Entertainment Technology Center @ USC

[by GREENMUZE STAFF]

Darth Vader, Marilyn Monroe, Che Guevara, and seven other global icons are part of the organic 3D ice cream series created by Russian advertising studio Sergey Stoyn Starostin.

Moving well beyond the familiar cone or cup, Stoyn has created an ice cream experience that can range from sexy to revolutionary depending on your preference. Flavours include blueberry, rum, cranberry and vodka – all made with organic ingredients.

“It’s not just about the ice-cream – it’s about the experiment! A real revolution fits into any form – music, landscape, or ice-cream,” explains Stoyn of his innovative ice cream forms.

Visit: http://www.stoyn.com/

See the original post here: http://www.greenmuze.com/nurture/urban/4027-3d-ice-cream-forms.html

[by Chosun Ilbo]

LG Electronics earned bragging rights over rival Samsung Electronics last weekend as its 3D TV was named best product by the online edition of the popular U.S. magazine Consumer Reports.

The magazine chose 13 products sold in the U.S. by six manufacturers including LG, Samsung, Sony, Sharp, Toshiba and Vizio. LG’s Cinema 3D TV garnered the highest average score of 76, while Samsung’s new 55-inch 3D TV ranked the lowest with an average score of 57. 

LG’s 47-inch LCD TV received an “excellent” rating for its high-definition images and netted high marks in all evaluation categories, from 3D effects to sound and multi-functionality. Its easy-to-use remote control and well-organized on-screen menu were also singled out for praise.

In contrast, Samsung’s screens were criticized for their lack of consistency in terms of brightness. Its 46-inch models also finished near the bottom end of the list, with the latest ranking 12th on 58 points, three places below its predecessor, which was released last year. The magazine drew attention to the fact that the TV screen’s edges tend to take on a distracting layered effect, while the colors or brightness are diminished when viewed from the side. 

Samsung officials were left thunderstruck by the evaluation result as consumer bodies in other countries including the U.K., France and Australia picked its 3D TVs as the best product. 

“Only a month ago, Consumer Reports praised our technology for providing sharper details, wider viewing angles and high-quality pictures,” a spokesperson from the firm said. “We have sent them an inquiry asking what standards their latest evaluation was based on.” 

The two Korean tech giants have adopted different approaches to realizing 3D effects on their TVs, with each claiming that their technology is superior. Samsung chose to insert an electronic device into its 3D glasses, while LG has applied polarizing film to its TV sets.

See the original post here: http://english.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2011/06/27/2011062700610.html

That’s a first for a major studio tentpole. Usually, 55% to 65% of a film’s opening weekend gross at the domestic box office comes from 3D screens. For Pirates, just 47% saw it in 3D.

Some say Pirates is nothing short of a wake-up call and that the appetite for 3D is waning in the U.S. because of the extra cost of a 3D ticket. But others insist that’s not the case. One point everyone agrees on — more and more, companies must market the 3D aspect when plugging a movie.

Overseas, it’s a different story. The appetite for 3D is virtually insatiable in such territories as Russia, China and Brazil. That’s a big reason why the fourth Pirates film scored the biggest international opening of all time at $260.4 million.

Fueled by its foreign performance, Stranger Tides is expected to jump the $400 million mark at the worldwide box office on Wednesday, less than a week into its release. In the U.S., Stranger Tides opened to a perfectly respectable $90.1 million, although Disney would have liked to hit $100 million.

By its own admission, Disney didn’t heavily promote the fact that Stranger Tides was in 3D.

Paramount is taking the opposite approach with Michael Bay’s summer tentpoleTransformers: Dark of the Moon, which like Stranger Tides is the first title in its franchise to be in 3D. Last week, Paramount partnered with THR to host a conversation between Bay andJames Cameron, considered the godfather of modern-day 3D.

At the event, Paramount showed 18 minutes of footage from Transformers. Two days later, a 3D trailer of Transformers, which bows July 1, went out with Stranger Tides.

“Inside the U.S., people need to be convinced why they should see a movie in 3D,” one Paramount executive said.

Likewise, Warner Bros. is touting the 3D element in promoting Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2, saying that fans of the franchise should “complete the journey in 3D.” UnlikeTransformers or Stranger Tides, Deathly Hallows wasn’t shot in 3D but converted after the fact.

