Archive for March, 2011

Many industry folks are currently lamenting the slow uptake of 3D by the general public. They look at the sluggish sales of 3D plasma TVs this past Christmas and conclude that 3D must be doomed in the home market.  Nothing could be further from the truth.

The fact is that the marketing in general of 3D  in general has been abominable, especially in the US. Is it any surprise that sales of 3D TVs are lagging when there is little to no quality programming to fill those screens?

Content is king. It’s why VHS and DVD succeeded in the home – and it’s why 3D will ultimately succeed for the same reason.

What the manufacturers should be doing is not so much pushing this 3D plasma or that 3D camera. What’s most critical now is to sow the seeds of new and vibrant 3D community, particularly among young filmmakers and energized content creators in our nation’s colleges and universities. It is in our nation’s schools and in the universities and film schools overseas where the real strides will be made as students apply their natural God-given enthusiasm to 3D and create of programs of grace and lasting beauty.

I’m seeing this first-hand in India, and there’s no reason the same effort at community-building couldn’t be happening in other  countries.

After this past year of missteps and poorly conceived marketing the major manufacturers are slowing waking up to the fact that 3D cannot be marketed as just another camera format or latest generation TV technology. This approach that worked so well for HD and the latest cameras like the Sony EX and Panasonic HVX will not work this time, as the past year has certainly proved the point.

Let’s build the 3D community first – in our schools, corporations and in our communities – and soon the public will follow. Then maybe – if the manufacturers play their SDHC cards right – a few sales of TVs, cameras and all the rest might follow after that. 🙂