Panasonic and Samsung Hustle to Advertise 3D TV

We have gone to great pains in making you aware of 3-D TVs, and the technological revolution that, manufacturers claim, they will foment upon their release. After having the opportunity to peruse various companies’ offerings at CES this January, we were candid with you in our ambivalence, and our opinion holds firm four months later. It’s reckless, if not impossible, to endorse or reject a technology in such a fetal stage. While we pundits urge caution, though, manufacturers are busy pushing for consumption.

According to a recent overview by the New York Times, manufacturers like Panasonic and Samsung are both hustling to configure marketing and advertising campaigns. In order to promote their respective 3-D TV lines, Panasonic has dispatched 18-wheelers equipped with 3-D demo stations, LG has been airing 30-second commercials for its 3D-capable Infinia line, and Samsung has shelled out $100 million for promotion, some of which has gone to a 30-second commercial shot with the same technology used in ‘Avatar.’

For our part, we’d much rather see quality content than flashy commercials, and, until we get the former, we’ll be holding on to our money. We’d rather be considered late to the party than write a $3,000 check so that we can watch the same copy of ‘Shrek 2: 3-D’ over and over again.

New 3D TVs by Samsung Launched – Available In Canada This Month

Early adopters can buy a new 3D TV by the end of the month, Samsung said Wednesday, although it remains to be seen how many consumers will be willing to pay a premium for a technology in its infancy.

Samsung is the first major manufacturer to announce plans to launch the new technology in Canada and will sell five LED models of 3D TVs starting on March 26. LED TVs are thinner and more energy efficient than the LCD and plasma models most consumers are familiar with, Samsung says.

The first wave of TVs range in size from 40 to 55 inches and in price from $2,500 to $4,000.

About a week after the LED launch, Samsung will start selling 3D plasmas, including a 50″ for $2,400 and a 63″ for $4,100. By May, Samsung expects to have two 3D LCD models on the market, a 46″ for $1,900 and a 55″ for $2,800.

But the costs go up from there. Samsung’s 3D glasses retail for as much as $250 a piece, plus consumers need a 3D-compatible Blu-ray player (Samsung’s is $400) and a new cable.

Despite the costly initial outlay, Samsung’s director of marketing for consumer electronics says he’s confident about the products’ launch.

“Our original expectation was that this would be a fairly modest launch, just because the retail price points we were talking about … generally makes it a smaller market,” said Robert Gumiela.

“But the response we’ve received from our retailers, the orders we’ve received, have greatly exceeded our expectations and I think a lot of that has been based upon (retailers’) communication with their own customers and clientele saying, ‘This is what I want.”‘

While the lack of 3D content currently available is another challenge for TV manufacturers – Future Shop and Best Buy currently only offer two 3D Blu-ray titles, “My Bloody Valentine 3D” for $35 and “Under the Sea 3D” for $38 – Gumiela said the Samsung TV’s can convert any image into a 3D version.

“It won’t be the same quality as a native 3D-authored Blu-ray image but we’ve demonstrated it and it is a very exciting visual impact,” he said.

Future Shop said it’s also optimistic that consumers are eager to buy 3D products.

“I think it’s going to be a pretty broad spectrum of customers who will ultimately buy these things, they are ultimately at a higher price point but we’ve got to remember these TVs are in their own right premium televisions, they’re top of the line TVs,” said Eric Stockner, director of home theatre merchandising.

He expects prices will come down as more competition hits the market. He said a few more models, made by different manufacturers, should be in stores by June.

Sony was the first major manufacturer to announce its global plans for 3D TV but has only set June as a target date for the sale of units in Japan. A Sony spokeswoman could only say that the 3D TVs will be available in Canada sometime this summer.

Panasonic announced a partnership with Best Buy to start selling its 3D TVs in the United States starting Wednesday. No Canadian plans have been revealed.

As far as TV broadcasters jumping on the 3D bandwagon, Gumiela isn’t too optimistic due to technical limitations.

The amount of bandwidth needed to transmit a high-definition 3D signal into the home is “virtually impossible to do at this time until a new compression architecture is developed,” he said.

