According to leading research Company iSuppli Australia is becoming one of the fastest growing regions for 3D TV with demand outstripping supply, however unresolved 3D issues could hurt sales going forward.
According to leading research Company iSuppli Australia is becoming one of the fastest growing regions for 3D TV with demand outstripping supply, however unresolved 3D issues could hurt sales going forward.
Currently Samsung is the sole supplier of 3D TV’s with LG set to deliver stock to stores this week in time for the second NRL State of Origin Rugby game which is being shot in 3D by the Nine Network.
Tomorrow Sony launches their 3D TV offering followed by Panasonic later this month. iSuppli claims that consumer-electronics manufacturers are on track to sell 4.2 million 3DTV sets worldwide in 2010, with the market projected to triple to 12.9 million units next year.
Later this month TV network SBS is set to show 15 FIFA World Cup games in 3D with Sony set to be a major sponsor.
iSuppli said that the emerging category will initially be a fraction of the overall TV market, given that 170 million LCD TVs are expected to ship this year. In the first quarter of 2010, 4% of consumers that purchased a new television indicated they were buying one that was 3D-capable, according to iSuppli.
By 2012, 27.4 million 3DTVs will ship worldwide and by 2015 shipments will reach 78.1 million units, representing a compound annual growth rate of 80.2% between 2010 and 2015, iSuppli projected.
Three issues need to be resolved before there is “mass consumer acceptance” of 3DTVs, iSuppli analyst Riddhi Patel said: standardized video formats, content available and 3D glasses interoperability.
Industry executives speaking at NewBay Media’s 3DTV2010 event in the USA were generally optimistic about a relatively quick uptake of the format by consumers, in the historical context of the adoption of HDTV.
“Sports fans are early adopters of technology, and we think that the genre plays very well in terms of the technology, and we’re very optimistic about our plans,” said David Gyngell of the Nine Network.
Despite the technical and behavioural challenges with 3DTV, “because the viewer experience is so good, it’s going to happen,” Mark Hess, senior vice president at US Network Comcast.
According to iSuppli, the majority of 3DTV sales in 2010 will occur in the U.S., Australia Japan, Korea and Western Europe.
