MANUFACTURERS OF 3D TV

 
3D TV and movie technology has made huge advances over the last year, with a list of the major 3D TV manufacturers reading like a who's who of the giants in the TV industry. Names such as Panasonic, Sony, and Samsung - plus a handful of others - will be well known to pretty much anybody that's ever bought or considered buying one of the new 3D TVs or 3D Blu Ray players. All of these have advanced plans to be included in a list of the top 3D TV manufacturers for many years ahead.

Surprisingly as it may seem, 3D technology isn't new. In fact, the first 3D content in the form of 3D movies first appeared as early as 1922. However, the fusion of technology and art form has come a long way from disposable cardboard 3D glasses, red and blue lenses, and fuzzy, gimmicky images.

Films in 3D gained popularity throughout the 1950s and 60s, but in the 1980s they started to fade away from public view. In the past few years, however, they've seen a resurgence thanks in no small part to an almost re-invention of the technology for the filming of the blockbuster Avatar. Once Avatar proved that the appetite for 3D wasn't gone but only sleeping, more movies such as Alice in Wonderland and Clash of the Titans gained release dates.

However, 3D isn't just for the movie theater anymore. The 3D TV manufacturers see the newly revived medium as the next great leap in home entertainment. This makes sense because once these new 3D films make their way to DVD and Blu-Ray, many home viewers are likely to want to replicate the experience they had in movie theaters. Following hot on the heels of the HDTV wave, every major manufacturer has jumped headlong into the 3DTV market. Clearly, they're betting that the move to 3D will be as lucrative a transition the switch from black-and-white TVs to full color.

Panasonic is one of the 3D TV manufacturers hoping to snag a big chunk of the 3D pie. The company is the largest manufacturer of plasma 3D TV models in the industry. They seem to have an early advantage, since adapting plasma sets to accommodate 3D has a lower cost than other manufacturing methods, plus plasma sets are generally recognised to give slighly higher 3D imaging quality than their counterpart the LCD 3D TV. Thus they're already seizing a large part of the 3D revolution with a revered range of models ranging in size.

Samsung is another 3D TV maker vying for a piece of the action as well. The line of 3D TVs had a successful start in 2010, and not just in plasma form either. Samsung also created LED and LCD versions of their 3D TV sets, offering customers a wide selection of both products and prices.

Another company set to make a dent in the 3DTV market is LG Electronics. They're also boasting the first full LED 3DTV on the market. Available in screen sizes between 47 and 55 inches, their unique combination of LEDs behind an LCD produces an incredibly clear 3D image.

There's still another contender for the 3D throne, and that's Sony Corp. Possibly the biggest of the 3D TV manufacturers. Sony rolled out their own 3D TVs in June 2010. They've successfully integrated 3D technology into their popular �Bravia� line of televisions, with plans to add the tech to other products in the near future. Sony isn't just after TV either. They're tackling 3D from all sides, with plans for 3D Blu-Ray players, laptops and have even issued a software update to the  Playstation PS3 to render it capable of playing 3D games. They've even brokered partnerships for 3D content from a few 3D TV networks which won't do their sales prospects any harm.

Finally, there's Toshiba, which has taken into account the fact that there just isn't much 3D in TV broadcasting arena yet. To compensate for the lack of direct 3D content, Toshiba has created a TV that can convert 2D into 3D on the fly. Available in either 55 or 65 inches, this TV can make even the weather report an eye-popping 3D experience. This 2D to 3D conversion capability is also seen in the Samsung sets, and is a bonus for anyone seeing the lack of 3D content as an obstacle to their choice whether to buy a 3D TV or not at this stage.
It has taken nearly 90 years for the public to warm up to 3D TV technology in film and television. Or, more accurately, it has taken almost a century for the technology to catch up to what audiences want from their 3D content. Now that it has, though, the world is set for an explosion of three-dimensional excitement. Just over a handful of 3D TV manufacturers are betting on this next wave right now, but it's likely that many more will join the race in the next few years.

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