“Wow, this is cool.” When it comes to technology, my seven-year-old’s opinion is so often more succinct than my own. Indeed, it is cool.

The Wallops have become the first family in Britain to get their hands on a 3D television. The technological revolution, hailed as the greatest innovation in moving pictures since Al Jolson opened his mouth and said “Wait a minute, you ain’t heard nothing yet”, has finally arrived. And it’s here, all 46 inches of it, in our sitting room in north London. Jostling for space among the plastic toy kitchen, homework and broken lightsabres.

But one has found its way to Islington to be inspected by a rigorous panel of testers, comprising three children under the age of eight, who consider Richard Hammond to be the height of television entertainment. And their parents.

“Are my glasses switched on? I can’t tell if they are on,” says Felix, who at the age of four-and-half has already grasped the biggest problem with 3D televisions.

As Prince Charles discovered earlier this week on a trip to Budapest, the only way you can see 3D images on these new televisions is with the help of dark glasses. And not just any dark glasses. You need a pair of liquid crystal glasses, which cost about £100 and are powered by a lithium battery.

Samsung, the manufacturer whose model we are testing, is providing two free pairs with its £2,000 television. But others have said consumers will need to pay for the spectacles separately, which seems a bit of a swizz if you are already forking out for the equivalent of a few months’ mortgage on a new set.

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