The summer is full of other 3D titles, including Kung Fu Panda 2, which opens Thursday; Green Lantern; Captain America: The First Avenger; and The Smurfs.

“Because one movie didn’t live up to expectations, it’s too early to announce the demise of 3D. It just doesn’t make sense,” another studio executive cautioned. “If a pattern develops, then you say there’s been an adjustment.”

See the original post here: http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/pirates-caribbeans-low-3d-numbers-191772

[by Gregg Kilday, Hollywood Reporter]

Titles like “Kung Fu Panda 2″ and “Pirates 4″ aim to capitalize on the popularity of the technology, which helped international grosses climb 30% over the past five years.

Avatar led the way. As it made its worldwide tout in 2010, James Cameron’s visionary movie proved just how big a draw a 3D movie could become. Breaking all records, its international grosses of $2 billion more than doubled its domestic take of $760.5 million.

Then, right in its tracks, came the double whammy of Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland and Pixar’s Toy Story 3, two more examples of eye-popping 3D eye-candy, which amassed more than $1 billion each at the worldwide boxoffice.

And, just weeks ago, Rio picked up the baton. The South American-set animated tale has to date nearly tripled its domestic take of $115.2 million in international markets where it has collected more than $292.3 million.

“3D grosses are driving the boxoffice,” NATO president John Fithian proclaimed at this springs’ CinemaCon gathering of exhibitors from around the world in Las Vegas.

Over the past five years, global box office receipts have climbed 30% to a record-high of $31.8 billion, while the domestic portion of that tally has increased by 15%. And during the past year, 3D and a hot Asia-Pacific market were the two chief factors that powered those international numbers. In many territories, ticket sales may have been flat, but increased surcharges on 3D admissions made up the difference — and then some.

“2010 was certainly the year when 3D had a major impact on box office, with eight of the top 15 international titles (presented) in 3D,” Andrew Cripps, president of Paramount Pictures International, told The Hollywood Reporter in a review of the past year. And this year, that trend shows every promise of accelerating.

According to the MPAA, there are 34 3D movies scheduled for 2011, compared to 25 last year. And just as the promise of increased revenues from 3D has driven theaters to convert to digital projection in the U.S., the same process is now taking place abroad.

As of March, the U.S. boasted 16,231 digital screens, with 8,963 of them equipped for 3D. Abroad, the number of digital screens stood at 23,511, with 17,059 offering 3D. Those numbers are increasing by the week. China alone is adding roughly three screens a day, all digital, which means they can be easily converted to 3D.

The Cannes Film Festival has played its part in heralding the new age of 3D. Two years ago, Pixar’s Up became the first 3D movie to ever open the festival. And this year, another Disney entry, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, is scheduled to sail into port Saturday night as festival-goers don their 3D glasses to watch Johnny Depp’s Captain Jack Sparrow search for the fountain of youth.

“We were pioneers in a sense, because we were the first live-action film to really bring these delicate cameras and all these rigs and things into remote locations,” the movie’s director Rob Marshall says. “We brought 3D equipment into jungles and caves and waterfalls and beaches and ships. I still can’t decide if we were insane or we were pioneers. But we did it and I’m really proud of that fact.”

Although not part of this year’s festival proper, DreamWorks Animation will also be in Cannes, showing off its latest 3D wares — Kung Fu Panda 2 and the upcoming Puss in Boots — to the captive audience of international journalists here.

And throughout the market, 3D projects are popping up everywhere. Nu Image is handling international sales for production partner Lionsgate’s The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 3D, which starts production next month. Arclight is ramping up William Tell: 3D, starring Brendan Fraser, for a shoot this fall in Europe.

IM Global’s dance card includes the BBC Earth Film’s African wildlife documentary Enchanted Kingdom 3D. The Weinstein Co. has a second 3D Piranha feature — officially dubbed Piranha 3DD — currently before the cameras. And smaller indie filmmakers are getting into the act as well — P.J. Petiette, for example, will offer the world premiere of his dark comedy Julia X 3D, which is being sold by Dixie Theatrical Corp., a new international sales company.

So hang onto those 3D glasses — to rework Al Jolsen’s line about the arrival of the talkies, you ain’t seen nothin’ yet.

