In just a year, 3-D has gone from the cutting edge of television technology to a simple feature that will be one of several considerations for potential buyers of the 2011 models rolling into stores in the next few weeks.
Evan Ramstad tells us why Samsung and LG are waging a war of words over 3-D technology and the use of 3-D glasses, while data point to the greater issue at hand: 3-D TVs haven't sold as well as manufacturers have hoped.
But that hasn't stopped the two largest makers of TVs—Samsung Electronics Co. and LG Electronics Co., both of South Korea—from engaging in a bitter war of words over 3-D technology this month.
The dispute is over the best way to process three-dimensional images, whether to let the TV screen do it, as LG favors, or to let special viewing glasses do it, as Samsung does.
For consumers, the battle will determine whether they need to buy sets that require special glasses for about $100 a pair or simpler frames that cost about $10. But unlike previous video-industry squabbles, such as VHS versus Betamax videotapes, the outcome doesn't affect programs or the purchase of other video devices.
For the TV makers, the fight is important because they have traditionally counted on new features like 3-D to justify premium prices, which boost profits in a business with razor-thin margins.
At the end of 2009, when the movie "Avatar" gave consumers a fresh taste of 3-D technology, manufacturers hoped that 3-D TVs would sustain margins that were given a boost from the introduction of ultra-thin screens earlier that year.
Instead, consumers shied away from 3-D models, put off by the lack of 3-D content, the extra cost and the inconvenience of the glasses needed to watch such TVs. The result was an inventory glut that forced manufacturers and retailers to cut the prices of 3-D TVs, reducing the hoped-for profits.
Already, retailers in the U.S. and elsewhere have dismantled special displays and sections that highlighted 3-D TVs. As new models emerge in stores in coming weeks, 3-D will join features like Internet connections and app-style interfaces that will distinguish the most expensive TVs.
The average price of a 3-D TV in the U.S. was $2,990 in February, according to research firm IHS iSuppli. But the premium that TV manufacturers and retailers can charge for the most feature-filled TVs will be narrower this year, analysts say. "It is basically like the industry has given up on profitability to gain market share," says Riddhi Patel, video analyst at IHS iSuppli.
The division that includes TV manufacturing at Samsung had revenue of just over $50 billion last year but an operating profit margin of less than 1%. In the comparable unit at LG, the operating margin was around 2%.
Electronics retailers are also hurting from competition from online sellers and low-price chains like Costco Wholesale Corp. In the U.S., Ultimate Electronics, one of the last specialist chains, is being liquidated.
And last week, the chief executive of Best Buy Co., the largest U.S. electronics retailer, pointed to the fact that demand for 3-D TV "did not materialize as the industry had anticipated" as part of the reason for a 16% decline in quarterly profit. To help recover, a Best Buy executive said the company will boost its online offerings of TVs.
"For some part of the market, people no longer feel the need to go into the store to look at TVs," said Paul Semenza, vice president at DisplaySearch.
In such an environment, Samsung and LG are betting that the viewers' perception of 3-D technology could make a difference in sales and profits. Samsung sold 45 million TVs last year, compared with 30 million for LG. Samsung forecasts slower growth this year than LG does, a sign the gap between them will narrow.
To consumers, the chief difference between the two companies' approach to 3-D is in the glasses needed to view images. Samsung uses battery-operated glasses that flicker dozens of times a second in time with the alternating images on the screen to produce the 3-D effect. LG uses non-battery glasses to reconstruct images that are divided on the screen, the same as in movie theaters.
Samsung for months lobbied industry-standards groups to reject LG's approach as unsuitable for high-definition pictures. But the LG method was ultimately recognized as meeting high-definition standards in the U.S., Japan, China and Europe.
The dispute grew particularly tense earlier this month when a Samsung executive used an expletive in describing LG engineers to a group of Korean reporters, leading LG to threaten legal action. The Samsung executive sent an apology letter to LG this week, and LG accepted.
"It's very embarrassing that the No. 1 and No. 2 players are in this fight," said Kwon Young-soo, the chief executive of LG Display Co., a supplier of video components to LG and other manufacturers, after the expletive incident hit the Korean media.
Samsung in the past has hedged its bets on video technology, offering, for instance, videodisc machines that played both Blu-ray and HD-DVD formats. For 3-D, the company chose to concentrate on the battery-glasses approach because, a spokesman said, it "offers viewers the best combination of picture quality and viewing angle."
What the hell is up with Microsoft and their DLC delays recently? Everything keeps getting pushed back, the companies always blame Microsoft. Is it a technical thing or are they bullying for maximum profit cuts or what?
