The 3D Summit: Laying out the Eco-System, the 3D Market and the Consumer Experience
June 24, 2010 By Stephen KrasowskiRick Dean of THX talked at great lengths about the 3D Ecosystem and its successes, challenges and opportunities. He talked about retail sales of 3D TVs, how they're outpacing forecasts and how broadcasters are scoring first with sports. He also discussed some challenges with 3D that may pose some problems for consumers and retailers alike.
"There are some challenges with 3D, including the fact that there are no standards for 3D glasses, many consumers are not educated enough and just don't get it and there are setup and usage issues which include complicated user menus and modes. We also need testing and benchmarks - content creators, equipment manufacturers and content distribution," says Dean.
Chris Chinnock of Insight Media spoke about the 3D Market and Consumer Experience. Insight Media was commissioned by 3D@Home to ask consumers questions about their 3DTVs to understand what their 3D experience was like. Some questions posed included pricing, buying, viewing, 3D out of the box, glasses and the 2D to 3D conversion.
"From our findings, it can be concluded that purchasers were more sophisticated than normal buyers. They were early adopters and well-educated consumers who knew what they wanted. Set-up of 3DTV was fast and successful, the 3D experience was good and glasses were comfortable. The only negative from the report was the 2D to 3D conversion," noted Chinnock.
Chinnock also said that the survey sample was really too small to draw any substantial conclusions.
However, he did make these predictions for why buyers will purchase 3D-capable TVs:
1 - They are top of the line models
2 - They have the best black level or no color shift.
3 - They are ultra-thin profiles.
4 - They have a wide color gamut from LED backlights.
5 - They offer Internet connectivity, widgets or Skype capabilities.
