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A CES attendee checks out LG Electronics' 3D LCD TV.
(Credit: Marguerite Reardon/CNET News)Three-dimensional TV is coming to a living room near you. But will the technology spur a consumer spending spree like digital and high-definition TV did before it? Or will 3D end up being the next big flop?
One thing is clear, TV manufacturers need something new to get people buying TVs. Over the last couple of years, TV manufacturers have experienced a sales boom as consumers upgrade to digital TVs in anticipation of the government's mandated switch to digital TV broadcasts in February 2009. Eager shoppers have also been upgrading to high-definition TVs as movie studios, cable and satellite operators, and TV broadcasters have begun offering more programming in HD.
But as the economy worsens, the forecast for the TV market is looking grim. The LCD TV market is only expected to grow about 17 percent in terms of units shipped in 2009, according to research firm DisplaySearch. This is down from growth of about 29 percent in 2008. Plasma TV growth is also expected to suffer with the market only expected to grow by about 5 percent in 2009 compared with a 24 percent rise in 2008, DisplaySearch said.
As a result, TV makers are looking for the next hot thing to attract new consumers. And some are hoping 3D TVs could be it.
At this year's Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, four of the top selling TV manufacturers--Samsung Electronics, Sony, LG Electronics and Panasonic--showed off their latest versions of 3D TVs. Panasonic set up a mini-home theater where its 103-inch, plasma 3D screen showed clips from New Line Cinema's Journey to the Center of the Earth and Walt Disney Pictures' animated film Bolt. They also showed high-definition 3D footage from NBC's broadcast of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.
While some manufacturers, such as Mitsubishi, Phillips, Samsung, and Sharp, have already begun selling 3D-ready TVs, the top four manufacturers plan to have new, advanced 3D TVs on sale toward the end of 2009 and into 2010.
But the big question is whether consumers, particularly American consumers, will be willing to upgrade to a new TV just because it has 3D. Pricing for today's 3D ready TVs is comparable to other flat-screen HDTVs. Samsung and Mitsubishi currently sell their 3D-ready TVs for between $1,000 and $2,800, depending on functionality. These prices are in line with average prices for HDTVs that don't offer 3D readiness.
Keisuke Suetsugi, a manager for the audio visual center at Panasonic, believes that even the newer, more advanced 3D TVs will not cost much more than TVs without 3D. So for consumers already in the market for a TV, adding 3D readiness might not add much cost. But will 3D be enough to compel cutting-edge consumers to replace their 2- or 3-year-old TVs? That's what TV manufactures are hoping.
Three-dimensional movies have been around since the 1950s. And for most of its lifespan the technology has been seen more as a gimmick than something that truly enhances the movie-going experience. But newer technology and advanced special effects are helping 3D movies break into the mainstream.
TV makers believe that much of the demand for 3D will come from Hollywood, which is pushing 3D in a big way. Last year, DreamWorks announced that all its films will be produced for 3D production beginning in 2009. The company has partnered with chipmaker Intel to build processors that will help make 3D in the home a reality.
NBA basketball fans watch a live 3D broadcast of Game 2 of the 2007 NBA finals.
(Credit: NBA)Sports leagues have also been experimenting with 3D technology. Both the National Basketball Association and the National Football League have broadcast events and games in 3D to movie theaters.
From a technical standpoint, the technology is available and mature enough today to make 3D TVs available at a reasonable cost to consumers. But there are still a few drawbacks that could prevent 3D TV from becoming the next big thing in home entertainment.
For one, to get the really cool, immersive 3D experience without getting a massive head-ache, consumers will have to wear special glasses when they're watching TV in 3D. The glasses are needed because 3D imaging requires sending a different image to each eye. And the glasses help merge the images in the mind and trick the brain into thinking that it's seeing a single 3D image.
I checked out Panasonic's home theater in 3D. I must admit, the experience was phenomenal. I felt like I was on the floor at the Olympics opening ceremonies in Beijing right alongside the hundreds of dancers and drummers. But without the glasses, the image looked fuzzy.
Panasonic's Suetsugi admits that in a perfect world, consumers should be able to have the immersive 3D experience without wearing glasses. But he said that it will be at least 10 years before the technology is advanced enough to provide a similarly robust 3D experience without glasses.
