So far at IFA I’ve seen a Sony press conference in 3D, which launched cameras, laptops and pushed screens and shutter glasses, I’ve seen Samsung talk 3D, and right now, writing this, I’m sat in one of the many 3D cinema booths in the Sharp exhibition space, doing a bad job of pretending to watch a demo video whilst piggybacking on the Wi-fi.
But for all this talk of 3D, there’s been almost no mention of the swathes of the population who can’t see 3D, and all the children who are under six who, it is recommended, should not be watching 3D, or the real lack of content to play on 3D ready devices.
The stats from the Eyecare Trust say that around six million people in the UK can’t see 3D because of poor binocular vision, and when the PS3 added 3D capabilities, it came with a warning about consulting a doctor before letting your child use 3D. Compared to blindness, this is enormous. In 2008 just over 150,000 were registered blind in the UK.
It makes me wonder whether anyone will ever talk about it. Of all the people in the room at press conferences, has anyone asked about this, or has the question got old and been brushed aside already? Perhaps the most sense has come from Epson, who’ve said this IFA, that they won’t be announcing a 3D projector, because it’s not time yet. The market isn’t ready, so they’ll be holding off, thanks.
Epson are right – it doesn’t seem many people are ready to have a 3D TV as their next TV, and why should they be? There’s not really much that’s very good in terms of content to watch. An Amazon search for 3D Blu-ray brings up 70 results, and most of those titles are IMAX-style 3D films – under the sea and Grand Canyon films.
Of course, the tech companies pushing 3D have to have 3D technologies, as it’s in their interests to be forward thinking companies, but the degree to which it’s being touted as having arrived, seems far removed from the time scale we’re currently looking at for large scale consumer uptake.
I’d like to think that there’ll eventually be a way to watch the same screen in 3D and 2D simultaneously, but if there is, then it’s on the other side of the 3D spike. Right now, we’re climbing up a slope to a tipping point, and it might take until we’re coming down the other side, or climbing up the next slope, for manufacturers to start thinking about getting 3D and 2D in their tellys simultaneously.
There’s already been patents filed by Sony for screens that show multiple channels at once, and filter each channel with active shutter glasses so that you can be watching Hollyoaks, a football match and Gok Wan all at the same time, however unsavoury that combination might seem.
IFA has been dominated by tablets and 3D, and maybe in 12 months I’ll be eating my words, but widespread 3D uptake seems a long way off yet.
