Cannabis Headquarters - 3D TV Is Homing In On You

The majority of Europe will be watching 3D television at home in five years, leading researchers have told Sky News Online.
Experts at Sony Professional predict, by 2014, half of all sets sold will be compatible with the new technology the company is developing.

Electronics rival Panasonic has already stolen a march, showcasing its new 3D TV in Japan this week ahead of a launch next year.

After false dawns in the 1950s and 1980s, the industry insists 3D is finally ready to break through into mainstream broadcasting.

Morgan David, director of Sony Professional's research and development base in Europe, said interest in the technology had "boomed" in the last 12 months.

Hollywood has ploughed money into 3D filming, reflecting a 30-fold increase in recent 3D flicks in cinemas.

Disney has Toy Story 3 and Alice in Wonderland in the final stages of production and the imminent release of James Cameron's long-awaited 3D film Avatar has the industry very excited.

Stereo sounded pretty wacky when everybody first heard it, but the quality was obvious as soon as you switched back to mono. Good 3D will be quite naturalistic, you will actually forget it as a consumer.

Morgan David, Sony
TV broadcasters in Europe have trialed 3D filming in recent months.

Special cameras were employed during matches at the Six Nations and the French Open, as well as during a Keane concert.

"3D is going to happen," Mr David said. "Japan have a dedicated 3D transmission service already launched and Europe will follow."

British Sky Broadcasting, which owns Sky News, has announced plans to launch its first 3D channel in 2010.

And Mr David said the transfer from cinema to the small screen would "deliver a quality experience".
He predicted the difference between 3D and the current 2D television output would reflect the breakthrough in audio from mono to stereo sound.

"Stereo sounded pretty wacky when everybody first heard it, but the quality was obvious as soon as you switched back to mono," he said.

"Good 3D will be quite naturalistic, you will actually forget it as a consumer."

He said the strength of the content will always remain the key, rather than the 3D effects.

A stigma still surrounds the use of 3D glasses, despite advancements from the old red and green flimsy cinema offerings.

Sony believes in the coming years technology will have developed to view the format without the need for special specs.

But Mr David insisted the quality of 3D production would mean wearing glasses "won't be a barrier to watching 3D at home".