"Glassless 3D would be ideal," he said. "But it's just not possible to do that now and get the same quality experience. You would need at least 50 times more pixels to get a display to provide the same 3D experience that we provide with our TV. We are still 10 years away from that kind of technology."
Taesoo Park, a chief research engineer at LG, which makes 3D display monitors for advertising and digital signage, agrees. LG plans to start selling its 3D TVs, which require glasses, late in 2009 or in the beginning of 2010. Its glassless digital signs were also on display at CES.
"Glassless 3D is available today for digital signage and advertising," Park explained. "But the technology is not ready for TVs, because it would hurt people's eyes or give them a headache to look at today's 3D displays for any length of time. It will be at least a decade before we can get the technology to make glassless TV a reality."
That said, some manufacturers claim they have developed technology that doesn't require glasses. Phillips uses a technology it calls WOWvx. 3M and Toshiba also showed off glassless 3D screens at CES. 3M has created a thin film technology that can be used to beam light selectively to the viewer's right and left eyes.
But glasses aren't the only thing that could hold back 3D adoption. Currently, there's no standard way to get 3D footage from the movie studios or from a live broadcasts to the home. Companies, such as Panasonic, are already working on developing a standard. But industry watchers fear that competing standards could emerge and spur another "format" war like the one that pitted HD DVD and Blu-ray against each other.
Panasonic's Suetsugi said he is hopeful that a common standard for 3D Blu-ray hardware, software, and TVs will emerge sometime this year, paving the way for 3D TV sales to pick up in 2010.
In addition to the standards issue, another hurdle for 3D TV has to do with the high production cost of shooting movies and events in 3D, as well as, the high cost of transporting the video across networks. Three-dimensional video requires multiple cameras for shooting. And it also requires multiple high-definition streams for transporting the video over carrier networks.
Regular standard definition television broadcasts consume more bandwidth capacity than other types of traffic like audio or text. High-definition video eats up even more. And it would likely take at least two full high-definition channels to broadcast live just one game in 3D.
This means that service providers, such as cable or satellite operators, would have to upgrade their infrastructure to handle the high bandwidth demands. Verizon, which is deploying fiber directly to consumers' homes for its Fios service, is already in good shape. But others such as Comcast and Time Warner Cable, are already finding it difficult to carve out enough bandwidth for regular HD video as well as Internet video on their networks.
"Transporting live, high-definition 3D streams is very expensive," said Steve Hellmuth, executive vice president of technology and operations for the NBA. "So there has to be sufficient demand and a pool of content before satellite and cable operators will devote resources to delivering it. I really think that Hollywood will initially drive adoption of 3D in the home."
Our heads are still spinning a bit from the onslaught that was the in-car electronics hall of CES 2009. From every direction, there were speakers the size of extralarge pizzas and flashy video displays vying for your attention. Amidst the cacophony, our (ahem) skilled Car Tech editors were able to spot a few gems and a few diamonds in the rough.
(Credit:
CBS Interactive)
As evidenced by our Car Tech category Best of CES finalists, we predict that the next big thing in in-car entertainment is connectivity. Our winner, Gracenote CarStars, puts a star's avatar in your reasonably priced car by pairing a music concierge service with a subscription-based music service and beaming it all into your dashboard.
Our runners-up, AT&T CruiseCast and Ford/Microsoft Sync 3.0, also use their own forms of connectivity to the vehicle cabin experience. CruiseCast, which we got a peak at during SEMA 2008, captures 25 channels of satellite television using only a roof-mounted receptor about the size of a large mixing bowl. Sync 3.0 utilizes the ubiquitous Bluetooth-enabled mobile phone to deliver turn-by-turn directions with Internet-based traffic, weather, and point-of-interest searching.
(Credit:
Blaupunkt)
While we were there, we also took note of Blaupunkt and MiRoamer's Internet radio streaming service, which also makes use of a Bluetooth-paired mobile phone with data connection.
Just announced during the show was Audiovox/Jensen's partnership with MediaFLO to bring the live mobile TV service FLO TV to Audiovox ceiling- and headrest-mounted displays. Details of the service are still coming together, but so far it looks exciting.
Don't forget to check out our First Look videos from the Car Tech Mobile Testing Lab in the center of the Car Electronics Hall, where we test the lastest from Alpine, Audiovox, JVC, Kenwood, and Sony. We even had a celebrity guest to drop by!
