US, Japan to drive 3D content demand: Futuresource

By 2012, more than 10% of US and Japanese households will be 3D enabled, analyst Futuresource Consulting concluded in a recent report titled Strategic Impact of 3D.

“Our analysis points to the emergence of two distinct phases as we move through the diffusion curve,” stated Jim Bottoms, managing director of Corporate Development at Futuresource.

“Currently, we’re easing into the preparatory phase, which will stretch out to 2011. Here we’ll see 3D movies primarily being made for theatrical release and the continued rollout of 3D digital cinema. TV manufacturers will start to roll out multi-format ‘3D-Ready’ sets and glasses from 2010, VoD delivery systems will begin to include limited 3D movie, concert and sport content, and the market for 3D PC games will continue to develop.”

Bottoms added that permeation phase will kick in from 2011, where “among other initiatives, we’ll see new 3D movie releases on Blu-ray, remasters of classic blockbusters like Star Wars, The Matrix and The Lord of the Rings, a wider range of 3D TV content for sports, wildlife documentaries and concerts, and studios introducing selective production of 3D TV shows and series”.

“By 2012, more than 10% of US and Japanese homes will be ‘3D enabled’, and Western Europe won’t be too far behind, with 6% household penetration. Moving forward, a new generation of videogame consoles will begin to emerge, fully embracing 3D technologies, and in the long term we’ll see the industry shift to autostereoscopic (no glasses) displays,” Bottoms added.

Futuresource also recently held a three-day seminar in the UK to discuss some of the key technologies that will drive digital content in the future.