See the original post here:  http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/3d-fueling-international-box-office-187096

Panasonic Europe’s chairman and chief executive has predicted 2011 will be the year that 3D TV lives up to its potential and gains truly mass-market appeal.

Laurent Abadie noted an increasing amount of 3D content has become available over the past 12 months and new broadcast channels have been launched, paving the way for a surge in take-up of the innovation.

“It is clear that 2011 is the year this revolutionary technology will become mainstream,” he commented.

Mr Abadie’s remarks echo the findings of recent research from IHS iSuppli, which claimed 23.4 million 3D TVs will be shipped worldwide by the end of the year – up 463 per cent on the total sold throughout 2010.

Triple-digit growth will also be seen in 2012, iSuppli said, with sales of 3D sets expected to pass the 100 million mark by 2014.

According to the analyst, this rapid rise in uptake can be attributed to three main factors – new and improved promotional strategies, falling hardware costs and the availability of more programmes in 3D.

The company said sports-related events have proven especially popular with 3D subscribers, while demand has also been high for documentaries, films and primetime entertainment.

In order to ensure there is sufficient high-quality content to persuade viewers to make the switch to 3D, Panasonic has announced a partnership with Eurosport and other broadcasters across the world.

The first fruits of this link-up have already been announced, with the electronics giant and Eurosport revealing they will air the 2011 French Open tennis championship from Roland Garros in 3D.

Explaining the move, Mr Abadie said: “The French Tennis Open is a perfect example of how these partnerships can work to deliver exceptional content.

“We are the official suppliers for the tournament and our end-to-end 3D product suite will be showcased, from our 3D broadcast products to our state-of-the-art 3D Viera screens.”

See the original post here:  http://www.cable.co.uk/news/panasonic-europe-boss-backs-3d-tv-to-take-off-in-2011-800524577/

[Press Release]

Insight Media, a leader in emerging display technologies and markets, has released its latest report titled: 2011 Autostereoscopic 3D Digital Signage Report. It is an evaluation of glasses-free autostereoscopic 3D display technology, solutions and opportunities in digital signage.

The ability to capture someone’s attention with an image that literally pops off the screen is very compelling — especially for advertisers, which is why there is interest in this technology. But many in the industry want to understand the state of development. This report addresses that need.

“The objective of the report was to try to answer as many questions as we could think of about this industry from multiple points of view,” noted Chris Chinnock, President of Insight Media. “What do AS-3D display makers, system integrators, content creators, advertisers or network operators want to know? This approach led us to structure the report in such a way as to address these needs.”

Dale Maunu, Lead Analyst on the report noted, “AS-3D solutions can be very compelling if the content is well created, matched to the AS-3D display and placed to maximize effect, but it can also be done poorly, which means you need to work with experienced suppliers. The market is small today, but advancements are coming quickly from many directions that could change the dynamics of this market rather quickly. As awareness of 3D grows, customers will begin to ask about this, so you should be prepared.”

Major sections of the report analyze and discuss:

• AS-3D Display Technology — basics of operation, pros and cons and advancements in development
• Multi-view AS-3D Content Creation — The cause of headaches and nausea, rules for good 3D content creation, methods for stereoscopic and multi-view autostereoscopic content creation, choices and trade-offs.
• System Integration — Building blocks of an AS-3D digital signal solution, Content Management Systems, playback devices and file formats for AS-3D, distribution requirements of AS-3D content, physical placement of the sign.
• Case Studies — Three case studies are included to bring home this learning.
• AS-3D Market Opportunity — Differences between 2D and 3D digital signage, business models and value propositions, addressing the market and assessing the market via our proprietary “Meets Expectations” analysis to help understand how solutions meet the needs of end users.
• Venue Analysis — Apply “Meets Expectations” analysis to 16 different venues:
  • Banks
  • Casinos
  • Cinema Lobbies
  • Corporate Lobbies
  • Gas Stations and Convenience Stores
  • Higher Education
  • Museums
  • Professional Offices
  • Rental and Staging
  • Retail — Auto Dealers
  • Retail — Electronics
  • Retail — Kiosk
  • Retail — Other
  • Shopping Malls
  • Sports Venues
  • Theme Parks
• Forecast Analysis — Establish the total available market in these venues, evaluate 2D signage penetration to guide development of AS-3D penetration rates. Develop Expected, Conservative and Optimistic forecasts.

