Whilst it's certain that 3D TV will become mainstream one day it's nothing but a novelty now. 2010 was undoubtedly the year of 3D with companies likes Sky, LG and Virgin throwing their weight behind the technology. Sky in particular did some stunning work with 3D, offering Champions League football in the third dimension as well as some cool nature documentaries. But it will take much more work for the general public to accept the technology with open arms. As I've said before, many people don't have HD yet, a new TV is just not an affordable object in this financial climate.
Informa Telecoms and Media senior analyst Adam Thomas has said that: "Public reaction has been mixed - due to both a lack of content and a simple failure of the public to engage with what is, essentially, a new type of viewing experience."
According to the Informa Telecoms and Media report, it will take until 2016 for 3D to hit it big. By then there should be around 11 million households with a 3DTV, however the forecast predicts that less than half will actually watch 3D programming compared to the 90% of current 3D TV owners who are regular 3D program viewers.
Maybe even 2016 is too earlier. The problem is a catch-22 where consumers are put off due to the lack of 3D content and television networks are reluctant to invest in 3D programming because there isn’t enough consumer interest. But then, things move fast in the tech world and the solution could be simple.