There is quite a buzz in the consumer electronics industry around 3-D televisions. Just by looking at the commercials airing now, you would think that 3-D television is the new standard. Is buying a 3-D television now the right decision? Acoustic Designs wants to offer practical advice around this hot subject.

There is no question that watching 3-D programming on a 3-D enabled television is a ‘cool’ experience. Playing 3-D games on a 3-D television perhaps is even ‘cooler’. However, television manufactures are clearly ahead of the content curve and they are selling their premium 3-D televisions at an even more premium price. It’s not uncommon to pay a 20% premium on a 3-D version of the same television model for the added feature.

Let’s go back to the year 2005. The big rage in the television industry was High-Definition (HD) technology. And the best HD devices offered a resolution of 1080P (still, the highest level of resolution available). However, there was very little 1080P content to speak of and the televisions and projectors offering 1080P were nearly 2X the price of a HD television only offering 1080i (or 720P) resolutions. Fast forward to the present day, and now nearly all of the televisions available offer 1080P resolutions and there is much more content available at this resolution.

3-D technology is at a similar place to that of the 1080P resolution standard. It’s still early days for 3-D in the home. If you decide you must have a 3-D capable TV, just know that you will pay a higher premium and there is not that much available content offered in 3-D. Other drawbacks to consider:

• • 3-D televisions require special and often proprietary glasses to view 3-D programming in 3-D. Most of the time, these televisions come with a single pair of glasses and the additional pairs come at a price tag of up to $200. You could be looking at an additional $800 if you have a family of four.
  • There could be health concerns related to watching 3-D programming. There are scattered reports of dizziness and nausea and for those that suffer from epilepsy, there could be a concern when watching this level of programming. Samsung is considering placing a health warning on their 3-D televisions that explain the potential dangers.
  • 3-D television technology today is not a future-proof investment. Recently unveiled at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas in January of 2011 were 3-D televisions that did not require glasses to watch 3-D programming, almost giving a holographic type of effect.  This technology however, is not yet available to the consumer.   Without knowing if 3-D content will actually occupy a significant portion of content in the near future (our bet is that it won’t), there could be dramatic changes in the 3-D television landscape yet to come.

The conservative approach is of course to be patient and wait to see how the 3-D technology plays out in the market-place.  However, if you are considered to be at the bleeding edge of high-tech, than go have fun with a brand-new 3-D television that can impress your friends and family!

If you are in the market for any HD television (3-D or not), Acoustic Designs would be happy to discuss the best options based on your budget and configuration.  Buying a TV is no longer just an exercise of going down to the store, buying it, and plugging it in.  Cable management, surround sound, wall mounting, control without adding yet another remote are all things to consider.