David Purdy, vice-president of Rogers Communications (TSX:RCI.B), is more confident that 3D programming can be beamed into home but concedes it’ll only be in “half-resolution” and not full HD to start.

Purdy said he’s been following 3D technology for about three years and is a believer.

“We don’t have specific timing yet although we absolutely want to make sure our customers get the latest and greatest television entertainment products as soon as they come on the market,” he said.

“I believe 3D is going to revolutionize the way people watch movies and sports at home, it’s going to be a really compelling experience … and I think customers are going to be blown away.”

ShoWest Is a Hot Spot for 3D Technology

ShoWest is the most prestigious and longest running convention and trade show for the cinema exhibition and distribution community. Cinema Exhibition professionals come to ShoWest for exciting film screenings of major studio and independent feature films slated for Summer release as well as product reel presentations, exciting special events with Hollywood’s hottest stars, educational seminars and to find the latest products, services and technologies at the largest trade show of its kind.

ShoWest/NATO Marketing Achievement Awards

In the cinema exhibition industry, on the theatre level, the hardest working individuals are the managers and their staff who work tirelessly to market everything from big blockbuster films to smaller, independent films in order to attract audiences to their theatres. These innovative managers employ tactics ranging from newspaper advertising to web promotions to community events to in-theatre displays and everything in between. That’s why, ShoWest and NATO are proud to announce that they are once again partnering to bring you the ShoWest/NATO Marketing Achievement Awards – a big, celebratory event that singles out the creative marketing geniuses and their superstar teams across the nation that represent the “best of the best” in a variety of categories. This brochure contains information on the awards categories, eligibility requirements, as well as the entry form. This is your chance to be recognized and rewarded for your Herculean efforts. Be sure to enter by the deadline of Friday, January 15, 2010.

We’ve provided a shortlist of exhibitors that pertain to new technology that will be showcasing their products at this year’s event.

GDC Technology

GDC Technology’s SX-2000 Digital Cinema Server with Integrated Media Block (IMB) can be seamlessly integrated into DLP Cinema® Series 2 projectors. It retains all the advanced features and user interface of GDC’s existing SA-2100 servers, Seamless upgrade (or migration) path is provided, with no need to retrain customers on the usage of the servers and the same workflow in managing 2K and 4K content. Customers can afford a new digital projection solution that is future-proof based on Texas Instruments’ Enhanced DLP Cinema technology.

Harkness Screens

Harkness Screens announces the Digital Screen Selector, a Web-based application available at no charge to help maximize the return on exhibitors’ digital-cinema investments. It works by using actual operating data to specify the optimal screen surface to reduce 2D operating costs, as well as to optimize both 2D and 3D light levels.

Hurley Screens

Hurley Screen Corp. is now producing a higher-gain option for Superglo HG screen material. In addition to their standard Superglo 1.5 and Superglo HG 1.8, Superglo HG 2.1 is available for immediate delivery. Superglo HG 2.1 is ideal for large screens in 3D systems where pearlescent screens can be employed. Like all of Hurley Screen’s gain screen surfaces, Superglo HG 2.1 is manufactured using an advanced printed finish for a significantly more even projection surface than commonly used spray-on screen surfaces.

JBL

JBL introduces two new Ultra High Power 4-Way ScreenArray® Systems, the model 5742 and the 5732. The new large-format 5742 ScreenArray features a 4” titanium-diaphragm high-frequency compression driver providing 125 watts of power coupled with a quad midrange with four 8” CMCD™ cone midrange compression drivers, providing 1,400 watts of smooth midrange coverage. The low-frequency section features double 18” Super Vented Gap™ low-frequency drivers, with over 1600 watts for high output power with minimum distortion. The 5742 is the ideal sound system to complement the large-format 3D visual experience.

The new 5732 Four-Way ScreenArray also employs the 4” 125-watt high-frequency driver, with a 700-watt dual 8” CCMD midrange section, coupled with a double 15” low-frequency section featuring 1,200 watts of low-frequency power. The 5732 provides significant power in a compact system for the headroom required in post-production venues and cinemas worldwide.