The report is available immediately as a PDF file under a site license agreement for $1,997.

For complete report details and Table of Contents, please go to:http://insightmedia.info/reports/2011as3d_details.php.

More Information: info@insightmedia.info

[by Jason Notte, The Street]

Remember two years ago at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas when 3-D was everywhere and the general consensus was that we’d all be switching out TVs, wearing glasses and watching Avatar on repeat in our living rooms? Yeah, about that …

In mid-2010, market research firm NPD Group’s screen-oriented subsidiary DisplaySearch predicted 3.4 million 3-D TVs would ship by the end of last year and grow to 42.9 million worldwide by 2014, increasing 3-D’s share of the television market to 37% from 5%. A few months later, those forecasts shrank to 3.2 million 3-D TVs shipped during the year, making up just 2% of the television market.

A big part of the problem is North America and the U.S. in particular, where estimates of more than 2 million 3-D TVs sold in 2010 shrank to less than 1.6 million behind a familiar refrain: It’s just too expensive and unnecessary, given the relative dearth of 3-D content. Americans spent the past half-decade upgrading to HDTV and, despite releases such as this summer’sThor and Green Lantern also getting HD versions, the lack of true 3-D titles means those copies of Avatar, Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs and Monsters vs. Aliens are being crowded between converted 2-D titles such as Disney’s The Lion Kingand Beauty and the Beast.

“While TV manufacturers have bold plans and a lot of new products, consumers remain cautious,” says Paul Gray, DisplaySearch’s director of TV electronics research. “Consumers have been told that 3-D TV is the future, but there still remains a huge price jump and little 3-D content to watch.”

Even as some of the earliest 3-D televisions drop below the $1,000 mark, the $100 to $150 cost of glasses to watch what’s on them has been prohibitive for some consumers. This isn’t a strictly American complaint; DisplaySearch discovered that Western Europeans aren’t even hitting a 1-to-1 ratio of glasses to 3-D sets.

“This is particularly disappointing,” Gray says. “A healthy level would be closer to two pairs of 3-D glasses per TV, so it’s clear that these sets at best are being chosen for future-proofing, and at worst it’s an indication that consumers cannot buy a premium set without 3-D.”

Looking at 3-D as a strictly televised medium may not be helping. Earlier this week, Nielsen said that the percentage of Americans who own television sets has dropped for the first time in 20 years from 98.9% to 96.7%. While the digital transition has taken TV out of the living rooms of the poor in some cases, it’s also inspired a generation that’s content with viewing entertainment on laptops, tablets, smartphones and other devices. If 3-D’s going to take off, it’s going to need a lot more than televisions and Blu-ray players to do so.

“TV manufacturers strongly believe in 3-D and are driving its cost downward, but its value to consumers relies strongly on the availability of quality material to watch,” Gray says.

TheStreet took a look at the electronics market and, amid many high-priced options, found five 3-D devices that are worth a consumer investment right now. While some are TV based, the majority make a strong argument for a multidimensional approach to 3-D entertainment:

Nintendo’s 3DS
At $245 and with the much less expensive and wildly popular Nintendo DS(NTDOY.PK) and DSi hand-held consoles already on the market, the 3DS seemed like a tough sell. Thus far 3.6 million gamers — or more than twice the number of consumers who bought 3-D televisions in the U.S. this year — respectfully disagree.

A laundry list of such features as motion control, a front-facing 2-D camera, a rear-facing 3-D camera, 3-D videos, 3-D messaging, a virtual console full of old Game Boy games and backward-compatibility with all existing DS titles is nice, but trumped by the one element the 3DS doesn’t have or need: 3-D glasses.

Its parallax barrier display wouldn’t work so well on even a tablet-sized screen, but the DS’s 3.5-inch 3-D screen is just small enough to give 3-D titles such as Street Fighter IV 3-D and Kid Icarus the dimension they deserve. At three to five hours for 3-D and Wi-Fi use, its battery life isn’t great compared with the four- to 17-hour battery of the DSi it’s replacing, but a ton of second-party support from game makers including Electronic Arts(ERTS), THQ(THQI), Konami, Capcom and Ubisoft as well as forthcoming 3-D movie titles from Warner Brothers(TWX), Disney(DIS) and Dreamworks(DWA) make it the ideal 3-D gadget for the 3-D averse.

