Avatar – James Cameron’s masterpiece that won accolades from all across the globe for it’s 3D sheen and impressive use of the latest technologies has provided much more than mere entertainment. 3D technology, as we know it was rumbling at a distant corner before Avatar set its foot on earth. But after us humans got to visually relish the world of the Na’vi, we walked around like zombies chanting ‘3D..3D’.
And the electronics giants who were tentatively dipping their toes into 3D technology rubbed their palms in glee. Taking advantage of the spell cast by Avatar, almost every top TV manufacturer started unveiling TVs with 3D this and 3D that. And there cannot be a better proof for this than the CES 2010. The main hall where top electronic giants like Sony, Samsung, Panasonic and LG occupied had 3D projected out right and Panasonic even played scenes from the movie.
There are also a few who laughed off Avatar and the whole 3D wave it created. “It’ll all die down” said they. But from the looks of it, the situation is far from dying down. To put things in a better perspective or better, to determine the actual impact that Avatar caused in the industry, a survey was taken by Retrevo, a consumer electronics shopping site. Over 1250 customers were randomly selected and were questioned before and after they watched Avatar.
When asked if they knew that 3D could be experienced from home, only 39% replied in the affirmative and almost double of them (60%) said that they were aware of it after they watched the movie. The study also showed that many of the respondents were uncomfortable with the special glasses needed to experience 3D after watching Avatar. About 90% were ready to spend £15 for a pair of 3D glasses and over 50% said that they were not ready to spend more than £6 for the glasses. Ironical, as most of the high-end Active Shutter glasses showcased at CES will supposedly be sold at £18 and above.
£18 or £80, 3D is 3D. For that extra bit of visual treat, the extra cost shouldn’t be a big snag – at least for me. Imagine watching ‘Avatar Part-2: The Return of The Sky People‘ in full 3D effect with your entire family cuddled around the TV on a rainy Sunday afternoon – wouldn’t the experience be simply magical?