Kinoton

At booth 1617, Kinoton will present the new generation of DCP digital-cinema projectors, utilizing components supplied by Barco, a licensee of Texas Instruments’ DLP Cinema® technology. These “Series 2” DCP projectors comply with the latest security standards and offer excellent brightness at a lower cost and with a smaller footprint. They feature full-resolution 2K triple-flash technology for brilliant 3D cinema. Moreover, the new DCP projectors can be upgraded to 4K projection and are prepared for incorporating an Integrated Media Block (IMB).

Look 3D Eyewear

Look3D announces that RealD has officially certified its complete 2010 Digital Designer Eyewear Collection. This catalogue is a showcase of the collections that prove digital 3D glasses can be both fashionable and functional. With fashion wraps, perfect-fitting kids’ styles and superior lens optics. Look3D has it all. Look3D strongly believes that everyone deserves to see and be seen in the best 3D glasses on the market, and that movie lovers will increasingly demand both fashion and function when attending digital 3D cinemas.

Look3D offers a number of collections at various price points, manufactured to RealD’s specific engineering specifications and carrying the RealD certification badge to ensure that quality is maintained.

Technicolor 3D

3D continues to outperform 2D by more than two to one, and studios have already announced 19 major 3D releases for 2010. With only approximately 3,800 digital 3D screens in North America, exhibitors face a challenge in meeting audience demand. Market conditions continue to delay digital rollouts, and in smaller towns the current price of digital equipment may not be cost-effective.

Technicolor has developed a next-generation, high-quality, affordable 3D solution for 35mm projectors that enables exhibitors to bring 3D to audiences everywhere now.

3-D Glasses Global

3-D Glasses Global, LLC, is introducing a new line of 3D eyeware. “EYE-D” (copyright pending) 3D eyeware features molded plastic frames and is available with either circular or linear technology lenses that are manufactured by US Polarizer LLC. 3-D Glasses Global says the lenses provide the highest “extinction rate” in the industry.

“EYE-D”s are available in red, blue, green and yellow as well as traditional black, and are compatible with all 3D projection systems, including RealD, MasterImage and Technicolor.

For complete exhibitor listings, please visit the ShoWest website.

3D Broadcasting Available From Technicolor

Technicolor has launched the first independent broadcast services platform ready to broadcast 3D channels out of its Chiswick facility in London. The company is now ready to offer a suite of services to its cable, television, and satellite network service provider clients.

Technicolor said it is able to manage live or pre-recorded content, from post production through encoding for satellite, cable, IPTV or terrestrial distribution. The company is also able to generate logos and other visual effects for 3D broadcasts. The Broadcast 3D transmission suite at Technicolor’s Chiswick Park offices features equipment from Sensio, Orad and Miranda.

“With the availability of 3D televisions, we are very excited to be the first to offer this new Broadcast 3D service to our customers,” said Chuck Parker, president of Technicolor’s Digital Content Delivery business. “Broadcast 3D is a natural extension of the many services we’re already providing, including upstream in production and post production, as well as delivering the highest quality 3D images to theatres and to the home via Blu-ray Disc, broadcast, and digital delivery.”

In addition to Broadcast 3D, the company provides a low cost and high quality film-based theatrical 3D solution, services for Blu-ray 3D, automated 3D subtitling, and auto-stereoscopic content delivery on mobile phones.

Source: CSI

Addams Family 3D Coming To a Theater Near You

According to reliable sources, Hollywood director, Tim Burton will begin work on another 3D movie. Burton, who directed Disney’s Alice in Wonderland 3D, which is a box office smash globally will direct a new 3D stop-motion animated movie based on the original The Addams Family.  The Universal Studios based film company, Illumination Entertainment, recently acquired the rights of the original cartoon drawings of the Addams Family.

If the success of the new Addams Family movie is anything like what we seen from Alice in Wonderland 3D will help pave the way for Burton to make even more 3D movies.  We look forward to seeing this movie when it comes out and will post updates regarding release dates and other relevant information as they unfold.

