James Delahunty
10 Mar 2010 7:57
Sony Corp. and Samsung Electronics have announced plans to introduce 3D televisions in the coming months. Both companies are betting that 3D televisions will increase revenues as more high-profile titles such as Alice in Wonderland and Avatar hit theaters. Sony also plans to release 3D game titles for the PlayStation 3 (PS3) console in time for its 3D launch in June.
Panasonic Corp., the world's fourth largest flat-panel television maker, has teamed up with Best Buy in the United States to promote its line-up of 3D televisions. Best Buy stores will set up viewing areas for customers to sample the 3D TVs, and Panasonic has an ambitious goal of selling 500,000 units in the fiscal year starting April.
Samsung, the industry leader, will sell 46-inch and 55-inch 3D televisions (LCD) in the United States this month, and will add more models to its line-up over the coming months. "It will likely be ardent game players who will first buy 3D TVs as an early adopter," said analyst Alex Oh of Hanwha Securities in Seoul.
"In that sense, Sony, which is envisioning a comprehensive entertainment company, will take advantage of its game business, contents and movies, compared with Samsung and LG, which remain focused on hardware." Analysts warn however that the large number of consumers that bought HDTVs in the past couple of years are very unlikely to invest in 3D any time soon.