of 3D glasses with an external emitter, offering a complete single viewer 3D solution for any Mitsubishi 3DTV. Read more…

Is 3D in trouble… again?

With the disappointing box office results for the latest Pirates of the Caribbean and Kung Fu Panda installments, reports that 3D is in trouble have flooded a number of industry publications.

“Pirates of the Caribbean’s’ Low 3D Numbers in U.S. Could Be Wake-Up Call to Hollywood” read one Hollywood Reporter headline, with the story adding, “This summer will put 3D to the test…”

Variety also reported Pirates had the lowest 3D opening since Avatar brought the technology back strong in late 2009.

Jeffrey Katzenberg, who pushed 3D as the alleged salvation of the industry in the first place, told Hollywood Reporter that it’s “right smack in the terrible twos,” and that it’s “really heartbreaking to see what has been the single greatest opportunity that has happened to the film business in over a decade being harmed.”

Katzenberg said a year and a half ago “there was genuine excitement, enthusiasm and reward for the first group of 3D films that actually delivered a quality experience.”

Of course, converting a terrible movie to 3D isn’t going to make it any better, something audiences are wary of with movies like Clash of the Titans and The Last Airbender being converted to 3D, and both Pirates and Panda already felt played out, 3D or not. (Variety reported that according to the BO experts, Pirates probably wouldn’t have done better if it was completely released in 2D.)

Katzenberg also tap danced around the fact that 3D movie prices are very expensive in today’s economy.

“Quite frankly, there’s no industry in the world that doesn’t attempt to move the customer to a premium experience,” he told the Reporter. “I don’t care whether you make shoes or wine or iced tea or cars, everybody tries to create multiple price points. So why shouldn’t we be in the same business of offering our customer a premium experience at a premium price – as long as we deliver them a premium value?”

And even though DreamWorks is part of the problem with Kung Fu Panda 2, Katzenberg also insists, “We are not the problem,” claiming the technology is getting better every film, and the costs of the movies are much cheaper than three years ago as well.

Of course, nobody’s mentioning that 3D didn’t last long the first two times it was around in the fifties as well as in the brief two years or so it came back in the eighties, not to mention many haven’t bought the hype surrounding it this time around.

Both Hollywood Reporter stories also state that overseas 3D is still doing very well, the “appetite” for the technology being “virtually insatiable in such territories as Russia, China and Brazil.”

Variety reports that with 3D box office grosses fluctuating wildly, “it seems audiences haven’t been embracing the format to the extent they did when Avatar set the 3D gold standard,” but of course that’s a very tough benchmark to reach.

See the original report here>>

Video: Biggest 3D TV debuts

Home 3D Adoption Survey

FIRST-EVER 3DTV OWNERS STUDY DISPELS MYTHS ABOUT HOME 3D ENTERTAINMENT

Survey Offers a Promising Outlook for Home 3D Adoption
3DTV Owners Overwhelmingly Happy With Purchase, With Many Watching More TV As a Result

The Digital Entertainment Group today unveiled the findings of a groundbreaking study that provides an exclusive look at the first-hand experiences of nearly 3,100 3D-compatible television (3DTV) owners. Overwhelmingly, consumers reported a positive entertainment experience, minimal price premiums, and enthusiasm about the future of 3D content.

The report, titled “3DTV Owners: A Closer Look at The New World of Immersive Home Entertainment,” was based on a study conducted this spring by market research firm SmithGeiger. While previous research centered on consumers’ preconceptions about 3DTV, this study is the first to focus on the experience of actual 3DTV owners.

Read more…

LG Ushers Next Gen 3D TV Featuring Powerless 3D Glasses

Unlike their older 3D TVs, your 3D viewing won’t be interrupted by a sudden loss of power on your 3D glasses. The Cinema 3D series of LG TV uses a 3D glass technology called Film Pattern Retarder (FPR) which is way better than shutter glasses of the previous years. Cinema 3D uses a polarized film on the screen to deliver different images for the left and right eyes. These images are then matched up with Cinema 3D glasses and the result is a 3D picture that is flicker-free with less crosstalk, meaning no more dizziness and eye fatigue that might occur when wearing shutter glasses. Read more…

Samsung Tries New Bonus Content Scheme To Sell 3D TVs

Is your 3D TV interest on the fence? Samsung wants to you throw you over to their side with additional content available to 3D TV set owners.

It’s the question that’s been on every gadget enthusiasts’ mind for the last few years: What’s going to happen with this whole 3D TV thing? Critics and analysts have gone back and forth, telling us that reports from consumers reveal low interest in the medium and that it’s simply a fad – only to swiftly reconsider and sing the 3D TV’s praises and potential earning power. This in turn makes it difficult for manufacturers and consumers alike to judge if or when they should jump on board with the technology. Read more…

Samsung, RealD To License New 3D Technology

Samsung and 3D company RealD are teaming up to license a new, full-resolution 3D technology to consumer electronics makers, the companies announced today.

Discussed at the Consumer Electronics Show earlier this year, the new technology promises better and brighter image quality. The technology brings active shutter functionality to the display, which alternates content viewing between the left and right eyes, making full use of all the display’s pixels. Content delivered through the companies’ technology can be viewed with RealD’s circularly polarized 3D eyewear. Read more…

3D glasses: Big Sales Opportunity Or Big Hassle?

3D glasses are a double-edged sword for TV manufacturers. According to NPD’s 3D 360° Monitor, an aversion to wearing glasses is the second most popular reason consumers give for not wanting to purchase a 3D TV. But for those who do buy 3D TVs, glasses represent one of the best accessory sale opportunities TV manufacturers have had since the flat-panel mount. Ring up a family pack of four glasses and you can easily reach the price of what some manufacturers charge for a flat-panel 2D television by itself.

Indeed, rather than treat glasses as a throwaway, Samsung recently revamped its 3D glasses, cramming an impressive amount of technology into a wearable product 25 percent lighter than its predecessor. Read more…