Wolverton: It’s worth it to wait on 3D TV

By Troy Wolverton

If you believe the hype, the next big thing in television is 3-D.

TVs with 3-D capabilities just hit store shelves. The Masters golf tournament recently announced that it will be broadcast in 3-D, and an array of 3-D television channels and Blu-ray discs are set to debut in coming months. TV manufacturers and content providers argue that recent 3-D movies such “Avatar” and “Up” have not only raised awareness but also spurred demand for 3-D televisions and programs.

Personally, I hate the glasses needed to watch 3-D content and think they will limit the demand for 3-D televisions. But there are other pragmatic reasons why you may want to hold off on buying a 3-D TV: They’re expensive, there’s not much to watch on them and the technology is still immature.

The technologies employed in the new 3-D televisions are similar to ones that have shown up in theaters in recent years, which basically use differently polarized light to create stereoscopic images. Video processors inside the televisions translate digitally transmitted 3-D content — whether it comes from a Blu-ray device or a set-top box — into stereoscopic images viewable with compatible glasses.

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