The Consumer Electronics Association is predicting a big increase in sales of 3D TVs in 2010 but what is not known is whether consumers are now expecting 3D as a standard feature in their TV along with an IP capability or whether 3D is the sole driving force behind a TV sale.
Some observers in Australia believe that IP based content services, such as what was recently rolled out by Telstra with their $3.99 BigPond movie service, is a bigger attraction than 3D.
Warren Kim, TV Product Marketing Manager at LG Australia, claims his company is witnessing “good demand” for LG TVs that have the integrated Telstra BigPond Movie service.
“Consumers like the Telstra new service however we do need a lot more education about IPTV services. 3D TV is still important; I don’t believe that consumers are expecting 3D to be a standard feature of a TV. Consumers are being more specific about their needs and are buying a new TV based on their budget, they are assessing features like Full HD size and the availability of 3D when they come to make a purchase.”
In Australia both JB Hi Fi and Harvey Norman are predicting an increase in 3D TV sales, as new large sized TVs that come with 3D and Internet connectivity as standard along with a new generation of software that gives consumers access to movies and Internet based content, are launched in the last quarter.
Terry Smart CEO of JB Hi Fi said that the consumer is still interested in 3D and that he was expecting IPTV features to drive sales “strongly” in the last quarter.
“We are working on training our staff to deliver a good experience for consumers when they ask about 3D TV and IPTV based services. We are also looking to expand our sound offering so that consumers are able to take full advantage of the new vision and sound capabilities that are built into the new TVs that we are seeing”.
Globally manufacturers are predicting an increase in 3D TV sales as more manufactures launch new models.
The CEA expects 2.1 million 3DTV sets to ship in the U.S. in 2010 — double its forecast from earlier this year, with revenue in the segment expected to exceed $2.7 billion.
The trade group’s predictions for the 3D television market have vacillated over the last several months. In December 2009, it pegged 2.2 million unit shipments for the U.S. in 2010, then upped that to 4 million at the Consumer Electronics Show in January before revising that down to 1.05 million after the event.
Now CEA has circled back to being more bullish on 3DTV. For 2011, the association is forecasting more than 6 million units to be sold, generating more than $7 billion in revenue.
The trade group released the revised 3DTV expectations as part of its semi-annual sales forecast.
