“When it comes to home entertainment, there really is no experience like 3-D,” Sony chief executive Howard Stringer said while unveiling the innovations Wednesday on the eve of the official start of CES in Las Vegas.<\/p>\n
“We intend to take the lead in 3-D. We want to provide the most compelling 3-D content possible.”<\/p>\n
The Japanese electronics giant’s plans range from being part of a 3-D television network in the United States to streaming live performances in the format.<\/p>\n
Country music star Taylor Swift performed during the press conference in a Sony demonstration of live 3-D broadcasting and said she will document her coming Asia tour in the format.<\/p>\n
Sony has teamed with Discovery and IMAX in a 3-D TV network and with ESPN to broadcast soccer matches and golf in 3-D.<\/p>\n
While the depth-perception technology has been around for years, it is finally “ready for prime time” as proven by box office successes of recent films “Avatar” and “Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs,” according to IMAX.<\/p>\n
Sony will release a line of 3-D-ready televisions this year capable of synching with sensing units and “active shutter glasses,” worn by viewers to create the illusion of a three-dimensional image.<\/p>\n
On the CES show floor, massive TV screens linked to wireless versions of the glasses for a 3-D effect were displayed by South Korea’s LG Electronics.<\/p>\n
“3-D is going to be the next big buzz,” LG’s Randy Overton told AFP. “Everyone is going to want it. Then, the gaming systems will jump on.”<\/p>\n
Forrester Research analyst James McQuivey said that while 3-D offerings are visually stunning, it is unlikely consumers will rush to buy the premium-priced television sets.<\/p>\n
Many consumers upgraded to high-definition sets in the past three years, and an infrastructure to deliver 3-D content to homes isn’t in place, according to McQuivey.<\/p>\n
“I know we are all excited about how well ‘Avatar’ did, but it is very hard to jump on this bandwagon when you don’t see a path for bringing it into anyone’s home,” McQuivey told AFP.<\/p>\n
Growth of 3-D has been slow because of a lack of programming, the need for the special glasses and the higher prices of 3-D sets, but last month’s release of science fiction blockbuster “Avatar,” a 3-D film by “Titanic” director James Cameron, has renewed interest in the medium.<\/p>\n
The likelihood that adoption of 3-D TV may take years, as did the Blu-ray DVD format, has not deterred manufacturers.<\/p>\n
Toshiba unveiled a flat-panel Cell TV that converts digital video into 3-D.<\/p>\n
Panasonic went 3-D with a “Live In It” campaign for its electronics.<\/p>\n
“3-D is not about guys jumping off the screen, but really a more immersive and a more engaging experience for the consumer,” said “Avatar” producer Jon Landau at a Panasonic event here.<\/p>\n
“It heightens the senses. I think you’ll see 3-D become ubiquitous.”<\/p>\n
South Korea’s Samsung teamed up Wednesday with DreamWorks Animation, maker of “Shrek” and other hit movies, and Technicolor in a push to bring more 3-D entertainment into the home.<\/p>\n
The three firms announced they have formed an alliance to “accelerate the worldwide deployment of in-home 3-D to mainstream consumers.”<\/p>\n
Samsung will be marketing a “complete 3-D entertainment offering for the home” featuring a 3-D television set, 3-D Blu-Ray player and “stylish active shutter 3-D glasses.”<\/p>\n
Technicolor chief executive Frederic Rose, hopes to capitalize on the current excitement over the format, saying 3-D in theaters is “a gateway into the home.”<\/p>\n