3D TV’s In US Sold Out In First Week

Panasonic Corp. said its 3-D TVs sold out in the U.S. in their first week, raising optimism the technology that helped “Avatar” break records at the box office will extend to living rooms and help boost profits.

The shortage is prompting the world’s largest plasma TV maker to take back-orders from retailers, Hitoshi Otsuki, the senior managing director heading Osaka-based Panasonic’s overseas operations, said in an interview yesterday in Tokyo. He declined to specify figures. “It’s a great opportunity to turn around our TV business,” he said.

TV makers are betting movies such as James Cameron’s “Avatar,” the highest-grossing film of all time, and sports events such as the 2010 FIFA World Cup will help drive demand for 3-D sets using improved technology. Still, a lack of programs and the need to use special eyewear, a reason that thwarted previous attempts to push adoption, may deter consumers.

“There are always people who want to buy high-end products,” said Kazuharu Miura, an analyst at Daiwa Securities Capital Markets Co. in Tokyo, said by phone today. “That’s probably what’s driving sales.”

Panasonic became the first major TV maker to sell 3-D sets in the U.S. when its 50-inch full high-definition plasma TV went on sale at outlets of Best Buy Co. with a pair of glasses and a 3-D Blu-ray player for $2,899.99 on March 10. Samsung Electronics Co., the world’s largest TV maker, began offering a 55-inch 3-D model there for $3,299.99 on March 14, while Sony Corp. plans to start selling 3-D Bravia TVs from June.

Unprofitable TV Operations

Samsung hasn’t yet tracked its 3-D TV shipment figures, said Hwang Eun Ju, a spokeswoman at the Suwon, South Korea-based electronics maker.

Panasonic’s TV operations had a loss of more than 10 billion yen ($111 million) in the quarter ended Dec. 31. The business may turn profitable in the year ending March 2011, President Fumio Ohtsubo said March 3.

Panasonic rose 1.7 percent to close at 1,343 yen in Tokyo trading, erasing its loss so far this year. Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 Stock Average gained 1.2 percent. Samsung advanced 4.3 percent in Seoul.

“Avatar” in January passed “Titanic” to become the top- grossing movie worldwide and has taken in $2.64 billion since its release, according to Box Office Mojo.

Box Office Winner

Walt Disney Co.’s “Alice in Wonderland,” the Lewis Carroll tale directed by Tim Burton, made $116.1 million in U.S. and Canadian ticket sales on its first weekend, the best opening for a 3-D film and the sixth-biggest debut ever, according to Hollywood.com Box-Office.

The biggest draw to 3-D for customers after the success of movies in the format “will be sport broadcasting,” Otsuki said.

TV makers are counting on 3-D broadcasts of major sporting events to stoke demand. FIFA said in December it agreed with Sony to deliver 3-D images from as many as 25 matches of this year’s soccer World Cup in South Africa.

Disney’s ESPN 3-D will start in June and broadcast 85 live events the first year, the Bristol, Connecticut-based sports network said in January. Discovery Communications Inc., Sony and Imax Corp. announced a venture at the time to introduce a 3-D channel in 2011.

‘Real’ Television

Global shipments of 3-D TVs may reach 4.2 million this year and more than triple to 12.9 million in 2011, according to El Segundo, California-based researcher ISuppli Corp. this month. Revenue from the sets may more than double to $20 billion next year, according to ISuppli.

Samsung has said it aims to sell more than 2 million 3-D TVs this year, while Panasonic expects to sell as many as one million globally in the year starting April 1. LG Electronics Inc. has said it’s targeting sales of 400,000 3-D TV sets in 2010.

“Finally we have real televisions,” Bob Perry, a U.S.- based senior vice president at Panasonic’s audio-visual products marketing unit, said in a March 10 Bloomberg Television interview. “3-D makes TV real.”

Sony, which said last week it plans to sell at least 25 million TVs in the year starting April, predicts sales of 3-D sets will probably account for about 10 percent of the total.

