THE 3D JACKPOT

The warning signals are out and they do not bode well for 3D TV or 3D film makers.

Having already invested billions, electronics manufacturers, production companies and Hollywood are bracing for a win or lose jackpot.

But what’s at the end of the rainbow may very likely turn out to be fools gold.

A report by the Financial Times yesterday pointed to a nervous set at Hollywood as many of the 3D releases simply flopped. The hype of Avatar, Alice in Wonderland and Clash of the Titans did not spill over to releases like Cats and Dogs which was panned by critics.

Overlooking the constraints of consumer spending in an economic downturn, 3D movie releases demand a 50% premium over 2D ticket prices. What are they thinking?

Short term vision has blurred reality as greed set in. 3D is a dimension looking for an audience that exists for the short term ….. until the novelty wears off.

And while Hollywood sits on the edge of their theater seat, companies the likes of LG, Sony and Samsung dove into the third dimension with huge investments in hardware.

Gizmodo reports that the sale of 3D TV units in Japan are not up to par. One year into marketing the units, prices are down by 20% and sales are not nearly predictive of a viable market. Yet the manufacturers are blindly predicting "millions of sets" will be sold in the coming year.

Say it often enough and you might come to believe it's true!

IDo believe in 3D, I DO believe in 3D, I DO believe in 3D ......

PREDICTING FLOPS - 3DTV

Several months ago we commented on the lemming effect of television manufacturers running over the 3DTV cliff. Not withstanding the expense, the need to wear glasses (and have extra pairs around for guests), and the cost of the glasses we predicted (and still do) the loss of hundreds of millions by companies the likes of Sony, Samsung and LG among others.

Major motion picture directors and movie critics panned 3D as a "waste of a dimension".

Today, a Japanese consumer survey may have hammered the first nail in the coffin.

Here are the results and a partial lift from website VG247 ....

Sony is preparing to stake its case for 3D gaming at Develop in Brighton this month, despite a Japanese survey today showing that nearly 70 percent of those questioned have no intention of upgrading to 3D TVs this year. Why? Because the glasses are turning them off.

Respondents blamed the need for wear glasses, costly TV sets and scarcity of general content for lack of interest, the survey by Kakaku.com showed (via Reuters).

The numbers aren’t small, either: 70 percent said the hassle of wearing special glasses put them off, 57 percent said prices were too high and close to 40 percent said there was not enough 3D content.

Of those questioned, 67.4 percent said they were not interested in buying a 3D TV while only 31.2 percent were considering or wanted to purchase one, the survey said.

The online survey ran June 10-16, receiving responses from 8,957 people.

Gaming firms such as Sony and EA pushed 3D titles in their E3 press conferences this year, with Sony in particular making big efforts to evangelise the fledgling feature.

Sony continues western 3D push

Unperturbed by the news from Japan, however, Sony said today it’s to showcase PS3 3D at Develop later this month.

Enough said.

SAMSUNG SINGING SONY'S SONG

Samsung, Sony and LG are in the throws of a cut-throat battle for the lead position on the introduction and launch of 3DTV sets in the U.S. market.

In a brilliant (or lucky) move by Samsung's ad agency, Leo Burnett, , they secured the rights to the music track that will likely become the hit song of the summer of 2010, running the catchy and addictive tune across the Samsung product line.

The song? Soul Sister by the artist Train. If you don't recall the title, watch and/or listen to one of the commercials, the music video or the music widget below.

Here's the rub. The song and the artist fall under the Sony Music Columbia record label. So.... why would Samsung allow its agency to subsidize the royalty coffers of its nemesis and continue to create buzz around the song through the summer?

While this isn't the first time Samsung has teamed up with Sony for the launch of new products (the launch of LCD sets was a cooperative effort), was this an "ooops" by Leo Burnett or just a smart move?

And, was (is) Samsung aware?