Interest in 3D TV is Falling, Says UK Retailer
Have 3D TVs had their moment in the sun already?
Though 3D movies are still very much a part of our movie-going experience, it seems that attempts to bring this technology to our living rooms may be falling flat. UK retailer John Lewis has told TrustedReviews that customers aren't really interested in 3D TVs the way they used to be.
TrustedReviews cites John Kempner, Vision Buyer at John Lewis, as saying that while there is an interest, it's not the primary purchasing decision anymore, and the noise and consumer interest surrounding the technology is not where it was two or three years ago. Kempner highlights the need to wear glasses as a big reason customers are slow to catch on to 3D viewing in the home.
"The usage of 3D for home viewing is very limited,” Kempner told Trusted Reviews. "As an experience I think people maybe enjoy it at the cinema, but in the home it’s not quite such a wonderful experience because of the requirement to wear glasses."
While Kempner says John Lewis does still sell 'a lot' of 3D TVs, the gist of his statement is that interest in 3D TVs is waning. He also mentioned that the benefits of Smart TVs, which let users browse the web and access other online services, are of real consumer interest.
Of course, with so much progress in the realm of glasses-free 3D, we can't say that 3D TV will never catch on. That said, it seems as though the days of watching 3D content at home with glasses are numbered in terms of both innovation and consumer adoption.
Did you buy a 3D TV? Do you plan to buy one? Let us know in the comments below!
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Jane McEntegart is a writer, editor, and marketing communications professional with 17 years of experience in the technology industry. She has written about a wide range of technology topics, including smartphones, tablets, and game consoles. Her articles have been published in Tom's Guide, Tom's Hardware, MobileSyrup, and Edge Up.
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SteelCity1981 Not to mention watching something in 3D after a while can lead to eye strain and give you a headache. 3D was a fad it was big in the 1950's and then it faded away until the last 5 years when it came back again because of HD and now it's beginning to fade away again.Reply -
dns7950 All TVs should be 3D, they just need to make them cheaper. A lot of people would get them if there wasn't such a high premium over a comparable 2D TV. I bought 3D TV in 2011 ($1600 for a 55" Sony NX720) and I definitely don't regret it. 3D is something that makes movies WAY better when done properly, but if done wrong it makes for a rather unpleasant viewing experience. I would say the biggest problems with 3D are the issues some TVs have with crosstalk (not sure if this is still a problem, but my TV has some issues with it. Maybe it's just older or cheaper models), and the fact that a lot of movies are filmed in 2D and then converted to 3D post-production as a gimmick, which makes them look like crap. If you have a good quality TV and the movie is filmed properly (Avatar for example) then there is no comparison, the upgrade to 3D is like the difference between a DVD and a Blu-ray, it adds so much depth.. I don't think the fact that glasses are required is hurting TV sales, you need glasses when you see a 3D movie in a theater and that doesn't hurt ticket sales...Reply -
aznplayer213 I bought a high end plasma and was not surprised that all tvs around that price (3k USD) were smart and 3D capable. I'm a purist in terms of image quality and have not liked how companies have been focusing on different tv features. Luckily, the inclusion of OLED technology in sets starting in 2014 and onwards will finally yield tvs that can and will surpass the ever impressive Pioneer Kuro line.Reply -
StarBound Bought one of the active Samsungs. Was let down. Bought an passive LG one, was more impressed. The glasses 3D is annoying and there is no real tech that immerses you into a true 3D experience. Even the occulus rift has its short comings. At this point I am just using my passive 3D for the full screen 2 player split screen thing.Reply -
drwho1 I was never interested on 3D TV's.Reply
I'm also not interested on "smart TV's" either.
Now 4K/8K this I'm interested in. (for both TV and PC monitors) -
SteelCity1981 you can turn a regular flat screen tv with 120mhz into a 3D TV with a 3D converter kit.Reply -
aznplayer213 just a quick reminder of 4k and beyond: we're still in development of hdmi 2.0 for 4k 60hz for tv use. right now, hdmi 1.4a will only output 4k at 24hz. if the tv has mini display, you can run that at 4k 60hz...Reply -
Chetou The interest in 3D is even smaller than they think. Fact is many 3D TV sets are simply higher quality models for 2D viewing. The best Plasmas just happen to be 3D capable, but that 3D is not the reason most of them are bought.Reply -
de5_Roy who cares about 3d when 4k is right around the corner.Reply
3d in tv was a gimmick at best, bad experience with bad results at worst.
in pc displays, the attraction of 3d monitors was the 120hz refresh rate instead of 3d. :lol: