Panasonic 3DTV December 2009

3DTV is the hottest development in television since TV moved from black and white to colour. 3DTV is certainly making headlines, with Sky announcing that it will be broadcasting 3D content next year, and major TV manufacturers promising the imminent release of 3D capable TVs to the market.

TV maker Panasonic has also leapt on the 3DTV bandwagon. And, in order to give consumers a taste of its vision of 3DTV, Panasonic has been touring the country with a mobile 3D theatre. Which? researchers caught up with the TV manufacturing giant at the Westfield shopping centre in Hammersmith, London to take a look at Panasonic's 3DTV offering for itself.

 

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Panasonic's Tony Scott says that Panasonic will be launching 3DTVs next year with screens measuring 50-inches and above - and that he expected more and more studios to be shooting in 3D. Blu-ray discs that can support 3D films are predicted in the near future, so there should be a growing library of accessible content to view on these new 3DTVs.

3DTV content

Michael Briggs, Which? TV expert, was taken by the positive response of the Westfield customers who sat through the ten minute demonstration that featured F1 racing, football, clips from the Beijing 2008 Olympics and a preview of the forthcoming 3D film, Avatar.

Briggs agreed that the interest seems to suggest that 3DTV will catch on, however he expects the high cost of the initial 3DTVs will mean that any initial uptake could prove a slow burn.

For reviews of 2DTVs, including all the latest LCD and plasma models, check out our lab-based, in-depth TV reviews.

CES 2010

Other major TV manufacturers, including Sony, have slated 2010 as the date of release for the first 3D capable TVs on sale for to shoppers. We expect to hear and see lots of new developments on the 3DTV front at the CES 2010 show in Las Vegas, so make sure you keep an eye out for more news.

Watch the Which? first look video of Sky's 3DTV broadcasting.