If you watched the recent blockbuster Avatar and liked its 3D effects, you can now have the same experience sitting at home.
Japanese electronic giant Panasonic has said it will market 3D TVs Wednesday in the United States, and for this, it has joined hands with Best Buy, America’s leading electronics retailer. Together, they will let customers try out the technology at special displays in hundreds of stores.
What’s more, the TV company is offering the new product, 3D VT25 plasma HDTV, at nearly half the price. A 50-inch model, which will include Blu-Ray player and 3D glasses, will sell for about $2,500, according to reports. The price is roughly $2,000 less than its price in Japan. With the huge discount, the company hopes to reach its target of selling 1 million 3D TVs this fiscal year.
Public interest in 3D viewing has been in focus following the recent releases in theaters of such films as Avatar, Up and the very recent Alice In Wonderland.
The new product launch is seen as Panasonic’s strategy to reverse losses at its television operation, which was in the red last year and is forecast to incur a loss for the current fiscal year ending March 31. The company also hopes to revive demand for its plasma displays with its 3-D models. Plasma, which is better suited for 3-D due to its faster response, has lost ground in recent years to liquid crystal displays.
Unlike past 3-D technology, which used color filters to create the 3-D effect, the latest models use battery-operated glasses that open and shutter rapidly to allow for high-definition 3-D images.
This year, Samsung Electronics Co., LG Electronics Inc. and Sony Corp., the world’s three largest television brands, are also targeting the 3-D market with new televisions.
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