T-Mobile’s LG G-Slate
When LG announced it was throwing an Nvidia(NVDA) Tegra 2 chip capable of 3-D display into its G2X, it sounded like we’d be getting our first look at a glasses-free 3-D smartphone. Nope. Instead, we’re going to have to wait on T-Mobile to give us the LG Optimus 3-D and Sprint to debut the HTC EVO 3-D phones that, by the sound of early reviews from the CTIA wireless trade show in March, leave much to be desired when compared with the 3DS’ display.

In the meantime, however, LG and T-Mobile gave the U.S. its first 3-D tablet when they introduced the G-Slate on April 20. The 9-inch display, front-facing camera for video calls, more than eight hours of battery power, Wi-Fi, “4G” capability andGoogle(GOOG) Android 3.0 Honeycomb OS are all secondary to the twin cameras mounted on the tablet’s back for shooting 3-D photos and videos. Those videos can be displayed immediately on the G-Slate’s HD screen — with one very significant catch.

At three times the size of the 3DS, the G-Slate still requires glasses for 3-D viewing. A pair comes with the tablet, but if 53% of consumers surveyed by the NPD Group in February said that the inconvenience of wearing glasses in their own homes was preventing them from buying into HD content, they’re probably not going to be much more comfortable slapping on polarized shades while taking their tablet out in public.

Another issue is the price, which at $520 with a two-year commitment is more expensive and onerous than buying a strictly Wi-Fi Apple(AAPL) iPad 2. It’s $70 less than the similarly performing Motorola(MMI) Xoom, however, and $200 less than a 3G iPad with similar 32-gigabyte storage space. The not-so-minor caveat is that you need both a T-Mobile voice and data plan to get that $530 price, as the lack of a voice plan nulls a $100 rebate and an unlocked version without a T-Mobile data plan goes for a gaudy $750. Otherwise, the G-Slate is a great buy for the storage, the speed and your position ahead of the 3-D curve.

Vizio and LG “Passive” 3-D televisions
Again, a majority of Americans aren’t adopting 3-D based strictly on the glasses. When Panasonic(PC) and Samsung announced their first 3-D televisions more than a year ago, the glasses that came with them were not only expensive — $150 to $200 — but heavy as well. Folks used to wearing passive “polarized” shades in movie theaters were taken aback by the “active” shutter-driven glasses that felt as if someone had parked a Vespa on the bridge of the wearer’s nose.

Samsung’s recently addressed that problem by including two sets of free glasses with its televisions and dropping the price of extras to $50 apiece from $130. That really doesn’t fix the problem with shutter lenses, which 90% of respondents to an NPD survey last fall say would inhibit them from multitasking.

Companies such as Toshiba and Sharp are already trying to make glasses-free televisions and demonstrated that technology at the Consumer Electronics Show this year, but they’re starting on 20-inch screens and still have quite a way to go. While the cost of a 3-D TV was a key deterrent for 64% of consumers polled by NPD Group in February, already declining costs are being helped out by companies such as LG and Vizio, which have developed “passive” 3-D technology that allows viewers to use the same, lighter, cheaper glasses used at movie theaters. The glasses are available for as little as $5 to $7.50 on Amazon and other sites, but LG includes four pairs with its $1,600 47-inch LG 47LW6500 and Vizio packs four pairs in with its 60-inch, $3,000 Vizio XVT3-D650SV.

Right now, the 32-inch Toshiba 32TL515U is the only passive 3-D TV below the $1,000 mark, and it hasn’t released yet. With Panasonic, Samsung and even Vizio 42- and 46-inch active 3-D sets selling for less than $1,000, passive 3-D doesn’t seem like much of a bargain. That’s true at this point, but passive glasses are the only way to watch 3-D programming and update your Facebook status at the same time.

Sony’s Uncharted 3
With Sony(SNE) pouring a lot of money into its own 3-D televisions, the pressure on it to make sales-driving 3-D content for its other products, including the PlayStation 3, was intense.

