3D TV IS DEAD

NO NEW HARDWARE IS BEING BUILT

THE LAST TWO BIG PLAYERS making 3D TVs— LG and Sony—are to drop their support with this year’s models. The format is dead, for the mass market at least. Lack of content was obvious; there was very little broadcast 3D, and even that has now stopped. Enthusiasm from consumers dropped off sharply, and the TV people’s attention has shifted to HDR and 4K. 3D content will live on, but only through VR.

3D TVs came on the back of 3D movies, which appeared in sporadic waves since the 1950s, each powered by new technology. The first wave lasted just three years, and the revivals fared little better. The current dalliance with 3D movies has at least attracted some big budget titles, but there are signs that this is fading, too. The odds are that 3D will return at some point, probably using yet another technology, but for now you had better start hoarding those 3D Blu-rays if you want any use out of your 3D TV.