CEDIA 2009

Panasonic certainly thinks so. While there is currently no standard for home 3D, a consortium of companies is working on one, and according to Panasonic reps a decision is expected before the January CES. That means we could see product and software within a year. The companies are pushing for a standard that will produce full 1080p resolution to both eyes using sequential frames and active shutter glasses--though I would expect to see some scalability based on price. But you will need a new TV and 3D Blu-ray player to take full advantage of it (HDMI 1.4 will be required).

We'll have a lot to say about this in the coming year, and while there are pros and cons to this entire 3D business, the 3D train is on the tracks and gathering steam. Panasonic offered an exceptional demo using its 103" plasma as a display, and while I could quibble about the pure picture quality of some of the material (including an extended trailer for the upcoming James Cameron film Avatar, which looked great but better still in a 2D demo seen earlier in the day on the new JVC DLA-RS4000 4K, $175,000 projector—upconverted from a 2K source file), the 3D effects were very impressive .