3D television sets to go on sale in stores this week

PANASONIC and Samsung will this week start selling TVs in US stores that display three-dimensional images, inaugurating what TV makers hope is the era of 3D viewing in the living room.

Samsung said it is selling two 3D sets. Combined with the required glasses and a 3D Blu-ray player, the prices start at about $3,000 (2,000) for a 46-inch set.

Panasonic has said it will sell its first 3D set today, while Sony said it will start selling its 3D televisions in June.

Sony hopes that 10 per cent of the TVs it sells in the next financial year will be 3D units.

The push into the living room comes as moviegoers have shown considerable enthusiasm for the latest wave of 3D fare in cinemas.

This weekend, Tim Burton's production of Alice in Wonderland took an estimated $116.2 million at the box office, beating the first-weekend receipts of Avatar, the winter's 3D blockbuster.

Although it is clear that 3D sets for the home will appeal to technology and home-theatre enthusiasts, it remains to be seen if the TVs will entice regular consumers to spend $500 or more above the price of a comparably sized standard TV and Blu-ray player.

Samsung is including a 3D copy of Monsters vs Aliens on Blu-ray discs with its packages, in a deal with producer DreamWorks. The studio said it will convert its Shrek movies to 3D later this year.

American broadcaster ESPN has said it will start a channel that will show live sporting events in 3D, starting with the World Cup in South Africa in June.