What's that? Toshiba has introduced a 3-D television you can watch without those goofy glasses? Cue the hyperbole!
"A dream TV is now a reality. It's obviously more natural to watch TV without glasses. That is the natural technological progression," The New York Times quotes Masaaki Oosumi, president of Toshiba's visual products group, at a press event yesterday.
Oosumi demonstrated two glasses-free 3-D TVs for journalists. Each model uses a special screen to pull together nine images into a single frame, The Times reports. Pricing varies from $1,440 for the 12-inch model to $2,880 for the 20-inch set.
Just another morsel in a 3-D media meal
The obvious winner here is IMAX
But let's also not forget the studios. Walt Disney
Retailers should also be pleased. Best Buy
Even so, Toshiba's new sets are just morsels in a 3-D media feeding frenzy. Late last month, Lucasfilm announced a planned rerelease of the entire Star Wars saga in 3-D, beginning with The Phantom Menace in 2012. The long tail of just this one event could stretch more than a decade.
With all that, you'd think a tech investor like me would be all-in on 3-D. I'm not. Luxury technology has a place in the home, sure, but between Blu-ray and set-top boxes, many consumers have already upgraded their living rooms. My guess is the glasses-free 3-D TV concept -- cool though it sounds -- is at least five years away from mass adoption.
Now it's your turn to weigh in. Will you buy a glasses-free 3-D TV when it becomes available? Please vote in the poll below and then leave a comment to explain your thinking. And don't forget to check back to see how your peers are voting.