Most Consumers Find 3D Better Than 2D TV: Panasonic Study

A number of reports over the past few months have questioned whether 3DTV technology has been embraced as eagerly by the public as television makers had been hoping. However, a recent study has indicated that most consumers believe that 3D TV provides a far more satisfying viewing experience than regular 2D TV.

Most consumers find 3D better than 2D TV

The survey was carried out by independent market research firm Frank N. Magid Associates on behalf of Japanese consumer electronics manufacturer Panasonic. According to researchers involved in the study, the vast majority of consumers who were surveyed said that their viewing experience was significantly improved with 3-dimensional TVs.

Eisuke Tsuyuzaki, Panasonic Corporation of North America’s Chief Technology Officer, said that the company always maintained that consumers would quickly realise the benefits of 3D television once they had experienced it, much in the same way as they did with HDTV.

The study involved interviewing more than five hundred attendees at the Disney’s D23 Expo at the Official Disney Fan Club in Anaheim, which was where the face-to-face surveys were carried out. A massive 99% of respondents who had seen 3D TV said that it was “somewhat better” than standard 2D TV. An impressive 71% of those polled described the extra-dimensional viewing experience as being “dramatically better” than traditional 2D television.

Mike Vorhaus, President of Magid Advisors, which is part of Frank N. Magid Associates, said that the responses are very positive and encouraging. He said that it is obvious that consumers “like what they see” when it comes to 3D TV, and that their responses are similar to those that were seen with HDTV when it was considered a new technology.

3D technology has managed to get off to a relatively quick start, as there are a number of full-time 3D channels available via satellite and cable just a year after the technology was launched. Keen to establish itself as a leader in this field, Panasonic has poured a lot of resources into almost every aspect of the 3D video chain, ranging from source capture (3D-capable camcorders and Lumix digital cameras) and 3D Blu-ray authoring/ mastering (Panasonic Hollywood Labaratory) to end-user display in the form of full HD 3D TV sets such as the Viera VT30 series.