CES 2012: The Year 3D Lost Its Pop

It’s the time of year again when companies from around the globe gather at CES in Las Vegas to show off their shiny new gadgets. Each year User Centric sends consultants to CES to spot the trending technologies and get hands on time before these new products land on store shelves. After seeing the market bank on 3DTV’s at CES in 2011, we conducted a small-scale survey to identify consumer attitudes toward 3D. What we found counters unexpectedly strong 3DTVs sales, however the results do explain the changing approach taken by 3DTV manufactures at CES this year. Larger, more affordable televisions with staggering high resolutions, OLED screens and Sony’s new Crystal LED were the stars of the show. Sure, 3D was there but it was no longer a major selling point.

PREDICTION: Due to lacking consumer interest, 3D will shift from flashy top line, to back of the box bullet point in 2012.

The Survey

Overall, User Centric found that there was very little interest in 3DTVs. Of 231 respondents, very few (1.3%) owned a 3DTV at the time of polling. When asked how likely they would be to purchase a 3DTV for their next television purchase, the majority (68%) responded that they were not likely purchase a 3DTV or were unsure about whether to purchase one. Of those not likely to purchase a 3DTV, a quarter (24%) reported that they were waiting for the technology to be further developed and another quarter (24%) reported that they did not see a need for 3DTV or did not care about the technology. A third (34%) either did not want to wear the 3D glasses or did not want to have to purchase 3D glasses. These reservations represent significant barriers to mainstream adoption.

When asked how they would use a 3DTV if they owned one, participants reported that they would be most interested in accessing movies (29%) if they owned a 3DTV. Sports, animated TV/movies, and video games were also of interest (20%, 19%, and 16%, respectively). Regular TV programming including primetime, reality TV and news was much less popular. This limited scope of media which respondents felt would benefit from 3D demonstrates that 3D does not have the same perceived impact that, say, the move to HD content did.

When asked about interest in 3D photos and video, about half (55%) reported that they would be interested in taking both 3D photos and 3D video. Participants listed a number of situations in which they would want to take pictures or video in 3D, including when with friends and family, at sporting events, during vacations, and at various events.

So what happens to 3DTV in 2012?

Despite mixed reception last year, CES 2012 showed us that 3D is here to stay. With steadily growing libraries of content and pending technological advances such as glasses-less 3D, it is likely that 3DTV’s will continue to creep into our lives. The notable observation is that 3D is no longer being sold as the primary feature; it has been pushed to a secondary one. As pointed out in 3DTV sales rise, but do owners care about the third dimension?  Don Reisinger wrote for CNET that better than expected sales of 3DTVs are likely attributable to aggressive pricing and the dwindling number of new sets that do not include 3D functionality, rather than increased enthusiasm for the technology.

Takeaway

There is great potential for improvement in the 3DTV space going forward. A larger install base will lead to more content which better utilizes the effect and perhaps better justifies the need. As the technology becomes standardized across the industry, consumers will also become more comfortable making a purchasing decision and less fearful of buying into another quickly abandoned technology. Furthermore if glasses-less TV pans out, the biggest complaint about 3DTV may go away. Look forward to a brighter future for 3D, even if its role is more complimentary.

Blog contributor: Heather Coffin