Just two per cent of UK consumers are planning on purchasing a 3D television over the next 12 months, according to new research by Deloitte.
Football fans on April 3 enjoying the the Premier League clash between Manchester United and Chelsea in 3D at over a thousand pubs and clubs across the UK and Ireland. Photo: SKY
The report, which polled 4,199 Britons and was conducted by YouGov for Deloitte, found that only 89 respondents were likely to spend money on a 3D-enabled TV set over the coming year.
Those aged between 25 and 34 were the most likely to say they were planning to buy a set, with five per cent saying they would invest in a set over the next 12 months.
Britons over the age of 45 were least likely to be planning to purchase a 3D TV set in the foreseeable future, with only one per cent saying they would.
However, the research found that UK consumers across the board, had little interest in investing in any type of new TV products or services, including internet connected TVs and personal video recorders (such as Sky+ or Virgin).
High definition and flat screen TVs were the products and services that most consumers were willing to invest in, with seven per cent of those polled saying they would invest in both types of TV technology over the next year.
Paul Lee, Deloitte’s media director, said: “It is remarkable how conservative people’s predictions for their own technology spending habits over the coming year were. They didn’t have to commit to buying anything during the research and yet still predicted very little spend on TV products moving forward. Belts have tightened after the economic downturn and with little understanding of what lies ahead, consumers are still being cautious.”
Dr. Sean McCarthy, a fellow of the Technical Staff at Motorola, the telecoms company which also builds 3D capabilities into TV set-top boxes, said the 3D component of new TVs could end being an “extra perk” rather than the factor driving the main purchase decision. He explained: “It is interesting that 3D TV is taking longer to adopt than HD, for example. The infrastructure required for 3D TV is basically the same as the infrastructure required for any other kind of digital television. You could say that the 3D televisions that are coming onto the market are really just very good 2D televisions with the bonus that they have the right physics and signal processing for delivering separate high-quality left- and right-eye views…
“There are no major technology barriers anymore. The TV displays are good. The glasses are good. The digital infrastructure is in place. What I see happening now is a move from simply enabling 3D TV towards making 3D TV a compelling home experience for consumers. Compelling 3D TV means that home viewers will be able to experience the director’s original intent and vision without the technology of distribution getting in the way, and will seamlessly switch from 3D back to 2D viewing.”
It is not yet known how many people nationally have bought a 3DTV. But retailers are reporting significant interest. Last month John Lewis revealed that 15 per cent of all TVs over 40in sold in their stores are 3D TVs.
Bob Darke, Comet’s commercial director, was unable to provide specific 3D TV sales figures but said the nationwide chain had sold “thousands” since their launch earlier this year. He added: “3D TVs have been selling very well at Comet since their launch, with the biggest spike in May, which we can attribute to the World Cup. While the games weren’t shown in 3D it is typically a time where people look to upgrade their set to the best available TV on the market, which at the time and still is 3D.”
By Emma Barnett, Digital Media Editor
Published: 7:00AM BST 26 Aug 2010