(2 December 2010 8:10 pm)

MUMBAI: Bolstered by 3D TV prices falling by close to 40 per cent in some cases and year one adoption of 3D TV running at a far quicker rate than it did for high-definition in most territories, the retail performance of 3D hardware for the home has been developing at a healthy pace globally, according to a new industry report from Futuresource Consulting.

Futuresource expects global sales of 3D TVs to exceed four million this year. Across Western Europe alone, 1.2 million 3D TVs will be sold, rising to more than three million in 2011. In the US, more than five million 3D TVs will be sold next year, says the report.

Said Futuresource Consulting senior technology consultant Bill Foster, "3D TV will continue to provide 'premium brand' CE manufacturers with a way to differentiate themselves from the competition and add value for consumers."

As the television market continues to be commoditised with traditional factors like screen size, display thickness and the quality of image reaching their peak, 3D capability will increasingly be bundled with other features like connectivity, web services and energy efficiency to add a new dimension beyond the battle for price point, the report points out.

At a smaller screen size, auto-stereoscopic 3D devices are commercially viable as they are viewed close-up by a single person. The highest profile device to be announced so far is without doubt the Nintendo 3DS, due for launch in early 2011 and featuring a 3.53-inch display, but the developers of these small displays readily admit that scaling to larger sizes for a living room environment presents a significant technical challenge.