3D TV won't be mainstream for 20 years

It will be 15-20 years before 3D TV becomes a mainstream consumer technology, according to Bob Hannent of electronics company Humax.

Speaking at a Westminster forum debate on the future of television technology, the chief technologist for the company, which manufactures Freeview, Freesat set-top boxes and PVRs, asked: “Do people really care about 3D TV? I have met people at this forum who are not that excited about the technology.”

With the main thrust of the forum debate focusing on 3D TV, it was acknowledged that despite more content being available and companies such as Sony and LG bringing 3D-enabled devices to market now, the high price of these electronics will put them out of reach for main stream audiences.

Paul Gray, director of DisplaySearch, also pointed to the slow take up of high-definition (HD) TV. He said acceptance of this technology needs to grow before 3D TV can become a serious reality for consumers.

“3D TV is reliant on high-definition technology but the take up of HD TV in Europe is still relatively low. In the UK only around three million households have an HD set,” he said

One thing all the delegates were clear about, however, was there would be no format war.

“It’s not going to be a Betamax, VHS battle or Blu-ray and HD DVD war. There is no format war. Everyone wants a format war because it is more dramatic but it won’t happen. This is just media hype,” said Brian Lenz of BSkyB.

As well as the debate over the future of 3D TV, delegates also heard about the growth in television sets that can take content straight from the internet.

The growth in web-enabled sets is expected to reach 90 per cent by 2014, according to Daniel Simons, senior analyst for research company Screen Digest.

He said many deals were being made between manufacturers and content providers such as Sky to offer services through these TVs.

But he warned that not all content will be available on every internet enabled TV.

“Will the consumer have to choose between different devices because of different services and content?” he asked.

Although some of the technologies discussed will become reality while others will not, one clear message emerged from the forum debate. Television technology and services are changing rapidly.