Glasses a Deterrent

“It will probably take a long time for 3-D TVs to expand broadly, maybe about three years” said Ichiro Michikoshi, an analyst at electronics research firm BCN Inc. in Tokyo. “There isn’t enough content and consumers dislike wearing the glasses. Those issues will take time to be solved.”

3-D material has been produced for decades without turning into an enduring success. The world’s first commercial 3-D movie was “The Power of Love” in 1922, according to the Internet Movie Database. The lack of technology and the inconvenience the audience felt while watching the films made the popularity of 3- D short-lived in the 1950s, according to Lee Seung Jin, an analyst at Tong Yang Securities Inc. in Seoul.

Samsung has said improved technologies such as enhanced glasses and better flat-panels with improved picture quality will help viewers watch 3-D TVs more comfortably.

3D Glasses For 3D TV Not Being Standardized Yet

The good news about the 3D TVs coming out this spring and summer is that they’ll come packed with two pairs of 3D lenses. The bad news? Those plastic glasses work only with the brand of TV with which they’re shipped.

That means that if you buy a Panasonic 3D TV, you can’t use the accompanying lenses with your neighbor’s Sony 3D TV, should you want to get together to watch the World Cup in 3D this summer. That’s because each TV brand has a sensor that picks up a signal from the corresponding brand of glasses.

If that seems backwards, it’s because it is. But it’s also the sign of a new technology that hasn’t yet worked out all of its kinks. Thankfully, the burgeoning 3D industry knows that this is a shortcoming and is concocting a fix.

One company that makes 3D eyewear, XpanD, has staked its claim to be the vendor of choice for brand-agnostic 3D glasses. The company has been manufacturing 3D glasses for movie theaters in Europe and Asia for years, and it is now moving to make the glasses work for people’s homes as well.

XpanD has been contracted to produce the lenses that will ship with Panasonic and Vizio’s 3D sets, but the company is also aiming more broadly: to be the provider of one pair of glasses that people buy once and use everywhere. XpanD’s glasses will be available for between $125 and $150, starting June 1 at retailers such as Best Buy and Sears.

“The goal of the glasses is to work with every (size of) 3D display, from laptops to cinema,” said Ami Dror, XpanD’s chief strategy officer.

Dror says that would include all 3D televisions using infrared to communicate between the TV and the active-shutter 3D glasses. (“Active” glasses have battery-powered shuttering to allow the eyes to see 3D images, while “passive” glasses are the polarized lenses you get at the movie theater.) All major manufacturers–such as Sony, Samsung Electronics, and Panasonic–and most 3D-capable computer monitors and laptop screens–which gamers are expected to gravitate toward–use active-shutter glasses.

Dror anticipates the glasses being for sale in theaters or in retail stores alongside 3D displays. The way he sees it, people will want the option to choose their own glasses, especially if 3D-watching parties become popular.

Besides consumers being limited in how and when they can use their 3D glasses, XpanD believes that retailers can’t be expected to stock glasses from every possible manufacturer on their shelves.

“At Best Buy, they carry 15, 20 models of TVs,” Dror said. “We can’t expect them to carry 15 types of 3D glasses. That doesn’t make sense.”

3D TV Promotions Have Begun

3D TV is moving right along with major manufacturers and retailers rolling out new offers.  Panasonic has paired up with Fox to give away the 3D Blu-ray edition of “Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs” as an incentive to buy its TVs and Blu-ray players, while Samsung will provide free copies of DreamWorks Animation’s “Monsters vs. Aliens,” followed by the “Shrek” films. Sony had already been touting its own 3D-at-home technology with “Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs.”

Companies hope that providing consumers with something they can instantly watch on new 3D TVs and Blu-ray players will entice them to pony up the thousands of dollars to buy the hardware.

Panasonic started selling its 3D TVs at Best Buy’s store in New York’s Union Square on Wednesday, bundling a 50-inch plasma TV, one pair of glasses and a 3D Blu-ray player for $2,900. The glasses alone cost $150, while the 3D TV is $2,500.

Fox won’t start offering “Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs” to Panasonic customers until April. Pic will be its first 3D release on Blu-ray. It has not yet set a release date for the 3D homevid version of “Avatar.”

