3D is supposedly the “next big thing” in films, gaming and TV, so it probably shouldn’t surprise anyone that it’s being pushed very strongly by the big broadcasting companies. You don’t seem to be able to watch a sporting event anymore without being told “now in amazing 3D!” The problem isn’t that 3D TVs are so expensive – although they are, and it isn’t even that the glasses can cost upwards of $100. The main issue with 3D TV is that a lot of people see it as just another way to make money out of the consumer with a pointless upgrade.

My only experience of 3D TV is in a local TV shop, and I wasn’t that impressed. The 3D seems to have the effect of making things appear very small, and I’m sure I’d get headaches after watching it for long periods of time. I know a lot of people suffer from motion sickness with any sort of 3D effect over a long period of time, and I think that may be a real problem with all sorts of 3D devices.

Another problem is that TV can often be a social experience. It ruins any social interaction having ridiculous looking glasses – and if you want a lot of people to watch the TV at once you’ll need glasses for everyone.

It will be interesting to see how 3D TV fairs over the next few years. Will it be something that lots of people adopt, or will it be another failed experiment that fades away? It seems like a lot of big companies have a lot of money invested in it, so it’ll be around for a while at least. I can’t see me or anyone in my family getting one in the near future though.