3-D TV is Getting There, Slowly

3D, no glasses! It's the future!!! ;-)

Ralph Jacobson, Global Consumer Products Industry Marketing Executive, IBM

I cannot envision a family sitting around the TV wearing dark glasses and isolating themselves from each other.

If I was going to paint a magic wand, it would be a zero footprint TV that can be projected pretty much anywhere, and moved at the owner's whim. Converged with computing of course.

If I'm a CE retailer, I offer a few models of each and wait.

Paula Rosenblum, Managing Partner, RSR Research

Forget about television. Too often we try to segment our technologies and behavior into pigeon holes. One thing Steve Jobs was good at was ignoring how most people looked at technology tools and instead looking at how people behaved.

So let's stop talking about television and just talk about screens. Once we start talking about screens, we will apply 3-D to multiple levels of communication. (Anybody playing Mario 3-D?) How about pictures (recipes on the kitchen screen) and graphics in 3-D? Easy! Certainly there are more and more 3-D movies, notably for the kids. No great need for TV show content in 3-D to drive 3-D.

3-D is more desirable and in fact more utilitarian than 2-D. There is no doubt that there will be a cheap, convenient -- and without glasses -- transition.

Gene Detroyer, Professor, Entrepreneur, Adviser, Consultant, Independent

For some reason when something new in technology arrives, there is the thinking that everyone should have it in the next year. This is not realistic. Current estimated life for a TV is 5 years. Technology is typically ahead of content. Think back a few years ago when high definition hit the stores. With only a few programs offered in HD, few would pay the higher price. Now when they replace their TV, only HD is being sold. Sports and movies are most like the largest 3-D market. Consumers are unlikely to want to use the glasses for news and regular programs.

W. Frank Dell II, CMC, President, Dellmart & Company

I think I speak for most of us here -- yes, call me Mr. Presumptuous -- when I say the challenges/issues relating to television today have (almost) nothing to do with technical issues and everything to do with content...I don't see 3D changing that.

'notcom'

Sales of fashion eyeglasses are up over the past few years. Lots of us wear "cheaters." Mine are Kazuo Kawasaki 704s like Sarah Palin, but with slightly enlarged lenses to fit my big fat head. So, what do I do with those 3D glasses? Awkwardly position them on my nose along with the Kawasakis? Replace my regular eyeglasses with the 3Ds and try to enjoy blurred vision? This is absurd. My Sony "smart" TV has more features than I can absorb, but no 3D. It will not be missed.

M. Jericho Banks PhD, President, CEO, Forensic Marketing LLC

Only two types of electronic merchants are going to survive. Those that deal on price and those that deal on quality, service, and more importantly, knowledge.

Mel Kleiman, President, Humetrics

3-D is a solution looking for a problem. There is no true demand, and no real appeal. Just because a technology is different, doesn't mean that consumers want it. Higher definition, wireless TV that is internet enabled and smart is what consumers want...essentially a computer in a TV. This is the next step in TV demand.

Kai Clarke, President, Miraclebeam Products, Inc.