I'm too busy playing Fable 3 on the pc to even notice the DLC delays!
...oh wait.
I'm sort of angry that I'm required to purchase fake monies to buy things from more and more publishers. MS started and now Bioware is in on it too.
I was angry about this too, but so long as I can buy reasonably small amounts of monies so I have no leftover points after buying any but the most trivial DLC, I think I can live with it.
I've certainly never managed to do that. How are you accomplishing it?
Bioware funbux can be bought in $5, $7, and $10 denominations. Conveniently, the substantial DLC they've sold has been $7, $10, and $15. There's also the horse armor $2 ones, but whatever.
I don't know about other systems since I haven't had to touch them--yet.
My biggest complaint is that it's tying everything down to their servers, and will they still be running 5 years from now? But that's a problem with most games these days.
I remember Microsoft giving a reason for using Funbucks. They said that some credit card companies charge a fee for purchases made under a certain amount (say, under $5) and MS wanted the marketplace to have microtransactions for $1+. So to help the customer, they have us buy MSP for $5+.
I don't know if that's the case anymore, I know I can buy things for under a dollar with my Debit Card with a credit card logo without any fees. And I'm not familiar with Sony's PSN store.
With Sony, you have to fill a "wallet" with money that you can then use to buy stuff. So they're not "points" as DLC has actual prices on them, but they're essentially doing the same thing Microsoft does otherwise.
My only gripe with Microsoft Funbux are that 80 of them equal a dollar, requiring you to do math on every purchase and possibly lose track of how much you're actually paying for stuff. At least with the Wii 100 Miyamotos equals a buck.
The nice thing about the PSN is that although there's a minimum purchase of $5, beyond that, you can pay exactly what you want. So if you grab a few items and your total is $36.78, you can pay $36.78 instead of having to purchase in set increments and have left over money.
Well yeah. They're expensive and using a 3DTV has absolutely no correlation with how normal people watch TV.
Not to mention there's a massive lack of content in both TV and Blu-rays, plus even the most rabid fan of 3D only tolerates the concept of 3D glasses. It's especially telling how stores are dismantling their 3D demonstration rigs.
Kind of hilarious how everyone in the last two Consumer Electronics Show were falling all over themselves to demonstrate how their products were hip with the three dees.
To consumers, the chief difference between the two companies' approach to 3-D is in the glasses needed to view images. Samsung uses battery-operated glasses that flicker dozens of times a second in time with the alternating images on the screen to produce the 3-D effect. LG uses non-battery glasses to reconstruct images that are divided on the screen, the same as in movie theaters.
Samsung for months lobbied industry-standards groups to reject LG's approach as unsuitable for high-definition pictures. But the LG method was ultimately recognized as meeting high-definition standards in the U.S., Japan, China and Europe.
The dispute grew particularly tense earlier this month when a Samsung executive used an expletive in describing LG engineers to a group of Korean reporters, leading LG to threaten legal action. The Samsung executive sent an apology letter to LG this week, and LG accepted.
Not to mention there's a massive lack of content in both TV and Blu-rays, plus even the most rabid fan of 3D only tolerates the concept of 3D glasses. It's especially telling how stores are dismantling their 3D demonstration rigs.
Attempts to make the glasses seem cool were hilarious.
I have literally never visited the url reddit.com, nor do I care to ever. How is this a thing. Who gives a fuck?
Me too. Or digg. From what I gather it's a lot of people posting things they found elsewhere and others voting on how awesome it is. Basically redundant with the internet itself.
Slashdot did it first.
Whats the big deal? It's basically a forum except instead of G&T, the threads are random shit across the internet that could be considered interesting.
Is it that time of the month that we're pretending to be elitists again?
Well yeah. They're expensive and using a 3DTV has absolutely no correlation with how normal people watch TV.
If only someone could have predicted this! Like, you know, anyone with any shred of common sense :P
It is funny to watch it blow up in their faces though.
This year's CES was funny too. Every TV maker was falling all over themselves to "improve" the 3D experience, but it seemed like every one of them was doing it in completely different ways. One increased the resolution of the active shutter lenses, another made the lenses lighter, another switched to passive lenses, etc. And almost a third of them demoed some "glasses free 3D" sets, all of which blew.
You could practically taste the desperation.
That reminds me, there was a Wired interview a year back with Howard Stringer, head of Sony, and how he was betting the company's future on 3D. Dead exec walking.
3D has been the rage before in ye ol days of movies when many low budget movies offered movies with 3D features where you wore those cheap little blue red glasses, like everything else it had it's time and went away.
