Saturday, Feb 06, 2010
Gulf News
Dubai This year will be an important year for 3D entertainment due to the huge popularity of Avatar and other upcoming 3D movies, said top TV vendors as movie makers are eager to jump on the 3D bandwagon while broadcasters are hurrying to gain the edge against the competition.
"3D is more viable then ever before but there are some standards issues to be overcome. Also, the price premiums, lack of content could prove to be a bottleneck for 2010. We do believe that 3D can become more affordable product by 2013-2014 timeframe. Currently major vendors have shown their inclination to launch their 3DTVs in the second half of this year but no fixed deadlines are being talked about," Riddhi Patel, Principal Analyst, Television Systems, iSuppli Corporation, said in an interview to Gulf News.
Top vendors such as Sony, Samsung are expected to launch 3D TVs in the Gulf in the middle of this year.
According to Ram Modak, General Manager, Digital Media Business, Samsung Gulf Electronics, 3D TV has always been viewed in the industry as the next frontier. Now that the technology is available, the wait is over for consumers.
Broadcast's role
Much like with the introduction of High-Definition TV a few years ago, broadcasters will play an important role in determining the rate of the uptake and adoption, but there is no doubt that by the end of 2010; 3D TV will become the new standard for home entertainment.
As the technology is more advanced, the present 2D content can be converted to 3D video by using an internal built-in converter, both Sony and Samsung echoed in the same voice.
"Our goal is not only to provide 3D-compatible BRAVIA hardware but to provide 3D content at the same time so that consumers can enjoy ‘closer-to-reality' 3D entertainment on their TV sets. As an example, we will provide firmware update for the PlayStation 3, the installed base of which is approximately half a million in the Middle East. This will make the PS3 3D stereoscopic game-compatible around the time we launch 3D BRAVIA, and introduce 3D game titles. Further firmware updates will also enable PlayStation 3 to play 3D Blu-ray movie titles," Osamu Miura, Managing Director, Sony Gulf FZE, told in an e-mail interview to Gulf News.
Modak said that with the FIFA World Cup taking place in June, we foresee a surge in 3D programming, led by sports, and followed closely by other genres as they begin to explore and take advantage of a revolutionised viewing experience.
Engaged
Miura said like PlayStation, Sony Pictures Entertainment and Sony Music are heavily engaged in growing the 3D marketplace.
Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs will be released in 3D as its first Blu-ray 3D title along with the launch of 3D compatible BRAVIA LCD TVs. There will be additional 3D home entertainment releases throughout 2010.
When asked on demand outlook, Modak said that this region has a history of embracing new technology, and 3D TV will be no different. We have been receiving an unprecedented number of inquiries about the imminent availability of 3D TVs, and we look forward to robust sales when they are launched in the second quarter of the year. We have no doubt that 3D TV is the future of home entertainment.
"Our region is a strong visual-products oriented market as far as electronics are concerned and the immersive entertainment that 3D TVs provide will find wide acceptance here. We are confident of good sales for 3D TV's in this region," Miura said.
Abraham, Principal Analyst for In-Stat's Digital Entertainment Group, said "We expect pay-TV service providers to offer 3D programming over their networks as well. BSkyB of the UK is the first service provider to announce a 3D channel, which is expected to begin transmission in 2010. 3D content will be available worldwide on Blu-ray disc, so no matter where a consumer lives, they will be able to access 3D content with the purchase of a 3D TV set and 3D Blu-ray player if they are willing to pay the price. Unlike Blu-ray, the pay-TV providers 3D offerings will likely be half resolution 3D as opposed to full HD 3D."
Abraham added that "by using the lower resolution, they will not use as much bandwidth for transmission and will also be able to use their installed base of HD set-top boxes. Therefore, they will be able to offer 3D content with a minimal investment."
By Naushad K. Cherrayil
Gulf News 2010. All rights reserved.
