The consumer electronics industry hopes that the next big trend in the world of television will be 3D viewing. So far, however, the mood among potential buyers has been muted. James Cameron's blockbuster movie Avatar drew millions to cinemas around the globe to watch his fantasy on the big screen and created a new euphoria around 3D technology.
However, the excitement caused by Avatar has so far failed to spill over into the area of domestic 3D television with potential customers remaining cautious.
Germany's Federal Association for Information Technology Telecommunications and New Media (Bitkom) estimates that one in five households will have a 3D television set by 2015. That figure adds up to a total of 8 million units, but industry sources in the country say that sales since March total just 53,000 sets.
Watching a 3D film on a television still requires the user to wear special glasses with manufacturers as a rule settling for liquid crystal shutter technology.
Each eye's glass contains a liquid crystal layer which has the property of becoming dark when voltage is applied. The glasses are controlled by a transmitter that allows the glasses to alternately darken over one eye, and then the other, in synchronisation with the refresh rate of the screen.
Meanwhile, the display alternately displays different perspectives for each eye, which sees only the image intended for it. The TV picture is noticeably darker as a result of the shutter glasses while contrast and colour also suffer.
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