3D or not 3D?

The news that the CES, the Blu-ray Disc Association, Panasonic, Dolby, Quantel and the Toblerone Appreciation Society are setting up 3D task forces to decide how we will watch 3D TV at home will be a comfort for the average consumer.

Just as the 'HD-ready' tag on flat screens indicated to eager shoppers that 720p would give them the ultimate in picture quality, the sight of a self-adhesive sticker proclaiming '3D Ready' will mean customers can spend their money without having to worry about future developments. Of course, it could take a couple of years to solve all the problems, but it's clear that 3D is going to come along 'real soon now'. Having a plasma display with a sticker on it will mean you'll be one of the first on the block to show off that immersive experience to all your friends. Why, I'll bet you won't even need glasses...

Or maybe not. OK, so we've all seen 3D in the cinema, digitally projected and with good quality glasses, but the images in Bolt or Coraline or UP! are not likely to be matched in the home for a while. Especially if you're hoping to make do without glasses. The technical problems are far from solved for broadcast 3D transmission, despite what the PR departments are saying and while Blu-ray is theoretically able to deliver the frame and data rates that are needed, there is one crucial problem to solve.

There are no official standards for 3D TV. And anyone who thinks that an industry trade association is going to solve that problem has never had to deal with the DVD Forum. The lack of standards led to the HD DVD vs Blu-ray battle (not to mention China HD, HD VMD or any other acronym that consumers have been asked to buy). How many camcorder 'standards' are out there now and does anyone know the difference?

Wool cannot be pulled over consumers' eyes forever, as those who bought future-proof Digital Terrestrial Television receivers will tell you. The concept of 3D Ready displays is way too early for the consumer market and should not be allowed to escape from the marketing department; at least until a viable 3D system has left R&D. There's already a backlash from consumers who paid good money for HD-Ready screens that can't display 1080p, from DTT viewers whose future-proof digital box had a life of less than two years, or from HD DVD owners who can no longer buy blank media.

The industry has to fess up and say "We don't yet have a viable 3D system for the home, until we do, enjoy the magic of the cinema." One day, not too far off, Blu-ray will undoubtedly be the key to 3D, but when it arrives, the display technology is more likely to be projection than LCD, Plasma or OLED. And owners of the Philips 3D screens that didn't need glasses can peel off their stickers today - the product line has been discontinued.

Oh, by the way, it turns out that the Toblerone Appreciation Society is concerned about three-sided chocolate bars and not three-dimensional images. Must learn not to trust everything the search engine throws up...