The ascent of 3D? (2)

Know before you buy

If Ren is right in predicting that traditional televisions are destined to be replaced, that day may not come soon. As a budding aspect of entertainment in China, 3D television shows are facing a couple of hurdles.

First, in order to watch a 3D program, you need three things: a compatible television, a high-definition digital Set-Top Box (STB) that can receive a 3D signal, and a pair of 3D glasses.

Second, at the moment there are two different types of 3D televisions on the Chinese market: active shutter 3D and polarization 3D, and each type requires its own kind of glasses. A pair of active shutter 3D glasses provides much more realistic images, but they sometimes create unwanted flashes and come at a higher price. Polarization 3D glasses are cheaper, but the image quality is lower.

In addition, not all shows are better in 3D. Tang Wenjie, an engineer living in Beijing, told the Global Times that he recently bought a 3D television, and the first program he watched on CCTV 3D was a cooking show.

"It is really not that helpful to see a technique-teaching program like a cooking show in 3D," said Tang, not forgetting to make a joke. "Cooking is as difficult to learn in 3D as it is in 2D."

The uncertain future

As early as March, 2011, people.com.cn published an article stating that 3D technology represents the future of television. According to the report, "the birth of 3D televisions is a product of the merging of people's visual demands and technological developments."

The report also mentioned that 3D television's current status is very similar to that of liquid crystal (LC) television around 2004. Despite LC technology's rocky start, it eventually replaced cathode ray tube technology, which had been around since the beginning of television.

However, some experts hold the opposite opinion.

Hong Shibin, an industrial economics critic, believes 3D television is only a transitional product that will have the same fate as VCD and rear-projection television. In its essence, Hong said, 3D only adds a new visual effect to traditional television, without any novel technical innovation or added functions.

Hong's idea is supported by home appliance marketing consultant Luo Qingqi.

Like Hong, Luo believes that advances in overall technology, like the budding development of 3D holographic images that appear without the aid of a screen, would be more meaningful than changes to visual effects produced by flat screens.

Both Hong and Luo predicted that in the coming years we will see a surge in the popularity of 3D televisions, but that it will be fueled by marketing tactics used by companies to sell as many products as possible to a trusting population. The two encouraged customers to think twice before buying a 3D television.