Panasonic: 3-D is Critical
How important is the development of 3-D television? As far as Panasonic is concerned, it’s “critical.” According to Eisuke Tsuyuzaki, the company’s general manager for its Blu-ray Disc Group, 3-D television “could be as significant as the transformation from standard- to high-definition TV.”
In a discussion on Monday during the National Association of Broadcasters convention in Las Vegas, Mr. Tsuyuzaki said that Disney had been particularly keen on getting Panasonic’s help in the development of 3-D TV standards, so that the company could make additional revenue for its 3-D animated features by selling versions for the home.
If 3-D television takes off, it could fall right into the sweet spot for Panasonic’s products: large plasma displays that have received high marks for their picture quality. 3-D TV looks best on large screens, and Panasonic thinks the technology could significantly increase sales of its sets, as well as a new generation of 3-D Blu-ray players (current Blu-ray players cannot be used to show 3-D content).
The sets will be positioned in the middle of the market, priced just slightly more than standard HDTV models, Mr. Tsuyuzaki said, to encourage mass adoption.
Panasonic is pushing for a system that would use so-called active glasses, with shutters that electronically open and close over each eye to create the depth effect. Mr. Tsuyuzaki figures that several pairs would probably be included with each new 3-D-capable TV. By the time the dog chewed them or the kids stepped on them, economies of scale would have lowered the replacement price to a nominal amount.
Panasonic has been lobbying hard for the adoption of 3-D TV standards by the end of this year, so that it can get 3-D-ready TVs and Blu-ray players into the market by 2010. The company is concerned that if the technology doesn’t become available soon — within a year — the industry will miss an opportunity to sell the next generation of large-screen displays, because that many more people will already have purchased a flat-panel set thanks to the imminent transition to all-digital broadcasting in June. And once the market is saturated, not that many customers will be ready to buy a new set anytime soon.
How big could the market be? Panasonic says it thinks 3-D could represent 10 percent of TV industry sales within two to three years.
By Eric A. Taub, The New York Times