Its Gran Turismo 5 racing game looked lovely and cost roughly $80 million to produce, but didn’t get a lot of traction out of its 3-D features. Its MLB 11: The Show was not only yet another disposable cog in a long-standing sports franchise, but its 3-D “functionality” was akin to drawing a 3-D comic book. Killzone 3 looked great at CES, but wasn’t adding much to a game that had 7-Eleven sponsorship and was going to sell scads of copies regardless.

Sony’s Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception, meanwhile, hasn’t been released and is already making the fanboys weep with joy. Archeology, violence, cooperative game play — that’s all kid’s stuff. This ridiculously cinematic release may be the first video game that makes gamers consider buying a 3-D television just to play it instead of making gamers who own a 3-D television buy it just because it’s 3-D.

“With a core focus on cinematic story and action, Uncharted 3 is the prime candidate to convince the naysayers that 3-D belongs in video games — it certainly has convinced me,” says Jesse Divinich, vice president of capital analysis for video game analytics firm EEDAR. “Uncharted 3 could do for 3-D gaming what Avatar did for 3-D movies.”

It might just help to already have a 3-D screen handy, however, as the $60 it’ll cost to pick up Uncharted 3 later this year is a far preferable entry fee to the $1,000 to $3,000 you’ll spend on a TV and glasses.

Fujifilm FinePix 3-D W3
If you were one of the first adopters who bought the $600 Fujifilm FinePix 3-D W1 back in 2009 and dealt with poor low-light sensitivity, grating noise, inability to shoot video and the size and weight of a brick, we hope you’re really enjoying your paperweight.

For those who held off, however, the new $400 version is slimmer, lighter, easier to use and has a 3-D display that gives Nintendo’s 3DS a run for the money. The images don’t reduce elements in the background to the flat, featureless forms found in bad stereoscopic 3-D movies and video games and look especially great when connected to a larger 3-D screen via an HDMI cable. More importantly, you get the ability to shoot 3-D video that, while funky-looking at first, is that wave of the future the Hollywood studios have been talking about for the past two years or so.

It’s the one 3-D camera product out there that actually looks like a real camera — a rarity during a time smartphones are replacing point-and-shoot cameras — but if you’re going to experiment during the early stages of 3-D photography, shouldn’t you at least look like a photographer while doing so?

– Written by Jason Notte in Boston.

See the original story here:  http://www.thestreet.com/print/story/11108959.html

[Press Release]

Driven by a pronounced change in marketing and promotion strategies as well as price declines and an increasing availability of content, worldwide shipments of 3-D TVs will catapult by a spectacular 463 percent to reach 23.4 million units in 2011, according to IHS iSuppli (NYSE: IHS) research.

The 3-D TV projections in 2011 represent startling growth for the much-publicized technology, with shipments expanding by a factor of 5.5 from 4.2 million units last year. Another year of triple-digit growth is expected in 2012, when shipments will soar by 132 percent to 54.2 million units. Global shipments will breach the 100-million-unit mark by 2014 and then hit 159.2 million in 2015.

“In a major recalibration effort, television brands are changing strategies this year following lukewarm response to 3-D in 2010 when consumers balked at the high price of sets and the lack of 3-D content,” said Riddhi Patel, director for television systems and retail services at IHS. “In 2011, however, brands are marketing 3-D not as a must-have technology but as a desirable feature, similar to the approach they have taken with Internet connectivity.”

Brands believe this approach to promoting 3-D allows consumers to decide whether they wish to use the feature when they are ready, while convincing them that their newly purchased television is future-proofed, Patel noted. This gives consumers the appearance of having the choice to use a feature already present in a purchase that they made, instead of forcing them to buy a technology for which they might be unprepared, according to the television brands.

Prices Fall, Content Availability Rises
To further motivate consumers to buy 3-D TVs, brands are slashing prices. Prices for 3-D TVs fell 9 percent during March 2011 compared to February, according to the US TV Price and Specifications Tracker, a monthly IHS iSuppli service that tracks U.S. TV prices. Within the next year, prices will shift again, in accordance with the feature mix dictated by public preferences at the moment—a process expected to democratize 3-D adoption among consumers in all income brackets.

Broadcasting of 3-D also will enjoy an uptake, helping to dispel the public perception of a serious lack in currently available 3-D content for consumption. From the launch of 3-D TV services in June 2010 for the United States, and then in October the same year for the United Kingdom, more than 80 live sources of 3-D broadcast or pay-TV content had been delivered by the end of 2010. More programming will be available this year, topped by sports-related events and then followed by primetime entertainment, films and documentaries.

