Keith Thomas, Dakota PC Warehouse

Last week Las Vegas hosted the 2010 Consumer Electronics Show (CES).  Even though it was a huge conference (120,000 attendees and 2,500 companies introducing 25,000 new products), the one new technology that stood out was 3D TV.  It seemed like you couldn’t turn around without seeing a 3D demo.  There were lots of TVs of course, but also 3D Blu-ray, 3D video editing software, 3D camcorders (expected retail price to be $10,000), 3D projectors, and 3D games.  And, in a key related move, ESPN and Direct TV announced that they plan to have 3D broadcasts beginning as early as this year.

As intriguing as 3D is, the biggest issue to me is that the quality doesn’t seem ready for prime time (no pun intended).  Some demos were better than others, but none of them made me think that any of the various technologies were ready to become mainstream.  Complicating this is a lack of content, making 3D technology similar to the HDTVs of five years ago – very few shows and a need for new, expensive cameras, so most shows will not be available in 3D for some time.

The second issue is that all the 3D solutions available in the near future require some type of glasses to be worn.  Everyone viewing the same TV will need to be wearing 3D glasses (imagine how many pairs of glasses will be needed for a Super Bowl party).  They aren’t the red and blue glasses that we remember from the past, but there are two types that are required depending on the 3D technology used by the TV.  One type is just like the glasses that need to be worn when watching a 3D movie (like Avatar) in a movie theater.  These glasses work by having different polarizations in each lens.  The advantages of these glasses are that they are inexpensive, they don’t require any power, the display is brighter when using these glasses, and there seems to be one standard (RealD, the same standard as for 3D movies).   The disadvantages include that the TV needs to have an extra polarizing film added to the TV (added cost), the resolution of the TV is effectively decreased when watching 3D, and sometimes you can see some ghosting (double-images).

The other 3D glasses type is more expensive and requires a watch-sized battery.  These glasses receive a signal from the TV and turn off one lens and then the other in sync with the TV showing the left image and then the right image.  These TVs don’t need any extra polarizing, but they do need to be very fast – most of the TVs shown at CES were 240Hz LCD TVs (although Vizio did demo a 72” 480Hz 3D TV.)  The advantages include higher resolution, less ghosting, and the TVs seem to be easier to build.  The disadvantages include lower brightness, potential flicker, high cost of the glasses (around $100 per pair), battery replacement, and there is more than one standard.

Ultimately, I don’t think 3D TV is ready for prime time just yet.  However, if you like to live on the bleeding edge (just beyond the cutting edge!) of technology and are willing to pay extra for the cool factor, there will be TVs available later this year.

Contact the techies at randombytes@dakotapcwarehouse.com.

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January 8, 2010

VIZIO, America’s #1 LCD HDTV Company, Announces Exclusive Three Year, North American Endorsement Deal with Pop Icon Beyoncé Knowles – Carter

• Beyoncé to Appear in National Advertising and Collaborate with VIZIO on Development of Future Products

LAS VEGAS, NV (CES) and IRVINE, CA – January 08, 2010 — VIZIO, America’s #1 LCD HDTV Company, announced today that it has entered into a three year, North American endorsement agreement with international pop-music icon and film star, Beyoncé Knowles – Carter. Financial terms of the agreement were not released, but the contract does provide language that allows the parties to expand the relationship as VIZIO enters new markets around the world.

The agreement grants name and likeness rights to VIZIO for North American advertising, product packaging, web, promotions, public relations and point of sale materials. The partnership will also allow Knowles to participate in the design and performance characteristics of new products from VIZIO’s ever-expanding line of audio, visual and web-enabled products.

“Beyoncé is in an elite class of entertainers who are globally known and respected for their talent on stage and in front of the camera,” said Laynie Newsome, Co-Founder and VP Sales & Marketing Communications of VIZIO. “We believe both VIZIO and Beyoncé are closely aligned as American success stories who have redefined the rules in our respective industries.”

VIZIO has maintained the #1 U.S. LCD ranking though the third quarter of 2009*, and had twice the Q3 shipment volume of Sony in the U.S. VIZIO now has more than 13 million U.S. households who own VIZIO HDTVs. They have recently been named one of Advertising Age’s Hottest Brands.

“What I love about VIZIO is how committed they have been to customers and their focus on delivering tremendous performance at a great value,” said Knowles – Carter. “As a performer, I can relate to that, because my fans spend their hard-earned money to see me perform, and I give everything I can to make sure I exceed their expectations. I’m excited to be associated with such a successful company.”

Source – *iSuppli Corporation Q4 2009 U.S. TV Market Tracker

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