Only a few days ago, I was hopping on a plane to go to IFA 2013, not knowing what to expect. After all, that was my first IFA ever (I know, shame on me!) and although I’ve been to countless CES over the years, all shows have their own little special thing and I was really looking forward to going to Berlin to discover this one. The first reports I’d read on IFA were all talking about the same thing: 4K TVs and Samsung’s smart watch. Nothing on 3D: zip, zero, nada! So I must admit I was a little anxious to see what was going on and if 3D was still around. When I stepped into the Messe Berlin on September 17th, I was ready for everything, or so I thought!
IT’S ALIVE!
First, the great news for all 3D lovers: 3D is still very much alive. All manufacturers support 3D on various TV models and I have seen a LOT of 3DTVs out there. In one way, this is fantastic news for 3D and bodes very well for its future in the home. However, 3D is no longer the main feature promoted by most CE manufacturers. In other words, many manufacturers no longer use 3D to upsell their TVs. They see 3D as a checkmark feature, not the main selling feature. Remember when everybody was talking about high refresh rates (120Hz,240Hz, 480Hz)? Or the fights about the best contrast ratio in the industry? Thin bezels? Slim design? LED backlighting? All these things created a big buzz at some point in time but quickly and quietly became the norm. They did not disappear, just became de-facto standards and the buzz didn’t last. For many manufacturers, that’s what 3D has become. This year, the buzz at IFA was indeed all about 4K and OLED TVs and all the CE manufacturers’ booths featured them prominently. 3DTVs? Not so much. If I had been a journalist touring the show, 4K and OLED are probably what I would have highlighted as well. But in NO WAY does that mean that 3D has disappeared.
A FRAGMENTED 3D MARKET
There were some manufacturers however that did not marginalize 3D at all. The most notable (dare I say flamboyant ?) of them was undeniably LG with its incredible 3D demos ranging from a wall of 3DTVs to 4K 3D gaming and my favorite, 3D curved OLED! When I said I was prepared for almost everything, 3D OLED was the clear exception I had in mind. I was blown away by that demo, literally. I have seen a lot of 3D in my life from theatre projectors, TVs, prototype displays, etc. Nothing came even close to the perfectly calibrated, bright, colorful and lifelike LG OLED 3DTV demo. I don’t know if they’ll find a way to productize this and bring the productions costs down to get in to market but if they ever do, I’ll be in line to buy the first one! No wonder they won so many awards at the show but strangely, I didn’t read ANYTHING about this product before I saw it at the show. I’m already looking forward to CES to see it again.
LG's showcase at IFA 2013
Toshiba also had a very compelling demo of 4K 3D in their booth. They were presenting trailers of “Gravity” and The Hobbit: Smaug’s Desolation” in 4K using passive glasses. The great thing about 4K passive 3D displays is that the pixel pitch is so small, you cannot perceive any vertical resolution artifact coming from the 3D panel. Another great proof that 4K complements 3D, it does not replace it! Actually, I believe that all 4K TVs shown on the IFA show floor were 3D compatible. Sony was also showing some 3D on the floor with their new head mounted display (virtual reality goggles) and so did Hisense, a China based CE manufacturer.
One thing that struck me with all these 3D demos was how much of a crowd pleaser 3D truly is. While the show floor was rather busy, people were buzzing around and moving carelessly from one demo to the next. But everywhere there was a 3D demo, groups formed, lineups appeared and people stood there for minutes, watching the entire thing, sometimes more than once. From the first demos we did to friends and family in the early days of SENSIO to this IFA show, that fact has always remained true. When done right, 3D is just a great experience that most people love.
While not demonstrating and promoting 3D, other manufacturers were definitely supporting it. Most of Panasonic’s mid to high-end TVs were 3D compatible and clearly presented as such. Loewe, a high-end German TV manufacturer boasted that 100% of their TV’s are 3D compatible. Sharp also had a lineup of 3DTVs and so did TCL. The biggest absent on this list is Samsung which totally downplayed 3D in their booth. This is somewhat surprising coming from the world leader in 3DTV in terms of market share. When asked, Samsung representatives on the floor did however mention that their TV’s were 3D capable. Samsung and LG’s very opposite positions and approach on 3D has some very interesting history to it but that will be the subject of a different blog entry...
3D’S PLACE IN THE TV MARKET
From the demonstrations that I’ve seen and the continued support by most manufacturers, I remain very optimistic about 3D’s future in the marketplace. Now that people’s expectations have settled down, the true business case for 3D is slowly but surely rising to the surface. From my conversations with CE manufacturers, it’s obvious that they were disappointed with the initial sales of 3DTVs. But they remain committed to 3D as they recognize its value and potential, at least for a segment of the market. They realize that 3D broadcast is dead (well, more like in a coma) but that lessons can be learned from the successes of 3D services provided by BSkyB, Sky Italia, Virgin and others worldwide which have strong, happy and very loyal subscribers. They still believe that people who go see a 3D movie in the theatres will want to have access to the same experience in the home as long as it’s offered the right way and that 3D in the home will begin as an every-once-in-a-while experience. It will be a favorite 3D movie shared with your family or a unique 3D sporting event shared with your friend.
With initiatives like 3DGO!, we have demonstrated that connectivity (smart TVs) is not in opposition to 3D but that they work best when combined. Demos at IFA have convinced me that the same goes for 4K and OLED. They really take 3D to the next level and I can’t wait for them to come to market! IFA was an eye-opener for me and I believe that it is now up to those of us in the 3D industry to work hand-in-hand with CE manufacturers to bring 3D back to center stage by creating a compelling 3D offering to customers. This upcoming CES promises to be very exciting and I certainly hope 3D will be part of that excitement. I sure will do my best to make it so and so will all of us at SENSIO!