Options also are arising for the 3-D glasses that are required for 3-D TV viewing. While the current active shutter glasses provide better picture quality, an alternative known as passive Film Patterned Retarder (FPR) not only will expand availability in sizes as small as 32-inches, but also will reduce the overall cost of ownership, with the glasses being more user friendly as well. By 2015, passive 3-D shipments will surpass those of active 3-D, IHS expects.

The Appeal of 3-D TV Continues
Liquid crystal display (LCD) will remain the dominant technology for the 3-D TV market, accounting for 83 percent of 3-D TVs sold in 2011. In comparison, plasma is a much smaller player. However, 3-D penetration in plasma is higher, as the highly touted feature is one that plasma manufacturers hope will help slow the decline of the plasma market.

The 3-D TV share of the global flat-panel market will continue to rise in the years to come, jumping to 11 percent in 2011 from 2 percent last year, and then doubling next year to 22 percent. By 2015, 3-D TVs will account for 52 percent of flat-panel shipments.

The most popular 3-D TV size during 2011 will be in the 40- to 41-inch range, numbering about 3.3 million units; followed by the 55- to 59-inch range, with shipments of 2.9 million units; and the 45- to 46-inch range, with 2.7 million units.

See the original press release here:  http://www.isuppli.com/Display-Materials-and-Systems/News/Pages/Global-3-D-TV-Shipments-Soar-by-Nearly-500-Percent-in-2011.aspx

——————————————————————

Global 3D TV market to grow 5-fold in 2011: iSuppli

(By Miyoung Kim, Reuters)

The global 3D television market will grow more than 5-fold to account for 11 percent of flat-screen TV sales this year, as prices fall sharply and manufacturers add the function as an add-on feature, research firm IHS iSuppli predicted on Friday.

It projected 3D TV shipments would rise to 23.4 million units this year from last year’s 4.2 million units, gaining further to 159 million units in 2015. By that time, iSuppli said, 3D TVs would account for more than half of global flat-panel shipments.

TV manufacturers, led by South Korea’s Samsung Electronics, LG Electronics Inc and Japan’s Sony Corp are hoping high-end models such as 3D help them arrest razor-thin margins amid intensifying competition with low-cost producers in the commoditized flat-screen TV market.

Another research firm, DisplaySearch, also forecast last week that 3D TVs will rise to more than 50 percent of revenues and hit the 100-million unit sales mark by 2014.

By technology, active shutter-glass (SG) type sets, the current industry standard, will gradually give way to passive film patterned retarder (FPR) types and fall below 50 percent of the overall 3D market by 2015, iSuppli said.

The shift can be a big threat to top TV maker Samsung, which is aggressively pushing for SG technology and has been embroiled in a growing war of words this year with hometown rival LG Electronics and its panel supplier LG Display.

LG Group is making a big bet on FPR technology to stake out a bigger claim in the global 3D market, currently dominated by SG-type sets made by first such as Samsung and Sony.

LG contends that FPR addresses consumer concerns over blurry and flickering images, with glasses two to three times lighter than the previous bulky battery-charged eyewear that was required for 3D viewing.

The 3D market forecast by iSuppli is more bullish than Samsung’s own forecast of 17 million units.

See the original post here:  http://ca.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idCATRE74512020110506

[Press Release]

Multi-Year Agreement Brings Leading 3D Companies to Network as Launch Partners

3net, the joint venture 24/7 3D network from Sony, Discovery and IMAX today announced strategic launch partnerships with two industry leaders in the emerging U.S. 3D market – XPAND 3D and Sony Electronics Inc. The multi-year agreement will align 3net with each of the partner’s respective marketing, sales and product teams to develop mutually beneficial multimedia promotions, program sponsorships, short form programming and integrated marketing initiatives. The joint announcement was made today by Tom Cosgrove, President and CEO of 3net, Maria Costeira, CEO of XPAND and Phil Molyneux, President and COO, Sony Electronics Inc.

We’re extremely pleased to have two industry leaders in the dynamic 3D market onboard as our network launch partners,” said Cosgrove. “Our three companies are breaking new ground with content, products and technology solutions for the emerging 3D space, and each of these individual partnerships will allow us to leverage our joint capabilities to further the development of both the industry as well as our respective business interests.” 

