Friday, January 7, 2011

CES '11, Day 2: 3D is No. 1...But Can It Last?


The following post is from Axiom's own Dave Sniadak, who is down in Las Vegas to be a part of the Consumer Electronics Show.

As predicted, the big announcements at CES today surrounded the flurry of new tablets and Smart Home technology (for instance, a refrigerator that tells you when you need to restock groceries). But the thing that struck me was just how many CE companies are hedging their bets on 3D technology.

I got the opportunity to take a look at two companies in particular. First of all, JVC rolled out a new consumer 3D camcorder, and the image quality is actually quite striking. They don't offer any super-elaborate glasses to view their 3D content, just the standard clunky ones that make you look like Drew Carey. However, the 3D products themselves are still pretty amazing, and as a video guy, I wouldn't mind getting my hands on one of these cameras.

Panasonic is also betting big on 3D technology and had a booth stadium that featured about 200 3D screens running simultaneous content. Overwhelming? That was an understatement.

But does a heavy investment by manufacturers mean consumers are going to buy into this technology? I said this last year, and I'll say it again: until manufacturers can create 3D products that don't require glasses (and a second mortgage to get all the gear), only a fraction of the general population can afford these products.

So, while 2011 offers some spectacular sights and sounds (trust me, it's absolutely amazing here) it's still a lot of hype, with little tangible substance for you and me.