Meanwhile the 3D Blu-ray version of “Monsters vs. Aliens” will be bundled with Samsung Electronics’ 46-inch set, two pairs of glasses and a 3D Blu-ray player for $3,000, also starting this week.

As a promotional tool, Samsung will have an exclusive on the 3D Blu-ray versions of all four “Shrek” movies later this year for a full year, while regular versions of the Blu-rays will be available through all retailers.

Rivals LG Electronics will introduce its 3D TVs in stores in May, while Sony will bow its hardware in June, and Vizio in August. The TV sets will be able to switch between 3D and regular 2D.

Partnerships between electronics makers and Hollywood aren’t unusual. Bundles of movies with hardware was common when DVD and Blu-ray was introduced, to get consumers to adopt the homevid formats.

Fox had already been working with Panasonic to promote movies, including “Avatar,” while DreamWorks Animation has long paired up with high-tech brands to promote its toons.

As studios release more movies in 3D in theaters, their homevideo divisions are hoping that the sale of 3D TVs will take off and help sell higher-priced 3D Blu-rays, as well, significantly boosting profit margins.

It’s expected that owners of 3D TVs will seek out other movies to view, and the bundles will remind them of other titles that are worthy of slipping on a pair of 3D glasses.

“There may be a couple of times that are considered game changers in the industry and this is that moment for home entertainment,” said Mary Daily, executive VP of marketing for Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment. “Over the last year we have seen 3D invigorate the theatrical experience and it will do the same for the living room.”

Naturally, it helps that customers are already fans of the movies being offered.

3D TV to Launch in US by DirecTV in 2010

Satellite cable provider DirecTV has a new satellite in the air, and according to HD Guru, one of the 200 new HD stations to be broadcast from it includes the first U.S. HDTV channel in 3D.

There are still some technical hurdles to clear before you’re watching zany sitcom antics flying toward you, but the trend is clear. The satellite begins full operation in March, and existing DirecTV set-top boxes will simply need a firmware upgrade to support the 3D programming. Unfortunately, you’ll still need to pick up a 3D-capable HDTV to play it back, and that’s where the market lag will play a role in determining how fast 3D will penetrate.

Although 3D content has a long history stretching all the way back to 1922 — when the first public 3D movie was displayed — a number of optics and display challenges, as well as market realities, relegated 3D to a periodic novelty for decades. With the vast majority of the technical hurdles now solved and 3D displays making steady inroads at seminal trade shows like CES over the past couple of years, 2010 is poised to be 3D’s breakout year. The emergence of a string of blockbusters like Avatar, Alice in Wonderland and more rounds out 3D’s emergence — or re-emergence — on the big screen. Soon, consumers will come to expect the same experience in their home theater as well.

Sony, Samsung, Mitsubishi, LG and other manufacturers will be showing off 3D displays at CES 2010 next week. They’ll be hoping the stars will align properly to make 2010 3D’s breakout year, and DirectTV’s news is a timely piece of that puzzle. Are you excited about 3D’s inroads to the home, or is your pocketbook still weary from the last cycle of high definition upgrades?

Corning Takes On 3D Televisions

Although most 3D glasses you can find on the market only work with the manufacturer’s own 3D TV, XpanD has now come up with their own 3D glasses that they say will work with TVs from any manufacturer, and will sell for $125 – $150.

As you probably know, various glasses manufacturers use different technologies—there’s Dolby with their RBG tech, Masterimage and RealD which both use similar polarization techniques, and then XpanD, with their LCD-based shutter system, which searches for IR signals from the TV sets.

XpanD’s Ami Dror said their X103 model of glasses will work with all manufacturers of the sets, working by interpreting the signals they give out. They’ll go on sale in June, so just in time for Sony’s sets, and will cost between $125 – $150 reportedly, as I said before. At least they’ll come in 12 different colors though? Weak comfort, I know.

XpanD does very well outside of the US, as they’ve apparently got the largest market share for cinemas in other parts of the world with their X101 glasses. RealD of course, scoops up most cinemas in the US.

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