Sony, Panasonic and others introduced a wave of 3-D High Definition televisions back in January. Now Sony is launching a marketing blitz to try to get you to buy one. Sure, if you loved Avatar in 3-D in theatres, the idea of being able to watch everything in 3-D might be appealing.
There are plenty of reasons not to buy in just yet. To start off with, there's no 3-D programming yet. ESPN is planning an all-3-D sports channel, but it won't launch until June, and the company is only committing to the format for 1 year.
While there are 3-D movies available, very few are available in the format supported by Sony and its 3-D Blueray player. Most are still in the old stereoscopic format that uses paper gogglesm not the fancy new ones.
When the programming does arrive, you'll need lots of those fancy goggles—a pair for every viewer. And they will cost as much as $150 a pair:
"The glasses go for a premium — around $150 — which means it's costly, for example, to have a few people over for a party, unless it's 'bring your own compatible spectacles,' " said Ross Rubin, an analyst for NPD Group, a market research firm.
There are alternative technologies that will allow you to watch 3-D without glasses (at least, if you sit in the right spot). Philips and LG are preparing televisions that use lenticular sheets, like those on those 3-D post cards. The downside: these can also make you seasick.