The Philips 7000 series FlatTV line features a new design.
(Credit: Philips)With Funai licensing the Philips brand in 2009, things have gotten a little confusing about just what's going on with Philips home audio and video products. But it appears that all the products that Philips announced at CES 2009--including the new 7000 series Flat TVs--are true Philips products. Philips had already planned out its 2009 line and Funai Electric will be taking over the production of that line this year.
Thus far, details are scant on just when the new 7000 series LCD TVs will be released and how much they'll cost. However, they do have a new design that features an ultrathin bezel surrounded by a rounded acrylic edge. The 120Hz, 1080p sets will range in size from 32 to 52 inches and they have a fast 2-millisecond refresh rate.
The press release also notes these models feature the proprietary "Halo-Free technology, which removes the faint halo accompanying fast moving action." This new video processing technology allegedly helps eliminate artifacts "that are prevalent in LCD technology."
As we said, we're still trying to get the lowdown on pricing and availability, but for the time being we'll leave you with a quote from the umbrella company, P&F (Philips and Funai), that now is the exclusive manufacturer and distributor for Philips televisions and home-theater products in the U.S.
"The new design and superior technology in our FlatTV line will strengthen our offerings in the fast-growing, large-screen HDTV market," says Todd Richardson, senior vice president of sales and marketing for P&F. "The ultrathin frame design differentiates Philips from other sets on the market and the technology inside is certain to win over even the most discerning HDTV consumer. Consumers can look forward to an unparalleled viewing experience, thanks to the unique combination of exceptional picture quality and design at an attractive price level."
We'll add details as we get them.
Samsung is clearly intending to make a big push with its LED-backlit LCDs, but the company did announce one new line of LCDs without LED. The Samsung LNB750 series uses standard CFL backlighting, but includes other cutting-edge features such as 240Hz refresh rate, a slim inch-thick design, and access to Samsung's new Internet@TV content. Here are the details.
Key features of the Samsung LNB750 series:
- 240Hz refresh rate
- Slim design, around an inch thick
- Ultra Clear antireflective screen
- Wide Color Enhancer Pro
- Internet@TV capable (Yahoo widgets)
- Built-in Ethernet
- Wi-Fi-ready, with purchase of additional adapter
- Energy Star 3.0 compatible
Pricing and availability of the Samsung LNB750 series (estimated street prices):
- 40-inch 40LNB750 ($1999, May)
- 46-inch 46LNB750 ($2399, May)
- 52-inch 52LNB750 ($2899, May)
We've covered 120Hz technology extensively before, and we expect 240Hz to offer similar advantages. The major area for improvement is the associated dejudder processing, particularly eliminating annoying artifacts and making the processing look more natural. Wide Color Enhancer Pro is a feature that supposedly matches a source's color space to the HD color space--we haven't seen a feature like this yet, so it will be interesting to test in the labs.
A built-in Ethernet connection enables access to Samsung's new Internet@TV platform, which lets users access Yahoo widgets capable of delivering content from services such as Flickr, Yahoo News, Yahoo Weather, USA Today, YouTube, Showtime, and others. The LNB750 series is also Wi-Fi-ready, but you'll need to purchase an additional adapter. Finally, the sets are compliant with the new Energy Star 3.0 specification, although it seems like almost all 2009 HDTVs are.
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$1,145.00
- $1,449.99
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From the Consumer Electronics Show, Larry Magid talks with Wall Street Journal columnist Walter Mossberg about Palm's new Pre cell phone and Yahoo's new Internet TV. Both Mossberg and Magid were impressed by the Palm phone, and Mossberg had some good things to say about Yahoo's TV initiative.
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Today's stories:
AT&T stopped by the Car Tech booth at CES 2009 to give us a look at its CruiseCast mobile satellite TV service. The details of the service haven't changed much since the unveiling just a few months ago at the 2008 SEMA Show, but today we received a bit of news that means you may be able to experience CruiseCast for yourself sooner than you think.
RaySat Broadcasting Corp. (co-creator of CruiseCast along with AT&T) and Avis Budget Group are teaming up to offer Avis and Budget Rent A Car customers the use of AT&T CruiseCast's news, family, sports, comedy, and music channels while traveling.
