By 2015 the 3D TV market will eat 50 million TV sets

We have previously discussed the fact that 3D TVs do not really seem to rise up to consumers’ expectations. 3D TVs are expensive, the glasses look geeky and the content is pretty restrictive. The overall impression is that, while the gimmick works and makes for a fun experience, the price is much too steep for what you’re getting.

Be that as it may, some analysts are pretty optimistic about the 3D TV market. ABI Research is one such analyst.

They forecast a continuous and homogeneous increase in 3D TVs. Their forecasting model claims that by 2015, close to 50 million 3D TV sets will have been deployed worldwide. If you look at their graph, it is pretty obvious that they expect the big consumers to be North America, Western Europe and Asia Pacific. Everybody else is lagging behind by a mile.

ABI Research for 2015

While 3D movies and sports programming prove to be less potent, there is big room for improvement in the gaming section. Both Xbox and PS3 support 3D viewing, and gamers usually enjoy benefitting from the best in new technology.

DisplaySearch is another optimistic analyst. While their estimate only reaches 2014, they expect some 42.5 million 3D TV sets to be delivered throughout 2014 (close to 35,000 per month).

So there you have it. You might not fully appreciate it now, but with continuing innovation, falling prices and enough content, 3D will slowly but surely become the new HD.