David Berkoqitz/Flickr
I try to be open minded about how people spend their money. It’s not mine, after all. But after reading a story in yesterday’s newspaper about Panasonic and Samsung to begin selling 3D TVs this week, I am so $(#*@! frustrated.
Why does anyone need to watch TV in 3D?
It costs $500 more than a comparable set. There’s almost nothing to watch in 3D right now. (Sports will be some of the first 3D programming.) And you have to wear bulky glasses that require batteries. Batteries! If you don’t have on the special glasses, everything looks fuzzy.
America, this is not what you need to be spending your money on right now. How about paying off credit card debt? Or even – gasp – contributing to your 401k?
I’ve seen movies in 3D and it’s awesome. But I’m content to experience 3D at the movie theater. Not that I am the target consumer for 3D TVs. I watch about 17 minutes of TV a week and see roughly four movies a year. But even if you are a huge TV and movie buff, is having a 3D TV really going to improve your life? Make you happy? Dissolve all your woes?
No.
Regular TV is good enough for me. Who’s with me?
March 11th, 2010 at 5:17 pm
I’m with you, BB! 3D TV is just about getting consumers to buy a new TV. Never mind that the content is still as lame as ever. There is nothing.. NOTHING.. on TV that is improved by being 3D. In a way, it’s just a scam.
March 11th, 2010 at 5:21 pm
I am guessing there is going to be a big draw for them *ahem* “gentlemen’s” market. :/
March 11th, 2010 at 5:22 pm
I am guessing there is going to be a big draw for the *ahem* “gentlemen’s” market. :/
March 11th, 2010 at 7:09 pm
Dear BB Very disappointed in you. You have not been elected to be the Czar of how others spend their money on what or where. We look to you tell those of us who want to know, the best ways to use or save our money. Watching 17 minutes of TV or 4 movies a year does not quailfy you to decide about the value of 3D TV. Anyone who can not find good content on TV to watch, has lost their remote.
March 11th, 2010 at 7:34 pm
3D TV is just another attempt at the technological evolution of consumer electronics. Hot on the heels of the uber success of Avatar and Alice In Wonderland, manufacturers are trying to capitalize on the small screen market. I’m not saying it’s good technology or if it’ll even be a success. Look at Beta tapes. It lost to VHS. HD DVD was a no-go when Blu-Ray was given the green light as the HD standard for manufacturers. Only a few years ago, the flat wall-mountable TVs that are ubiquitous today used to cost as much as a used car. Now, 50″ plasmas are being sold under $1,000. Closeout models, and there are many, sell for even less. So, will 3D TVs be the next techno evolutionary standard in American households. Maybe. Like any new technology, it’ll take time for programming to become available in the format and the cost of the sets to come down from the stratosphere. Maybe it’ll be like HD DVD and die a quiet death. One thing’s for sure. TVs haven’t finished evolving yet. I have heard of Internet ready TV sets which sounds pretty cool to me. That could become the new standard in several years. Or, it too, will die a quiet death. Somewhere, at some manufacturer’s R&D facility, someone is trying to think up the next big thing. Maybe smellivision. Maybe motion controlled chairs will mimic the movement that you see on the screen like they have at the amusement parks to give you that 4D sensation. Or maybe, the next audio/video sensation will be high-definition holograms like you see in Star Trek: TNG. Imagine a room filled with microscopic holo-emitters and acoustic speakers. You step into it and are instantly enveloped into 360-degree, 6-axis, interactive total sensory immersion (TSI) experience. Then, imagine paying for it.
March 12th, 2010 at 6:14 pm
I have to admit to also believing that I am not the arbiter of how people spend their money. I will not buy one, but I also feel that movies are a waste of money – and I don’t feel that you are a horrible person for going to the movies.
If I want something, I save my money and buy it. The things that I have in my house fit only my family’s priorities – and I imagine that you might be disgusted with the amount of video game equipment I have here.
This world would be a better place if there was a measure of “to each his own.”
March 12th, 2010 at 9:55 pm
They sold a lot of new TVs when everyone had to switch to digital. Now they are trying to come up with some other reason to convince people to buy a new television set. I don’t think it will take off. Seems like most people are only going to want to wear glasses like that for a special time in the movie theater, but not to sit on the couch and watch television at home.
March 15th, 2010 at 10:40 am
I’m right there with you. I love 3D movies. I saw Avatar in 3D, and it was wicked amazing. But I can’t see how anybody would want to spent an extra $500 on a TV that’s not even all-inclusive. It’s going to end up taking all the fun away from 3D.
March 17th, 2010 at 10:02 am
I have to say, that I could not agree with you in 100%, but it’s just my opinion, which could be wrong.
April 6th, 2010 at 12:30 pm
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