3D TV: Fad or The Next Big Step?

The big box-office returns scored by 3D films like Avatar and Up have led the showbiz moguls to foresee that the next giant leap will involve taking 3D to television. It has been foreseen that couch potatoes around the world will be wowed by the entry of 3D small screens into their homes. It's an aspiration that the shift to 3D home systems will be just as much of an upheaval, if not more so, than high definition pictures and digital audio in home theaters. Before you start lining up at your corner appliance shop, however, you may want to check out the status of the 3D world currently, and what it means for home 3D TV.

Broadcasters are starting to race each other to create the next generation of 3D TV programs. A number of content producers are gearing up to provide 3D features over a diverse variety of genres, from public events to musical events. 3D cinema features will now be just as watchable and enjoyable in one's house as in the theater.

Favorite television offerings once broadcast in 2D can be translated into a 3D format. The ultimate result is a much more immersive experience that should, hopefully, have individuals across the globe immersed in the 3D technological breakthrough.

This isn't to say that the 3D small screen is certainly going to be the future of home entertainment. Rather, it might share the same fate as that of the Laserdisc. Honestly, how many of us really need to see programs like CSI, Mad Men or even the evening news in 3D majesty? Moreover, features like Avatar and Up are demonstrative of the finest examples of the innovation - most other works may well fall far short of these parameters of quality. Also, while cinema patrons may be willing to suffer with cumbersome 3D glasses for a few hours, TV audiences may be significantly less appreciative of the requirement to wear glasses. What's worse, 3D televisions will certainly be much more pricy, and the program producers may not be able to adequately supply the outcry by viewers to make it worthwhile upgrading. Likewise, experiencing 3D can induce headaches, even in a movie theater, and compressing 3D into a TV-sized screen could be even more uncomfortable. Home-based 3D technology is still in a prototype phase, so it could take some years for the revolution to gather momentum. For now, it may be more reasonable just to wait and see.