AT&T's CruiseCast satellite antenna mounted in the Car Tech CES 2009 booth.
(Credit: CBS Interactive)Starting in the second quarter of 2009, Avis and Budget customers can rent AT&T CruiseCast at select locations for $8.95 per day or $62.65 per week. The unit uses the same hide-away receiver and compact, low-profile external antenna offered on the consumer unit to provide 22 satellite television channels and 20 satellite radio channels to a rear-seat entertainment unit.
AT&T CruiseCast utilizes about 1GB of video-buffering technology to automatically store up to 3 minutes of content so that viewers can continually watch programs even if there are obstructions such as an overpass, a cluster of tall buildings, or when passing through a tunnel. The channel line-up includes the Disney Channel, Disney XD, Discovery Kids, Animal Planet, Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network Mobile, USA, Comedy Central, MSNBC, CNN Mobile Live, and CNBC.
The CruiseCast service will be sold though auto dealerships and 12-volt retailers when it debuts in Spring 2009 at an estimated MSRP or $1,299 with a $28 monthly subscription.
LED-backlit LCDs are certainly winning the hype war at CES 2009, but home theater buffs know that plasma TVs often offer better performance for your dollar. Samsung's new top-of-the-line plasmas, the PNB850 series, feature a superslim, inch-thick design and offer the new Internet widgets available via the Internet@TV platform. Here are the important details.
Key features of the Samsung PNB850 series:
- Slim design, about an inch thick
- Ultra FilterBright Plus antiglare screen
- Real Movie (24 frames per second) mode
- Wide color Enhancer Pro
- Built-in Ethernet
- Wi-Fi-ready, with purchase of additional adapter
- Energy Star 3.0 compatible
Pricing and availability of the Samsung PNB850 series (estimated street prices):
- 50-inch 50PNB550 ($2,299; May)
- 58-inch 58PNB550 ($3,399; May)
While we usually see manufacturers print misleading, inflated contrast ratios, Samsung instead only claims "mega dynamic contrast ratio" for these plasmas. The Ultra FilterBright Plus screen is the latest iteration of Samsung's glare reduction coatings, with these sets adding black stripes into the panel to absorb more room light and create deeper blacks. We're anxious to see this in action, as screen glare is still often a problem with plasmas. Wide Color Enhancer Pro is a feature that supposedly matches a source's color space to the HD color space--we haven't seen a feature like this yet, so it will be interesting to test in the labs.
A built-in Ethernet connection enables access to Samsung's new Internet@TV platform, which lets users access Yahoo widgets capable of delivering content from services such as Flickr, Yahoo News, Yahoo Weather, USA Today, YouTube, Showtime, and others. The PNB850 series is also Wi-Fi-ready, but you'll need to purchase an additional adapter. Finally, the sets are compliant with the new Energy Star 3.0 specification, although it seems like almost all 2009 HDTVs are.
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$2,198.00
- $3,099.99
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The JVC LT-46P300
(Credit: JVC)In 2008, JVC became the first company to offer TVs with built-in iPod docks. For 2009, Panasonic is joining the fray with its own line of iPod-friendly TVs, but JVC is looking to defend its turf with a second generation of models. Among the array of purported feature improvements in the so-called TeleDock line for 2009. These TVs offer better iPod integration (multiple aspect ratios for iPod video playback; iPod charges whether TV is on or off; song and artist info displayed on TV during song playback; photo slide shows from iPod or USB drive can be displayed during music playback) as well as better integration with connected PCs (sync iTunes with a docked iPod via USB; powering up the PC will automatically activate the TV).
As for the TVs themselves, all are LCD models that support 1080p native resolution and control of the iPod from the TV remote. The line includes five models ranging in screen sizes from 32 to 46 inches: the LT-32P300 (32-inch screen); LT-42P300 (42 inches); LT-46P300 (46 inches).
If the idea of having your iTunes content on your TV is appealing, just remember that you can achieve the same result on any TV for under $250 by connecting something like a DLO HomeDock HD or an Apple TV.
On Sale Now:
$439.00
- $649.00
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The A950 series was Samsung's only LED-backlit LCDs in 2008, but the company is serving up several LED-backlit lines in 2009. The UNB7000 is the step-down from the top-of-the-line UNB8000 series, but includes nearly all the same features except 240Hz refresh rate. Here are the details.
