Adding that extra dimension to your TV

IT'S being hailed as the biggest thing to happen to television since monochrome screens turned colour, but doubts are already creeping in about the potential success of 3D TV.

Television manufacturers, striving to gain traction after a sustained global downturn, are banking on the new technology to boost flagging sales.

Sets capable of adding that extra visual dimension are set to hit shelves in numbers by the end of the year.

At present, the handful of dedicated 3D models that are available command a considerable price premium over their two-dimensional peers.

Then there is the need for special 3D glasses – something that has proved acceptable, popular even, in the confines of the cinema but which may struggle to make the transition to the living room.

The need to don awkward special glasses to give the picture the illusion of depth limits 3D viewing to times when viewers can sit down and focus on a film or show.

Analysts also warn that a lack of live sports, entertainment events and pre-recorded discs in the 3D format may keep people from adopting the technology outside the multiplex. Greg Ireland, of research firm IDC, says that, while it may be one thing to put on 3D glasses in a cinema, "at home, you're with other people in the living room, running to the kitchen and doing other things".

Many investors think it is still too early to put money on 3D. After all, it took at least a decade for the cost of colour TVs to come down enough to win acceptance in major western markets such as the UK and the United States.

Mitsushige Akino, chief fund manager at Ichiyoshi Investment Management in Japan, is sceptical. He said: "TV makers want more for 3D than they can get.

"Plus, neither Samsung, Sony, Panasonic or LG has gained the technological advantage. Until that outcome becomes clear, I'm not investing."

That scepticism is certainly not deterring the big names from launching a full-frontal 3D assault at this week's glitzy International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

South Korean electronics giant Samsung is predicting that 10 to 14 per cent of the roughly 35 million TVs sold in the US this year will be 3D-capable.

The firm is determined to make the technology a big feature on its more expensive models this year. It's teaming up with DreamWorks Animation to make the Blu-ray 3D version of the movie Monsters vs Aliens, an exclusive for buyers of Samsung's 3D TVs.

Panasonic is poised to debut four 3D sets this spring, claiming that its plasma panel technology will have the edge over LCD when it comes to adding that extra dimension.

Arch-rival Sony is aiming for a 3D roll-out in the summer. Some of its models will come with glasses, others will be "3D ready", which means buyers will need a separate plug-in device and glasses for 3D viewing.

Another of the major players, LG Electronics, says it will introduce 47-inch and 55-inch flat-panel TVs with 3D capabilities in May.

With the shelves of Tesco, Comet and Currys set to creak under the weight of the latest hi-tech toys, early adopters will be hoping the content can match the technical hype.

While the sports broadcaster ESPN and documentary channel Discovery have both announced plans for 3D programming, analysts say most 3D video will come from disc – either DVD or Blu-ray – since TV networks have acquired little of the infrastructure needed to broadcast in 3D.

Paul Gagnon, a director at the research outfit DisplaySearch, said: "A major impediment – beyond making sure everybody has glasses – is making sure there is something interesting to watch.

"It's not going to have the breadth of content that high-definition has right now. It will take years to build that up."

Gagnon estimates some one million 3D sets will ship worldwide this year, a fraction of a total TV market that is expected to top 200 million units. DisplaySearch predicts a total of 9 million units will find homes in 2012.

At Las Vegas, Sony is showing its first high-definition 3D TVs, with models ranging from 22-inch to giant 60-inch models with wi-fi for connecting to broadband home networks.

As a maker of highly-regarded TVs, Blu-ray players and the PlayStation 3 game console, Sony is seen as a potential winner from 3D, able to capitalise on the technology's wide-ranging potential.

Yet even the group's Welsh-born chief executive Howard Stringer appears unclear on when 3D TV will hit its stride.

"We do have 3D cameras and 3D video games, 3D content and Imageworks that does 3D for other studios. So we have a lot of disparate assets, lots of beads on the necklace," he said.

"The question is, 'Is the necklace going to add up to something concrete and profitable?' We won't know for a little while."

Doubters can always ride it out till the next, next big thing – holographic television.