Okay Geek Farm
3D TV Is Pushed Down Our Throat At CES
Nick Mahar 
The big thing this year at CES has been 3D. Sure, it's cool and all, but I still haven't seen any 3D that has made me say: "Wow! I need that right now!" All the big companies, Sony, Toshiba, Panasonic, and more have announced a high end 3D television but none look that impressive to me. In an earlier post, at the 3D test at a Cowboys NFL game, many people didn't want to put 3D glasses on and others complained it gave them headaches. Personally, I ask why would they care to watch the game on the jumbotron in 3D when you they were physically present at the game? That is beyond me.
But that's not all; Sony and the Discovery Channel will partner on an all 3D channel, and ESPN started plugging the upcoming ESPN 3D on SportsCenter yesterday. Does anyone really want to wear glasses when you watch your TV now? Yes, the number one movie in the world right now, and possibly of all time, is Avatar which is in 3D, but that was a multimillion dollar movie and these will be simple TV sitcoms and sporting events. Try imagining having a 3D Super Bowl party and every time you turn to talk to someone, you have to take off your glasses so you don't get a head ache. Movie theaters constantly get complaints from patrons about how annoying the glasses can be, causing headaches for some.
When it comes to home use - Changing your living room for 3D is going to be expensive. For most consumers, the ability of watching a 3D version of Avatar at home could cost as much as $4,000 after the cost of a 3D-capable TV and 3D-compliant Blu-ray player. The only reason this is being forced down our throats is so that they can sell TV's for over $1,000 again and make more money by convincing us we NEED 3D. I might note that Mitsubishi does have a 3D capable DLP HDTV but no one, like me, didn't even know it existed because it's not a big deal to me.
Now don't get me wrong, I do see 3D in our future, but just not now. I can't imagine seeing any average TV viewer buying a 3D TV to watch Heroes or the Jay Leno Show in 3D. I do, however, see hardcore gamers being the first to start the transition. I can easily picture a gamer playing the latest Call of Duty on a 3D HDTV using project Natal. I don't see 3D TV success in 2010, 2011 or even 2012, but sometime in the future we will have it. Get rid of the glasses folks.