TV might be 3D eventually in a big way but people just upgraded to HD and many still have no clue what that even means, thinking that 3D was going to take over because they were forcing it on people was not going to happen due to the prices, the economy and the fact there really isn't nearly dick squat out for it at all.
Even at the movies you don't hear anyone raving about 3D as Avatar had it, sure the commercials advertise 3D enough but I never hear anyone going nuts over it.
I have literally never visited the url reddit.com, nor do I care to ever. How is this a thing. Who gives a fuck?
Me too. Or digg. From what I gather it's a lot of people posting things they found elsewhere and others voting on how awesome it is. Basically redundant with the internet itself.
Slashdot did it first.
Whats the big deal? It's basically a forum except instead of G&T, the threads are random shit across the internet that could be considered interesting.
Is it that time of the month that we're pretending to be elitists again?
I have literally never visited the url reddit.com, nor do I care to ever. How is this a thing. Who gives a fuck?
Me too. Or digg. From what I gather it's a lot of people posting things they found elsewhere and others voting on how awesome it is. Basically redundant with the internet itself.
Slashdot did it first.
Whats the big deal? It's basically a forum except instead of G&T, the threads are random shit across the internet that could be considered interesting.
Is it that time of the month that we're pretending to be elitists again?
That reminds me, there was a Wired interview a year back with Howard Stringer, head of Sony, and how he was betting the company's future on 3D. Dead exec walking.
A statement bore out in Kaz Hirai's recent promotion. I think depending on how the NGP and Android strategies work out Hirai will be running the whole thing in three years or less.
The gloves are off, and graphics card maker AMD has called out rival nVidia on its claim of making the fastest video card in the world.
In a video posted yesterday, nVidia, one of the leading makers of graphics cards used in PCs, claimed that its new product, the GeForce GTX 590, is the "World's Fastest Graphics Card." AMD, nVidia's primary rival in high-end graphics cards, says that title belongs to its newest product, the Radeon HD 6990 and is challenging nVidia to put up or shut up.
"When we launched [our card], we issued a press release in which we proudly called it the 'World's Fastest Graphics Card' and fully disclosed the basis upon which we made that claim," reads AMD's official blog.
"Yesterday, our competitor also issued a press release, announcing the launch of what they claim to be the 'World's Fastest Graphics Card'- the Nvidia GTX 590. We combed through their announcement to understand how it was that such a claim could be made and why there was no substantiation based on industry-standard benchmarks," wrote AMD's Dave Erskine.
He then issued nVidia a challenge: Show us your proof. Give us the numbers that show the GTX 590 is faster then the Radeon 6990. "As it stands today, leading reviewers agree with us that the AMD Radeon HD 6990 sits on the top as the world's fastest graphics card," he wrote, citing several benchmark test results.
No word yet from nVidia, but I must say it's rather refreshing to see such blatant rivalry after putting up with years of the snide, backhanded sniping between certain console developers.
Video Card wars will never end until the day they do.
Cade on
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Brainiac 8Don't call me Shirley...Registered Userregular
edited March 2011
“This is truly amazing. It blows away the Nintendo 3DS for size and resolution, it’s just a huge leap forward. We’ve worked very hard with Floorpali to develop something that is cheap but durable enough, this is going to change gaming on the iPad.” - Big Head Games' business director Dave Vout
“This is truly amazing. It blows away the Nintendo 3DS for size and resolution, it’s just a huge leap forward. We’ve worked very hard with Floorpali to develop something that is cheap but durable enough, this is going to change gaming on the iPad.” - Big Head Games' business director Dave Vout
And like I said before, we'd get a great kick out of announcing our next game on April 1st since most people wouldn't believe it was real. Unfortunately, we don't have a cool trailer ready yet so we'll have to pass.
“This is truly amazing. It blows away the Nintendo 3DS for size and resolution, it’s just a huge leap forward. We’ve worked very hard with Floorpali to develop something that is cheap but durable enough, this is going to change gaming on the iPad.” - Big Head Games' business director Dave Vout
“This is truly amazing. It blows away the Nintendo 3DS for size and resolution, it’s just a huge leap forward. We’ve worked very hard with Floorpali to develop something that is cheap but durable enough, this is going to change gaming on the iPad.” - Big Head Games' business director Dave Vout
Many many many years ago The Gia was a great site for all things usually to do with RPG's and the like, they had some well known names on staff that later went onto other ventures and had ties in the video game world. They even got leaks of the designs for one of the Final Fantasy games in the day that gave the first look at it.
