A new SmartHouse research study has revealed that Australians are wary of 3D TV, with most people unaware that a 3D TV also delivers 2D programming. The research also revealed that Australians are more interested in IPTV services like BigPond Movies and access to online content than 3D TV.
85 per cent of those researched said that they had no intention of buying a 3D TV, 55 per cent said they were curious about 3D TV and wanted to see it working, while 21 per cent said they had already seen a 3D TV working in a store.
2 per cent said they had actually gone out and purchased a TV with 3D capability during the past two months.
88 per cent said that they were not impressed by what they saw and wanted to wait untill the technology matured.
Of those that have seen 3D, TV 90 per cent said that they did not like to watch a TV program or movie wearing 3D glasses.
75 per cent of those researched said that access to IPTV movies and online content was a bigger attraction than 3D TV technology.
The research was conducted in Sydney.
In other research, Informa Telecoms & Media revealed that ‘3DTV will take off but viewing will be limited until technology has progressed sufficiently to remove the need for viewers to wear glasses’.
The research company said that 3D will exist as a niche product for a long time. One of the main challenges it faces is a lack of content (there are only three Full HD 3D Blu-ray titles currently on sale).
Most consumers researched by SmartHouse said that they expect 3D TV to be built in as a feature with new TVs.
‘Most people do not like wearing glasses, especially the heavy ones promoted by some manufacturers,” said ITM.
Another cause for concern is the cost of the glasses and the incompatibility between different brands of TVs and specs, although prices will drop soon and manufacturers admit a universal standard for specs is inevitable.
Around 7 million 3D sets will be sold this year with 22.2 million homes across 53 countries predicted by Informa to be watching 3D content by the end of 2015.
