CES: Panasonic Exec Sees 3D HD As The Next Big Thing

Will consumers really be willing to put on a pair of 3D glass to watch TV? As I reported a few days ago , Panasonic (PC) made the case for 3D television in a press conference at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. In an interview on Friday with Tech Trader Daily , Yoshi Yamada , CEO of Panasonic’s North American arm, asserted that 3D could be the third great leap in the history of television, ranking with the move to color from black and white and the switch to flat-panels from cathode ray tubes. Yamada sees 3D as a way to amp up consumer excitement about television, and contends that 3D high-def televisions are “just around the corner,” with a target of 2010 for the introduction of the first commercially available 3D capable televisions. That seems ridiculously optimistic; as Yamada notes, the industry still has to agree to a standard for 3D broadcasts; he says Panasonic is holding talks with the Blu-Ray trade group and others, but concedes that there are a ... (link)