They had some server issues here and there, so people would contribute money and keep them going, this happened twice if I recall right. Now they were famous for doing April First jokes when many people back then kept falling for them, so not long after the second donation for new servers April First came around, when people went to the site they announced they were closing.
People had a good laugh, thought it was brilliant to make that their April First joke, the day came and went, the next day, still wasn't open. People were confused and getting worried then, took a few days for most people to find out they were serious. The place really had closed. That was the joke.
To say people were pissed off, outraged and mad is putting it lightly. Especially since many had donated cash not so long before to keep the place going. A shame really, they were damn good at what they did.
I remember when a local radio station abruptly switched formats to something extremely different (something like going from hard alternative to pop country or somesuch) on April 1. The next day, the owner of the station -- I swear this is true -- said the switch was actually an April Fool's joke, but that people liked the switch enough that they were going to stay that way.
Yeah, there's far, far too much crap going around on the average April Fool's Day that isn't creative in the least.
Although the Xbox 360 leads the PlayStation 3 in the U.S., the global picture shows Microsoft's console has lost ground to Sony's as of the end of 2010, says a new report from data firm Strategy Analytics.
According to the company's data, the Nintendo Wii continues to enjoy the world's largest install base with 75.5 million active units worldwide, but the active install base of PS3s reached 43.4 million at the close of 2010 versus Xbox 360's 42.9.
Strategy Analytics says that Xbox 360's relative weakness in Europe and Asia "acts as a drag on its global performance," even factoring in the boost the console saw from the launch of the Kinect motion-sensing peripheral.
Just today, GameStop cited data from IDG that showed that while the Xbox 360 still led the PS3 in the U.S. by 10 million units, Sony's console retailed a slightly bigger share of the European audience, with 14.7 million units to the Xbox 360's 13.7 million units.
"While the Kinect peripheral has given a boost to Microsoft’s Xbox 360 strategy, the console’s performance outside of the U.S. continues to disappoint,” says Strategy Analytics' Digital Consumer Practice analyst Jia Wu, who authored the report.
"Global demand for Sony’s PS3 has exceeded that of the Xbox 360 in each of the past two years, and we expect that to continue over the coming years," Wu adds, recommending Microsoft "continue to innovate around its motion sensor technology, which will become increasingly relevant in the smart home era."
The report predicts that Xbox 360 will grow its global sales by 13.7 million by the end of this year, while PS3 will also expand to 15.7 million units. The Wii, conversely, is expected to continue declining (a contraction on which Gamasutra analyst Matt Matthews says the Xbox 360 can capitalize).
Strategy Analytics says Wii's sales will fall by just over 10 million units over the year, leaving it in third place in hardware rankings -- and making it an opportune time for Nintendo to "launch a Wii successor within the next 12 months."
Many many many years ago The Gia was a great site for all things usually to do with RPG's and the like, they had some well known names on staff that later went onto other ventures and had ties in the video game world. They even got leaks of the designs for one of the Final Fantasy games in the day that gave the first look at it.
They had some server issues here and there, so people would contribute money and keep them going, this happened twice if I recall right. Now they were famous for doing April First jokes when many people back then kept falling for them, so not long after the second donation for new servers April First came around, when people went to the site they announced they were closing.
People had a good laugh, thought it was brilliant to make that their April First joke, the day came and went, the next day, still wasn't open. People were confused and getting worried then, took a few days for most people to find out they were serious. The place really had closed. That was the joke.
To say people were pissed off, outraged and mad is putting it lightly. Especially since many had donated cash not so long before to keep the place going. A shame really, they were damn good at what they did.
I still remember fondly that site. I would've bought the shit out of FF8-2 starring Seifer.
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http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704471904576230594269604696.html?mod=dist_smartbrief
I don't know if that's the case anymore, I know I can buy things for under a dollar with my Debit Card with a credit card logo without any fees. And I'm not familiar with Sony's PSN store.
Steam: YOU FACE JARAXXUS| Twitch.tv: CainLoveless
My only gripe with Microsoft Funbux are that 80 of them equal a dollar, requiring you to do math on every purchase and possibly lose track of how much you're actually paying for stuff. At least with the Wii 100 Miyamotos equals a buck.
Zeboyd Games Development Blog
Steam ID : rwb36, Twitter : Werezompire, Facebook : Zeboyd Games
Well yeah. They're expensive and using a 3DTV has absolutely no correlation with how normal people watch TV.
http://www.gamesindustry.biz/
I write about video games and stuff. It is fun. Sometimes.
