Within four years, 50 percent of U.S. homes will own a 3D-Ready TV, and the adoption of 3D–Ready Blu-ray players won't be far behind -- with one out of every three U.S. homes owning one, according to the latest market study by Futuresource Consulting.
"Our research shows an imminent upsurge in the adoption of 3D-capable High Definition (HD) and Blu-ray hardware, now strengthened by a clearly defined 3D roadmap," says Jim Bottoms, Director at Futuresource.
Futuresource expects that a high percentage of Blu-ray players will ship with 3D capability next year, and within a few years it will probably be difficult to buy an HD video disc player without 3D.
Hunger for 3D content will also be driven by owners of PS3 consoles who will be able to play 3D Blu-ray content via a firmware upgrade. For those consumers not yet convinced by the HD experience, 3D will be a highly persuasive reason to upgrade.
Combine this with other premium features -- such as connected TV and Entertainment Database Browsing -- which allows users to browse actor and production information, and consumers in the early-adopter and early majority segments will begin to upgrade fairly quickly.
"With a number of leading hardware brands all vying to carve out an early position in the 3D TV and BD market, 3D Ready TVs and players will seed the 3D market in much the same way as the HD market was primed five years ago, says John Bird, a leading strategy analyst at Futuresource.
By 2015 they expect the majority of TVs available will be 3D-Ready and the normal replacement cycle will result in a good proportion of households in the U.S., Japan and Europe having a 3D-capable display.
Bird says that there's a feeling of excitement surrounding 3D at Futuresource, and they believe the new unified approach will translate into commercial success within the course of the next few years.
