3D TV Revolution

Sony, Samsung, and Panasonic are releasing a wide range of 3D TVs this year.

By Merisenda Bills | March 9, 2010

Sony, Samsung and Panasonic are expected to launch 3D TVs this year.

Over the next few months, the three companies will release a range of high-end 3D TV sets.

Sony executive Yoshihisa Ishida predicts Sony can sell 2.5 million 3D sets in 2010, and will begin a worldwide launch starting in June.

A clip of new 3D TVs and 3D glasses (Video shot by Lacey Erlich).

Samsung says it will ship 2 million 3D sets by the end of the year, and Panasonic, which will begin retailing 3D sets at Best Buy in New York tomorrow, expects to ship at least a million 3D TVs.

Below is a list of all the different sizes and models, release dates, and expected costs:

Sony

These are the prices and dates released for Japan.

LX900 series:
• 60-inch: (July, $6,500)
• 50-inch: (July, $4,800)
• 42-inch: (June, $3,900)
• 40-inch: (June, $3,200)

HX900 series:
• 52-inch: (July, $5,250)
• 46-inch: (July, $4,350)

HX800 series:
• 46-inch: (July, $3,100)
• 40-inch: (July, $2,450)

Samsung

UNC7000 series:
• 55-inch (currently available on Amazon, about $3,000)
• 46-inch model (currently available on Amazon, about $2,350)
• 40-inch (currently available at online retailers, about $1,800)

Panasonic

Panasonic reports that their 3D TVs will be nearly 50% off the Japanese prices. Japan’s Nikkei rumors the bundle price will be around $3,000, with a 50-inch TV costing $2,500 by itself.

Panasonic will release its first full HD 3D home theater system tomorrow consisting of a 50-inch 3D TV, a DMP-BDT350 Blu-ray player and active shutter glasses.

TC-PVT25 series:
• 65-inch (summer, $TBD)
• 58-inch (summer, $TBD)
• 54-inch (May/June, $TBD)
• 50-inch (May/June, $TBD)

Panasonic’s TC-PVT25 series and Sony’s LX900 series are the only sets which include a pair of 3D glasses.

Samsung has a promotional offer with Best Buy. If you buy a 3D TV and a BD-C6900 Blu-ray player, Best Buy will include a pair of glasses and “Monsters vs. Aliens” in the new 1080p 3D Blu-ray format.

For other models, people will still need to buy glasses, a 3D-ready Blu-ray player, a high-speed HDMI cable, and a HD 3D Blu-ray. Some people consider this to be an obstacle in achieving a complete 3D TV revolution.

Gartner analyst Fernando Elizalde told the BBC the success of 3D TV sets also depends on the amount of available content: “The biggest barriers to growth in 3D TV are the lack of content, the inconvenience of wearing glasses and that millions of consumers have only just upgraded to high-definition sets.”