Key features of the Samsung UNB7000 series:
- 120Hz response time
- Slim design, around an inch thick
- LED-backlit
- Ultra Clear antireflective screen
- Internet@TV capable (Yahoo widgets)
- Built-in Ethernet
- Wi-Fi-ready, with purchase of additional adapter
- Energy Star 3.0 compatible
Pricing and availability of the Samsung UNB7000 series (estimated street prices):
- 40-inch UN46B7000 ($2,499, April)
- 46-inch UN46B7000 ($2,999, March)
- 55-inch UN55B7000 ($3,799, March)
Like the step-up UNB8000 series, the UNB7000 uses a so-called edge-lit LED backlight system, which lets it achieve such a thin cabinet depth. The downside is that it can't utilize the local dimming technology we liked so much on the A950 series. We've never tested an edge-lit LED display, so we're anxious to check it out in the lab.
We've covered 120Hz technology extensively before and the short story is that the associated dejudder processing can have a large effect in minimizing film judder, but not every viewer likes the effect. We haven't seen any sets with 240Hz processing yet, so its unknown is if it will offer a significant upgrade over this series.
Like other new Samsung LCDs, the sets feature a super slim design, coming in about one inch thick. They also have Samsung's Ultra Clear panels, which are designed to reduce reflections and increase contrast. Built-in Ethernet enables access to Samsung's new Internet@TV platform, that allows users to access Yahoo widgets capable of delivering content from services such as Flickr, Yahoo News, Yahoo Weather, USA Today, YouTube, Showtime and others. The UNB7000 series is also Wi-Fi-ready, but you'll need to purchase an additional adapter. Finally, the sets are compliant with the new Energy Star 3.0 specification, although it seems like almost all 2009 HDTVs are.
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$1,393.00
- $1,679.00
View the latest prices for Samsung UN40B7000
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$1,587.77
- $2,029.00
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$2,159.95
- $2,699.99
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Samsung's UNB8000 series doubles its fun with a 240Hz refresh rate.
Samsung has put a big emphasis on LED-backlighting on this year's LCDs, and the UNB8000 series are the most souped-up models the company has at CES 2009. Here's a quick rundown of the feature set.
Key features of the Samsung UNB8000 series:
- 240Hz response time
- Slim design, about an inch thick
- LED-backlit
- Ultra Clear antireflective screen
- Internet@TV capable (Yahoo widgets)
- Built-in Ethernet
- Wi-Fi-ready, with purchase of additional adapter
- Energy Star 3.0 compatible
Pricing and availability of the Samsung UNB8000 series (estimated street prices):
- 46-inch UN46B8000 ($3,299, May)
- 55-inch UN55B8000 ($3,999, May)
Like the step-down UNB7000 series, the UNB8000 uses a so-called edge-lit LED backlight system, which lets it achieve such a thin cabinet depth. The downside is that it can't use the local dimming technology we liked so much on the A950 series. We've never tested an edge-lit LED display, so we're anxious to check it out in the lab.
From the specification sheet, the major step-up of these HDTVs over the step-down UNB7000 series is the 240Hz refresh rate. We've covered 120Hz technology extensively before, and we expect 240Hz to offer similar advantages. The major area for improvement is the associated dejudder processing, particularly eliminating annoying artifacts and making the processing look more natural.
The rest of the features are available on the UNB7000 step-down models. As mentioned, the sets are superslim, coming in about one inch thick, and also feature Samsung's "Ultra Clear" panel, designed to reduce reflection and increase contrast. Built-in Ethernet enables access to Samsung's new Internet@TV platform, giving users access to Yahoo widgets, which deliver content from services such as Flickr, Yahoo News, Yahoo Weather, USA Today, YouTube, Showtime, and others. The UNB8000 series is also Wi-Fi-ready, but you'll need to purchase an additional adapter. Finally, the sets are compliant with the new Energy Star 3.0 specification, although it seems like almost all the new HDTVs at CES are.
Of course, it's also likely that this series will offer different image quality from the other series, so you'll have to wait for our full review to see how it stacks up. Last year's Samsung LN46A950 was one of our highest rated LCDs of the year, so the UNB8000 series has high expectations.
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$1,849.00
- $2,499.99
View the latest prices for Samsung UN46B8000
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$2,449.95
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