TV manufacturers aim to strike it rich with 3D sets in Las Vegas

ONE of the world’s biggest sports broadcasters is to film 25 of the World Cup matches in 3D at this year’s tournament in South Africa.

The announcement was made as television companies prepare to unveil their latest 3D sets at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Manufacturers Sony, LG and Samsung are all expected to announce that 3D televisions will be on sale in the United States and Europe in a matter of months.

It is unclear when the broadcasts by Disney-owned ESPN will be available outside of the US, but an ESPN spokesman said it was unlikely to be available to Irish viewers until after the World Cup next June.

Though Irish viewers will not be able to see the games in 3D in their homes, plans are being made to have them shown on large public venue screens.

Last July ESPN won the right to show 46 English Premier League matches in Ireland and Britain. The rights were formerly held by the Irish sports broadcaster, Setanta.

Watching movies on 3D has now become commonplace and the sci-fi movie Avatar is currently showing at Irish cinemas in 3D. Hoping to cash in on what is happening on big screens worldwide, television manufacturers are banking on 3D TVs for their next sales boost, with sets capable of adding that extra visual dimension expected to hit US shops by the summer.

Top TV makers, including Sony, Panasonic, LC Electronics and Samsung, will feature 3D screen advances at the Consumer Electronics Show this week, hoping the new technology will be as big a boost for the industry as the transition to colour TVs from black and white.

However, investors think it is still too early to put money on 3D. It took a decade for the cost of colour TVs to fall enough to win acceptance in the United States, noted Mitsushige Akino, chief fund manager at Japan’s Ichiyoshi Investment Management.

“TV makers want more for 3D than they can get,” he said. “Plus, neither Samsung, Sony, Panasonic or LG has gained the technological advantage. Until that outcome becomes clear, I’m not investing,” he said.

Many consumers have only just bought new high-definition television screens, making them unwilling to spend on upgrading again in the near future, analysts said.

“A major impediment – beyond making sure everybody has glasses – is making sure there is something interesting to watch,” said Paul Gagnon, director of North American TV research at DisplaySearch. “It’s not going to have the breadth of content that high definition has right now. It will take years to build that up.”

3D represents a big risk for a television industry looking for the next big thing after millions of households over the past five years bought flat-screen TVs.

There are only a few 3D TVs in the market today, with a 42-inch set selling for about $1,000 (€699) and a 50-inch set selling for more than $2,000 (€1,398). A 42-inch HD LCD TV costs about $600-700 (€419-489).