3D TV: The shape of things to come…
From sport to soaps, its disciples believe it will revolutionise the way we watch. But is 3D TV really a giant leap forward in entertainment – or could it be an expensive flop?
by David McNeillSo you`re sitting down for your daily helping of soap opera, you don a pair of 3D specs in front of your 100-inch plasma TV and the mundane dramas of EastEnders are transformed. Cars in Albert Square seem to park themselves in your living room, pints at the Queen Vic fly over the counter and threaten to poke you in the eye; Roxy Mitchell`s blonde mane seems to tickle your chin.
It might take a few years for three-dimensional technology to reach EastEnders, but the future is already on the way. Just this weekend, Sky broadcast the clash between Arsenal and Manchester United in 3D – an event that the satellite broadcaster claimed was the first live 3D TV sports transmission to a public audience. But the match was only screened in 3D in nine British pubs. When can we enjoy this technology in our own homes? Soon, if Japan`s consumer electronics` giants are to be believed. Sony, Panasonic and Toshiba are all set to roll out 3D TVs and accessories this year in a bid to capitalise on the global popularity of James Cameron`s sci-fi eco-opera Avatar and to satiate the growing appetite for 3D television.
Several more companies have prototypes lined up in an industry that badly needs a hit product to chase away the economic blues. "The 3D train is on the track, and we at Sony are ready to drive it home," trumpeted Sony CEO Howard Stringer last autumn. But will consumers fork out for yet more living-room hardware, and most crucial of all – will there be anything to watch?
Read the whole story here: http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style … 87396.html
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