“3D is providing content creators and their audiences alike with a new medium for expression, engagement and enjoyment of media,” Costeira noted. “Whether it’s drama, sport, informational or interactive, 3D is changing the way businesses and consumers look at content. 3net is the optimal venue for XPAND to showcase our market-leading 3D technologies that have been shown to enhance the 3D viewing experience. With our glasses and 3net content, that viewing experience can be equally compelling on the laptop, the cinema and in the living room. We are very pleased to join with innovation and imagination leaders Sony and IMAX and Discovery to enable and promote this exciting new forum and we look forward to it becoming a new stage for great content.” 

“3D adoption by consumers is clearly growing, and the demand for high-quality, immersive 3D programming lies as a catalyst,” said Molyneux. “As Sony is involved in all phases of the 3D ecosystem, from production cameras to the viewers’ living rooms, it’s natural that we leverage our activities on the 3net network to expand our reach. This year, while the network expands its library of quality 3D entertainment for the home, Sony will make 3D personal, bringing to consumers the tools they will need to create, share and enjoy their own, personal 3D content, along with maintaining our leadership position in 3D home products, movies, games, and television programming.”

See the original press release here:  http://www.studiodaily.com/main/news/prc/3net-Announces-Strategic-Marketing-Alliances-with-Xpand-3D-and-Sony-Electronics_13157.html

[Press release]

Just over 2 million 3DTV sets were sold worldwide in the last quarter of 2010, but that figure is expected to rise to 100 million by 2014, comprising more than 50 percent of revenues, according to research firm DisplaySearch.

The healthy penetration of sales of 3D-capable sets will first be attributed to full-featured sets, accounting for 30 percent of 120Hz+ LCD TV sets in 2011; but 3D penetration will quickly move into more basic models over the next several years. Plasma TV, which enjoyed a 30 percent increase in sales in 2010, now accounts for about 17 percent of 3DTV sales in 2011. DisplaySearch is now tracking and forecasting 3DTV shipments by technology, size, resolution, frame rate and backlight type, all broken down by region throughout its “Quarterly Advanced Global TV Shipment and Forecast Report.” 

The report also noted that as more consumers replace their CRT-based TV sets with new flat panel TVs, the growth rate of these sets is slowing worldwide. 

In 2010, total TV shipments worldwide grew by yearly 18 percent to 248 million units in 2010, but that growth is expected to decline to less than 4 percent in 2011 as slower price erosion cools demand in developed markets according to the firm’s “Quarterly Advanced Global TV Shipment and Forecast Report.” While the growth rate has slowed for developed countries that have already strongly adopted flat panels, the total TV market will increasingly be defined by the replacement of CRTs with flat panel TVs in emerging markets. On a unit basis, sales of flat panel TVs grew 32 percent in 2010 but will slow to 12 percent in 2011. 

“As the household installed base for flat panel TVs increases above 50-60%, the growth rate slows, which is currently the situation in Japan, Western Europe, and North America. Emerging markets, however, are still ripe for sustained growth due to a low level of household flat panel TV penetration,” noted Paul Gagnon, Director of North America TV Research for DisplaySearch. 

LCD TVs continue to be the primary TV type shipped worldwide, and are expected to account for about 84 percent of all TV shipments in 2011. As CRT TVs become scarce, LCD TVs will become the de facto choice for consumers looking to upgrade their CRT TVs. Worldwide LCD TV shipments will increase from about 192 million units in 2010 to almost 217 million units in 2011, a 13 percent increase. Total LCD TV shipments are expected to increase steadily, reaching 270 million units by 2014. 

Within the LCD TV category, several key features are gaining share as cost premiums decline. LED backlights will account for about 50 percent of the total LCD TV units shipped during 2011, penetrating a large number of screen sizes, especially above 40 inches. Larger screen size sets are usually fully featured and focused on performance. As a result, performance-oriented features like high frame rate and 1080p resolution have much better penetration among larger screen sizes. 120Hz and higher refresh rates will account for about a quarter of total LCD TV units in 2011, but for 40-inch+ sizes, the share is more than 60 percent. 

The report can be purchased here.

See the original post here: http://tvtechnology.com/article/120092