I don’t think I’ll ever buy a 3DTV, certainly not until the need to wear glasses all the time is removed. However, I’m very interested in a TV which connects to the Internet. And it seems I’m not alone.
3DTV
3D has taken over Hollywood recently, with every other film released having a 3D after its name, and 3D elements added. Some films have worked well in 3D, such as Avatar, but others really haven’t made the grade. And now we’re expected to adopt 3D for the home as well.
With the world having adopted HDTV pretty conclusively by now, tech manufacturers are keen to push the next big thing. Which many companies, such as Sony and Toshiba, gambling heavily that 3D televisions will be the next big mainstream consumer trend.
But wait. It looks as though the real future lies in Internet TV.
Internet TV
Television sets which connect to the Internet are already available. But they’re set to increase in availability and popularity. This is going to be helped by the emergence of several big connected TV platforms.
Google TV is the big one, purely because Google is such a big name with such a major influence. But the U.K. is getting Project Canvas (likely to be renamed YouView) led by the BBC, and there are plenty of others in the offing as well.
iSuppli Forecast
iSuppli recently published a forecast suggesting Internet-Enabled TVs (IETV) will far outsell 3DTVs over the next four years.
Starting with 2010, only 4.2 million 3DTVs will be sold, while 27.7 million IETVs will be sold. iSuppli predicts IETV shipments will grow by more than 50 percent for the next two years, with double-digit growth continuing on after that.
Riddhi Patel, Director and Principal Analyst for television systems at iSuppli, said:
“Despite aggressive promotions from the industry and intense consumer interest generated by the blockbuster Avatar and other titles, the 3DTV market in 2010 will be limited to a small pool of enthusiastic early adopters.”
“In contrast, IETV is entering the mainstream in 2010. This is because 3D is still dealing with a number of barriers, including cost, content availability and interoperability, while IETV provides immediate benefits by allowing TV viewers to access a range of content readily available on the Internet.”
Conclusions
I agree with that summing up. 3DTV may well be the future, but it’s the far future rather than the near future. Instead, I fully expect Internet TV to grow in leaps and bounds over the next five years. Which excites me far more than watching stuff in 3D does.
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