According to media analyst, Screen Digest, the 3D experience is beginning to spread to the small screen. While the report stated that the hope 3D was still in its infancy, it predicted that should a standard be set for the technology, 3D capable TV sets would account for 10 percent of the worldwide market by 2011, with a rise to 16 percent in 2015.
Screen Digest predicts that television 3D devotees will ultimately not be required to don special glasses for viewing their favorite content, saying that autostereoscopic viewing technology will become the norm.
The report cautions that 3D television may be caught up in the "chicken and egg" effect that kept color television from taking off for more than 10 years after it entered the market in 1954.
"What 3D offers the Studios and pay TV operators is an opportunity to charge a premium for content – perhaps even more so than high definition," said Marie Bloomfield, an analyst at Screen Digest. "But as it is emerging in the middle of a recession, the home 3D market is in a Catch 22 situation. Consumers will not be persuaded to invest in new equipment to experience 3D until there is enough content; and content production will not ramp up until there is a significant audience. 3D in the home will therefore be a slow burn, remaining a niche business for the foreseeable future."
The report observed that rollout of 3D movies is increasing, with seven titles launched in 2008 and 17 more promised for this year. Production companies have committed to 28 feature films in 2010.
