Advanced Television

3D TV sales developing well

December 1, 2010

The retail performance of 3D hardware for the home has been developing at a healthy pace, bolstered by 3DTV prices falling by close to 40 per cent in some cases, and year one adoption of 3DTV is running at a far quicker rate in most territories than it did for high definition, according to a report from Futuresource Consulting.

Futuresource expects global sales of 3DTVs to exceed four million this year. Across Western Europe alone, 1.2 million 3DTVs will be sold, rising to more than three million in 2011. In the US, more than five million 3DTVs will be sold next year.

“3DTV will continue to provide ‘premium brand’ CE manufacturers with a way to differentiate themselves from the competition and add value for consumers,” says Bill Foster, Senior Technology Consultant at Futuresource Consulting. “For systems that use active glasses technology, manufacturers are now able to embed 3D chipsets at a relatively low cost, allowing them to increase their margins while still keeping 3D affordable. Passive glasses technology, as used in cinemas, is still more expensive to produce for the home and will remain costly for some time, as the TV requires a polarised screen. In addition, passive systems are unable to show 3D in full 1080p, as the picture on the screen is polarised, with half the image delivered to the left eye and half to the right.”

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