by Jordan Green

Created on: March 21, 2010   Last Updated: March 23, 2010

Flashing lightning-quick reflexes, you stretch out your arms as a football soars through the air and barely misses your outstretched arms.  It was a great effort, but you dropped the popcorn while attempting to make the fabulous catch.  And there's another problem.  You're not on the football field.  Instead,  you're sitting on your living room couch experiencing the new realistic 3D television broadcast on ESPN. 

Actually, 3D television is not lifelike enough to induce a full-fledged leap off your couch,  but it is authentic enough to make you flinch.  3D will no longer be the strange, science-fiction phenomenon of the fast.  Companies like ESPN, DIRECTV and FOX are working together to bring 3D to your living room.

Will 3D really revamp the television industry and impact the average user?  Two factors will keep a majority of viewers from swapping their current TV out for a new unit that broadcasts in 3D.  First of all, the cost to switch will prohibit many people from making the transition.  As an example, the Samsung 55" 3D LED-LCD HDTV is listed at $2969.99 at Best Buy.  Viewers who recently upgrade and bought expensive HDTVs may not be willing to pay another $3000 for a new gizmo. 

There is another reason that most users will wait several years to make their change to 3D.  Because the new technology is still very young, very few channels will be immediately available.  ESPN will devote a sports channel to 3D and other networks plan to add 3D channels.  But the content is still extremely limited.  Without an abundance of content being broadcast in 3D, it's not worth the cost.  In several years, as networks compete and competitors improve quality and increase content, a 3D TV will be worth the price. 

The Orlando Sentinel describes the technological advances of recent years and discusses the future: 

"Once the stuff of cheesy graphics and paper glasses, 3D technology is on the precipice of changing the way we watch sports on television.  ESPN will launch a 3D channel in June, set to broadcast 85 live events, including the World Cup and BCS national championship game.  Fox is also working with DIRECTV to produce its 2010 MLB All-Star game in 3D. 

Nobody expects huge television audiences or a stampede to buy new 3D TV sets as the technology crawls out of its infancy.  But 3D is not a gimmick that is going away, either, leaving many to wonder just how big an impact the technology will have..." 

3D television is a growing, changing market still in it's infancy.  Viewers are not yet being impacted by the cutting-edge technology of 3D, but competitors are hard at work to make an impact on TV audiences.  A 3D TV is not yet worth the price for the average consumer, but keep an eye peeled.  In several years, as networks compete and competitors improve quality and increase content, a 3D TV will be worth the price.  New improvements and updates will appear on the horizon, redefining the entertainment world.

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