Not to mention there's a massive lack of content in both TV and Blu-rays, plus even the most rabid fan of 3D only tolerates the concept of 3D glasses. It's especially telling how stores are dismantling their 3D demonstration rigs.
Kind of hilarious how everyone in the last two Consumer Electronics Show were falling all over themselves to demonstrate how their products were hip with the three dees.
Lets pay a lot more for our equipment just so the thing we're watching can be darker.
I laughed when I saw the price tag on them at Best Buy. I mean, seriously? How are the margins so thin with the price so high?
Honest question. How the hell much does it cost to make one of those TVs? Because I'm just not believing the "razor thin" hype on that. At all.
If only someone could have predicted this! Like, you know, anyone with any shred of common sense :P
It is funny to watch it blow up in their faces though.
Like how you can't find HD anymore. It just didn't offer anything the casuals cared about.
Who cares about slightly better resolutions and flatter screens?
Whats the big deal? It's basically a forum except instead of G&T, the threads are random shit across the internet that could be considered interesting.
Is it that time of the month that we're pretending to be elitists again?
Pokemon Safari - Sneasel, Pawniard, ????
This year's CES was funny too. Every TV maker was falling all over themselves to "improve" the 3D experience, but it seemed like every one of them was doing it in completely different ways. One increased the resolution of the active shutter lenses, another made the lenses lighter, another switched to passive lenses, etc. And almost a third of them demoed some "glasses free 3D" sets, all of which blew.
You could practically taste the desperation.
That reminds me, there was a Wired interview a year back with Howard Stringer, head of Sony, and how he was betting the company's future on 3D. Dead exec walking.
Thank god this happened. I'll only care about 3DTVs when they figure out how to do 3d without glasses.
Twitter
TV might be 3D eventually in a big way but people just upgraded to HD and many still have no clue what that even means, thinking that 3D was going to take over because they were forcing it on people was not going to happen due to the prices, the economy and the fact there really isn't nearly dick squat out for it at all.
Even at the movies you don't hear anyone raving about 3D as Avatar had it, sure the commercials advertise 3D enough but I never hear anyone going nuts over it.
You mean all the time? :P
Twitter
Something Awful did it first.
A statement bore out in Kaz Hirai's recent promotion. I think depending on how the NGP and Android strategies work out Hirai will be running the whole thing in three years or less.
http://www.gamesindustry.biz/
I write about video games and stuff. It is fun. Sometimes.
Video Card wars will never end until the day they do.
http://www.mcvuk.com/news/43773/Glasses-free-3D-come-to-iPhoneiPad
Nintendo Network ID - Brainiac_8
PSN - Brainiac_8
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Add me!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lwESraWEpSU
Nintendo Network ID - Brainiac_8
PSN - Brainiac_8
Steam - http://steamcommunity.com/id/BRAINIAC8/
Add me!
Can't wait to see what ThinkGeek has cooked up for this year...
3DS Friend Code: 0404-6826-4588 PM if you add.
And like I said before, we'd get a great kick out of announcing our next game on April 1st since most people wouldn't believe it was real. Unfortunately, we don't have a cool trailer ready yet so we'll have to pass.
Zeboyd Games Development Blog
Steam ID : rwb36, Twitter : Werezompire, Facebook : Zeboyd Games
That word, with the letters rearranged, spells April fool.
And it's being released. April 1st.
That still bugs the hell out of some people.
And the dumbest thing about it is that it's already been done before for real.
I guess maybe the joke is the part about it working better than the 3DS?
Many many many years ago The Gia was a great site for all things usually to do with RPG's and the like, they had some well known names on staff that later went onto other ventures and had ties in the video game world. They even got leaks of the designs for one of the Final Fantasy games in the day that gave the first look at it.
They had some server issues here and there, so people would contribute money and keep them going, this happened twice if I recall right. Now they were famous for doing April First jokes when many people back then kept falling for them, so not long after the second donation for new servers April First came around, when people went to the site they announced they were closing.
People had a good laugh, thought it was brilliant to make that their April First joke, the day came and went, the next day, still wasn't open. People were confused and getting worried then, took a few days for most people to find out they were serious. The place really had closed. That was the joke.
To say people were pissed off, outraged and mad is putting it lightly. Especially since many had donated cash not so long before to keep the place going. A shame really, they were damn good at what they did.
Yeah, there's far, far too much crap going around on the average April Fool's Day that isn't creative in the least.
Analyst are always good fun for news no.
I still remember fondly that site. I would've bought the shit out of FF8-2 starring Seifer.