Patchy future forecast for 3D TV in the UK
3D TV will "struggle" to take off in the UK and will not become part of mainstream viewing, according to a report by Informa Telecoms & Media in today's MediaGuardian.
Its research shows that 125,000 UK households bought 3D TVs last year and almost 90% of them were "active" viewers of 3D TV programmes.
But while those early adopters were keen to view 3D TV on their new sets, the IT&M research forecasts a patchy future for 3D TV.
While the number of households in the UK with 3D TV sets is expected to climb to almost 11 million by 2016 – about a third of the total number of homes – only 42% are expected to actually use them to watch any 3D programming on a regular basis.
"3D TV has the backing of the major UK broadcasters like Sky and Virgin, and most recently the BBC," says Adam Thomas, senior analyst at IT&M. "However despite this public reaction has been mixed, due to both a lack of content and a simple failure of the public to engage."
"Instead of a unique selling point, 3D is now often marketed as just one of the set's benefits along with features such as internet-connection capability and LED backlighting," adds Thomas.
Sky launched Europe's first 3D channel last year and Virgin Media offers a limited choice of 3D movies on demand.
The BBC will broadcast the Wimbledon men's and women's finals in 3D for the first time this year.
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Comments
As far as I am concerned, having been blown away with the 3D films from Avitar to Green Lantern, the 3D viewing experience as they say transports your viewing pleasure truly into a third dimension. I cannot see why there is a public resitance to watching 3D TV at the cinema and paying only a couple of pounds more to view the depth and viewing experiennce of a film especially loaded with CGI in 3D. On the back of my immensley pleasurable 3D cinema viewing experiences, I have recently purchased the Samsung 40in 7000 3D TV which 3D HD picture is truly exceptional. Having viewed its free online 3D content of films such as a canoe trip down the Grand Canyon, a film with planes flying acrobatics over the Grand Canyon, travelling through the valley of the kings in Egypt as well as under the sea, and the making of the Boeing 787 passenger jet plane as well as many other such films, I truly think that even at home, the 3D experience is even better than at the cinema. The picture using the 3D active glasses with the Samsung TV are infinately superior to that of the passive 3d glasses with the new LG Cinema TV's. With the Samsung TV you really feal that you are in the picture and the HD detail in 3D is fantastic. This TV is highly recommended. In my view the 3D expwerience is here to stay either at the cinema or at home, and the fuddy duddies in this country should wake up and immerse themselves in the new 3D viewing revolution, Nuff said.
@Ellisdj,
It depends very much upon the type of 3D you're seeing in the cinema and this is down to the choice of the cinema chain you use. There are 4 major competing types of 3D - some use polarisation filters and have to use silver screens and others use advanced colour filtration.
It sounds like you're watching a polarised system. Silver screens are used in order to get higher light levels but the problem with silver screens is that they have hotspots which means you'll never get even light across the screen. Couple this with the polarisation filters in both the projectors and your glasses and you really do lose the 3D effect if you're sitting in the wrong place.
Colour filtration 3D systems that use white screens are far better in this respect. The drawback is that the light level may not be as high but as long as your cinema is using a poweful enough bulb in its projector and it's setup well, then these cinemas offer far superior 3D. It's worth checking out which system your cinema uses and trying out a couple of different ones to see which you think is best.
AlanTigger said it all -what family is going to sit and watch TV all night in pairs of 3d glasses? Not to mention those people that already wear glasses.
3D won't become mainstream until they manage to get it working without glasses - simple.
Dave
New Tech does take a while to catch on - usually due to a drop in price
3D to me is excellent in areas, but no where near perfected, especially in the cinema - take your glasses off for a bit and you will see - the actual effect is stronger and lesser in different areas of the screen - you dont need the glasses for some bits / looking at certain areas of the screen, it makes very little difference other than to clean the image ??
If you dont sit right in the hot spot it doesnt look its best either - saw Avatar 3 times to get best spot - in 2 different screens and that made a big difference as well
Its the novelty of seeing 3D at the cinema thats the attraction - its getting bums back in seats for top $$ - better for cinema I think if there is a slower uptake on 3D systems in homes
Its got me paying the money and going to the cinema again ! - although I probably wouldnt if I had a 3D system at home - I would want to wait and see the film for the first time on my system
How many of you have tried 3d in the home? Got an Lg and everyone who sees it says how the effect is better than in the cinema and there is a wide viewing angle
Why oh why must we pay premium fees to watch 3D, and more importantly HD when we already subscribe to Sky, etc? When monochrome became glorious colour, which has been the by far the biggest 'upgrade' to date for tv viewing, there was no charge by the tv companies to see these broadcasts, so why does HD come at a premium, especially when some broadcasts are sadly difficult to distinguish from SD?
The new LG advert doesn't help - the one where there are 7 family members all wearing glasses and competing to sit in the best (least worst) viewing position.
There's a 3D channel on $$$ky but it will cost you to subscibe and extra cost for HD.
It's not that you have to pay $$$ky, you also have to pay for a bbc license for a couple of channels and a few that don't even prodcast until 7pm plus the bbc radio stations that you don't even listen to.
That is the problem, £50 a month at least.
Where I live I can't get HD Freeview until November.
Like Alexei Sayle once said, "If the British made tvs they'd come in big wooden boxes and headphones for hifi would be the sort pilots used in WW2. He did say that nearly 10yrs ago but still we are behind.
I'd rather manufacturers concentrated on picture quality, rather than gimmicks such as 3D or internet.
its not overpriced you can buy a 50"samsung plasma 3d
for five hundred pounds now
with a pair 3d glasses
it has now become a add on to your tv
imo and i am pro 3d and say each to there own.
I agree - it feels like an over priced gimmick at the moment. Cinemas, too, are in danger of pricing it to extinction.
Neither am I fayeanddavid,
I quite like seeing 3D in the cinema though, I saw The Green Lantern last night with my wife and kids.... superb!
I don't know what it is ... I just don't want to be sitting in my own living-room with 3D specs on to watch a movie though.
Not really a massive surprise surely??
Been discussed a lot on the forums and I still can't see the benefits especially if you aspire to the best in terms of picture quality.