It's strange to think fancy new advances in TV technology may actually end up hurting the television business in general. That conclusion is not so far-fetched for Retrevo.com and its latest study, which shows interest in 3D television technology continuing to wane. Retrevo, a consumer electronics and shopping site, surveyed more than 1,000 people from diverse backgrounds. Of those surveyed, one third said they were planning to buy an HDTV in the coming year. While that number is encouragingly high, only 22% of that fraction said they'd buy a 3D television and another 23% of that fraction said they'd consider it if the price point was similar.
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The industry has been trying to figure out why 3D movies do so well and yet 3D home theaters have not kept up in popularity. One factor is the downgrade in size -- televisions are necessarily smaller than movie screens. Other factors include the lack of 3D programming and the need for expensive peripherals. The Retrevo study shows 40% of potential buyers said there wasn't enough 3D programming to watch while 30% of potential TV buyers said 3D glasses were still a problem.
On top of that are internal debates about what kind of 3D technology is best. There are two predominant systems: Passive and Active. Passive 3D is built into the set and doesn't require battery-powered glasses. Active 3D is powered by special glasses which alternate shutting off the images between the two lenses in rapid succession.
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These tech differences -- and the debate over which is better -- combined with some of the pricing and programming concerns mean that buyers are shying away from 3D technology. This is a problem for companies such as Sony and Panasonic that have sunk large amounts of money and resources into their next wave of 3D technology.
Of course, one study of a little more than 1,000 respondents is far from a damning piece of evidence against the future of 3D. It does, however, provide a glimpse into the public's hesitancy to jump on board. And, there are other companies saying 3D isn't doing too well, either, including game creator Electronic Arts, saying last summer that 3D games are failing. Analysts aren't impressed, either, with Richard Greenfield of Wall Street?s BTIG saying U.S. customers in movie theaters ?are increasingly rejecting 3D movies.?
What is needed to make 3D television more popular? Should the sets be cheaper? Should the programming be better? Let us know what needs to happen for you to consider getting a 3D TV.
Image courtesy of Flickr, Lee Stranahan
This story originally published on Mashable here.
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