3D Comes Home Part 1 - Home Video

While 3D experiences in cinemas and other public venues will do doubt keep growing in popularity, will people really want full-blown setups in their homes? What will the 3D TV experience be like? First of all, everyone’s going to have to buy new TV sets, even those who have spent several lakhs on the latest, slimmest, most high-end models. When the wave of hype over HD swept over us a few years ago, people were enthusiastic about shifting from huge boxy TV sets to slim LCD panels anyway, and no matter if the picture quality didn’t instantly improve, people were happy to buy them for the various other advantages they represented. It hasn’t been long at all, and people are now supposed to believe that a whole new generation is upon us. Other than 3D, these new TVs won’t offer anything different to regular flat TVs at all. Even if people love the experience, convincing them that it’s worth the cost to bring it home will take a lot of work.

The compulsory polarized glasses are going to be extremely awkward and invasive. This will likely be the main reason that families won’t gather around the TV to watch their mainstream entertainment programs in 3D. People are used to leaving their TVs on while doing any number of other chores. You can’t comfortably work, eat, talk, lie down, cuddle with loved ones, or do anything other than concentrate on the TV while wearing dark glasses. Channel surfers will be irritated if they have to constantly put on and take off the glasses just because only a few shows here and there require them. Any ambient lighting in the room will spoil the effect, and besides, many bedrooms and living rooms might not be able to fit everyone sitting in the ideal position in front of the screen. Imagine inviting friends over and not having enough glasses for everyone to watch a program together.

The glasses are expensive, so most families won’t have more than one extra set lying around. In fact if you want to invite a large group over to watch a movie, you’ll have to specify that each one should bring their own glasses! Unfortunately, the technology doesn’t allow for those wearing glasses to experience 3D while those without get to see a regular 2D image; they’re left with blurry, superimposed images. It’s either all with or all without.

And where’s the content? Viewing will be limited to Blu-ray movie discs for a very long time (which will of course require a new Blu-ray player and even new HDMI cables). Broadcasters in some parts of the world have announced they will roll out a few 3D channels during 2010, but the status in India is completely unknown. These channels require much higher bandwidth, so it’s only going to be our DTH services that will offer them. If this becomes the next weapon in the DTH wars, subscribers will be limited to only those channels that the providers offer. Even then, it will most probably be expensive and could even require fresh internal cabling and a set-top box upgrade. At the rate things are changing, the second and third generations of 3D TVs might be on the market before there’s enough content reaching them!

When 3D does come to TV broadcasts, it will be only for limited types of content. Not all types of programming will benefit either. Sports and movies will probably be the first to embrace it, followed by educational content such as science and wildlife shows. There could be smaller segments or single one-off shows on general entertainment channels, but there’s not much scope for compelling action in most sitcoms, family dramas or cartoons. Even the news channels won’t be able to ensure that every camera crew has the required cameras and transmission capacity to file reports.
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Deloitte’s March 2010 State of the Media Democracy survey, which polled users aged 14 to 69 in Tier I and II Indian cities, reveals that 92 percent rate TV as their preferred source of entertainment. While 100 percent owned TVs, 77 percent still had non-flat sets (ie CRTs). This shows how much potential there is for people to upgrade over the next few years. The outlook for 3D technology is also quite good, with 29 and 25 percent or respondents looking forward to watching 3D video and playing 3D games at home. Most likely, anyone who is willing to spend a lot of money to get the best possible equipment for a dedicated home theater system will buy a 3D set, and manufacturers will have this as a feature only on their top models to project it as a higher-level option and of course charge suitable premiums.

Early-adopter cinema freaks will also no doubt buy new Blu-ray players and start building collections of 3D movies, if not rent them from libraries. General consumers might buy a new TV which happens to support 3D viewing, but that won’t be the main motivating factor. It’s likely that most people will simply use the 3D gimmick once in a while, either when broadcasters start offering full 3D channels and content on demand, or when they rent the occasional 3D Blu-day disc. They’ll keep the one or two pairs of glasses that came with the set, but won’t spend on outfitting the entire family.

They’ll choose 3D versions of programs or movies when they’re specifically sitting down to watch them, but prefer the regular flat variety when just watching casually. In India, the majority of LCD TV sales happen in the range of 26 to 32 inches, with prices falling enough for them to make their way into middle-class homes where they would have been considered ridiculously expensive just a few years ago. 3D will be a high-end feature; one which will just not be within reach of many first-time flat TV buyers. Even if it does become a middle-range feature in a few years’ time, it will be a while longer before this segment will consider paying to upgrade.

No Indian brand is ready to commit to prices and launch schedules for 3D TVs and accessories, but we can safely assume these products will reach India by the end of 2010, after rolling out across the USA and Europe. Samsung’s first bundle, containing a 46-inch LCD TV, a Blu-ray player and two pairs of active shutter glasses has just gone on sale for US$ 2,899 (approx Rs 1,31,600). Extra glasses cost US$ 250 each (approx Rs 11,350). Early adopters are going to have to be extremely passionate about their viewing experience to shell out this kind of money under these conditions!