According to new data from NPD DisplayResearch released last week, shipments of 3D high definition televisions rose to 6.6 million units by the end of September 2011. This constitutes a 27 percent increase over the previous year. The research firm also expects that shipments will shoot up another 30 percent in the fourth quarter and 3D LCD TV market penetration will hit 10 percent of the U.S. market by the end of 2011. That will bring the total number of 3D televisions in U.S. homes to 21.5 million. NPD also predicts that regular high definition television sales will make up less than 80 percent of the market by the end of 2012. Television manufacturers are also producing fewer 2D models and attempting to drive the price down on 3D panels.
Sales of 3D-capable projectors shot up by 121 percent in the third quarter and now account for more than 16 percent of the home theater projector install base in the United States according to a report from Quixel Research. The company also expects that over half of all projectors released in the United States will be 3D-capable by the end of the next year. While 3D projector sales have grown consistently over the first nine months of 2011, 2D projector sales have fallen by approximately 20 percent.
While people are apparently purchasing 3D televisions and projectors, the amount of 3D content available to consumers is still limited to a handful of channels on most cable and satellite providers. According to a Retrevo study conducted earlier this month, 40 percent of respondents were concerned about the amount of movies and television shows available in 3D. Over half of the group wasn’t interested in paying more money for a #D-capable television and the average cost of upgrading to 3D was around $400 during the last two months. In addition, only a third of the group had made plans to purchase a 3DTV during 2012.
