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Why 3D Became the Big Trend at CES
Posted in Notebook PC | January 8, 2010 5pm

With over 2,500 vendors and 100,000 attendees, this year's Consumer Electronics Show (CES) hasn't been lacking in innovation.  New TVs, computers, and even appearances by Lady Gaga and Taylor Swift have made headlines at the show.  Even before the show began, many were predicting what would be hot at this year's CES. The number one item on many lists? 3D. We heard whispers about new 3D televisions and cameras, but even we weren't prepared for how prevalent the 3D revolution would be at this year's show.  Not only were countless HD TVs revealed at CES, but HD camcorders, HD laptops, and even the world's first 24/7 HD TV channels were revealed in Las Vegas.How did 3D rise so rapidly into the darling of the tech world?  There are a lot of factors to explore to answer that question, but it really begins and ends with the blockbuster film Avatar.

Photo courtesy of Wikipedia
Movie Studios Had a ProblemThe Internet hasn't been the greatest innovation for movie studios.  Years ago, there was almost no way to see a movie before its VHS release.  DVDs eventually came along, giving rise to bootlegs, but this was still a minor factor to the movie industry.The same can't be said about file-sharing, though.  Millions of films, often long before they're released on DVD, make their way across P2P platforms and torrents.  Couple that with larger and more powerful home entertainment systems, and the result is a decrease in the perceived "need" to see a movie in a theater.  The depressed box office numbers over the last few years have reflected that problem.3D: The Savior of the Entertainment Industry?Movie studios didn't take this lying down, though.  They searched for ways to draw people back into the theater with an experience that couldn't be matched at home.  It looks like the studios finally found their holy grail: Avatar. Now the world's second largest grossing movie ever, people are going to the theater in droves to experience Avatar in 3D, something very few can do in the comfort of their own homes currently.  This is exactly what the movie studios were looking for: a film that people will not only go out of their way to see in a theater, but actually pay more to experience.  The result has been an incredible wave of interest in 3D, one that has altered the movie-going experience.CES Responds to AvatarIf there's one thing I've heard CES attendees say they're already sick of, it's 3D.  The reason is simple: it's everywhere at this show.  Sony, Samsung, Panasonic, and countless other vendors have 3D glasses, 3D games, and 3D screens on prominent display at their booths.  When executives of these companies are asked about why they've put their efforts in 3D, the answer is usually the same: that they want to jump on a major trend before it's too late.Avatar wasn't the only 3D movie of 2009, but it was clearly the catalyst for unprecedented attention for the technology at CES.  More movies will be put out in 3D, and now that James Cameron's epic has introduced millions to the experience, consumers will likely go out of their way to be part of the three dimensional revolution.  With a rapidly growing multi-billion dollar market and a surge of new consumer demand, it's no wonder that 3D became this year's big trend at CES.