While brands are all gung-ho on the technology, cheaper and relevant content is still some time away from reaching all 3D-enabled devices....
When 41-year-old Girish Mane, a Mumbai-based advocate, went shopping for a TV at an electronics store, the first thing he noticed was almost every gadget brandished a 3D feature.
“Console games, flat panel TVs, cameras, laptops, mobile phones — 3D was a feature that singularly dominated every shelf, and does so at any electronics store today,” he says. Mane eventually ended up with a 40-inch LED TV from Samsung, even though the sales staff tried hard to sell him a 46-inch Samsung 3D LED TV for Rs 1,29,000.
“I just couldn’t justify the price of a 3D TV with the kind of content available for viewing. I think it’s best to wait till the technology matures and we have more 3D content at affordable prices,” reckons Mane.
But for Rivita Chawla, an amateur photographer, the 3D feature was a welcome experience in digital cameras. “A chance visit to an electronics store while holidaying in Singapore introduced me to Fuji’s 3D digital camera. The Fuji FinePix Real 3D W1 dual 10 megapixel camera is the first of a new breed of cameras with two separate CCD sensors (essentially, two eyes) that can capture 3D as well as 2D images,” she says. Chawla bought the 3D camera and is now looking for a 3D-enabled laptop to show off her photographs.
Enough options, already
Well, she need not look too far — India’s own PC maker HCL has already unveiled the HCL Me Xite M85 3D-ready notebook. This is a heavy-duty laptop powered by an Intel Core i7 processor. It sports a 15.6-inch 3D display and the trackpad supports swipe and multi-finger gestures. The HCL Xite m85 is expected to cost Rs 55,000 plus taxes.
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“We know that higher prices for 3D gadgets remain an issue for most Indian buyers, but our internal survey tells us 3D notebooks will appeal to technology enthusiasts and serious gamers or creative professionals,” claims Rajendra Kumar, executive vice-president, HCL Infosystems.
Likewise, Alex Huang, country manager (systems business), Asus India, informs: “Like all new technology offerings, 3D still has its own premium. Till quite recently, it was still seen as a fad. But with the 3D TVs launched by every major manufacturer, it’s obvious that 3D is here to stay.”
Post Avatar, a blockbuster 3D movie in 2009, many enterprises saw the importance of 3D technology and diverted their attention to developing existing products with 3D technology. The most popular product is the 3D display — whether a giant movie theatre or LCD, with use of optical eyeglasses.
Meanwhile, handset brands like Spice are already pushing the technology into mobile phones and, it is hoped, similar mobile devices can popularise the feature among the masses. The company has launched View D, a 3D display mobile phone, for Rs 4,299.
“We expect View D will become popular among the youth, as they are always looking for smarter and newer ways of communication,” says Kunal Ahooja, CEO & director, Spice Mobiles. The View D’s screen is designed in such a way that the user can toggle between 2D and 3D user interfaces, with the press of a single button.
In fact, a report from DisplaySearch predicts that the largest screen size category for 3D display shipments (globally) will be one to four inches, due to demand from mobile phone and digital camera and camcorders.
Cost still a factor
Consumer sentiments, however, tell a different story. Having spent the last two months using a Panasonic 3D TV, Sanchit Gaekwad, a Pune-based jeweller and gems exporter, admits he is truly baffled about the potential of 3D TVs.
“Since no broadcaster gives 3D content, I have to purchase my own 3D content in the form of DVDs, which is an added cost. Also, since the TV can be viewed only with a pair of 3D glasses, I cannot invite my friends over for group viewing as it is way too costly to buy 3D glasses over and above what I got free with the TV purchase,” he notes.
While 3D TV sets – ranging in size from 46 to 65 inches – are available from brands like Samsung, LG, Panasonic, Sony and Phillips, among others — high prices and contradictory views from analysts and manufacturers indicate a confused future for 3D technology in India.
“3D TVs are yet to arrive in India in a big way,” declares a Deloitte report, even as Samsung, LG and Panasonic maintain that 3D TVs are “already a big hit among” consumers.
Ganesh Ramamoorthy, principal research analyst, Gartner, feels: “The key challenge is to get 3D hardware into homes as sales depend on how brands can get people excited about buying new equipment at premium prices.” He believes it would be a good 12-14 months before Indian consumers would start opting for 3D features.
“There’s no doubt that when 3D takes off, it will be TVs that will be the biggest crowd-puller as against the other smaller devices that cannot give an immersive 3D visual experience,” he says.
Growing phenomenon, but...
Nvidia, a leading graphic card chip maker, has also joined the bandwagon to position 3D within the reach of technology enthusiasts and has collaborated with such leading consumer technology brands as Acer, Alienware, Asus, BenQ, Dell, Fuji, HCL, Panasonic, Samsung, Sony and ViewSonic.
“The opportunity that lies untapped in India is huge. For instance, the Indian movie industry is just waking up to the potential of 3D. We are keen on working with Indian studios and content creators to provide them with the necessary technology support,” says Nishant Goyal, head of sales (south Asia), Nvidia, who is also working with companies like Cyberlink to convert 2D movies and content into 3D.
Goyal adds that more than 475 PC games are ready to be played on 3D. “And there are cameras available from Sony, Panasonic, Fuji, etc that give the content creation power to consumers — not just to create but capture the whole environment and enjoy them in 3D.”
Blu-ray players too are expected to play a big role in the 3D revolution. “Already, prices of Blu-ray players seem to have dropped enough to start replacing DVD players by default. The arrival of 3D models could extend the disc format’s relevance,” points out Ramamoorthy of Gartner.
International film studio Disney has already announced that they will have a 3D version of A Christmas Carol out by year-end and DreamWorks & Samsung are working with Technicolor to replicate content in 3D.
But see what Deloitte analysts have to say: “3D may just be the next trend over the coming years if the pricing is right and content availability picks up. 3D games are popular on LCD TV and this could be an important aspect of entry and growth of newer technologies in 3D TV. However, the pricing will define the success or stagnation of this technology.”
In other words, it’s better to wait and watch as 3D content evolves.