No-Glasses 3-D Jumps Out at Customers
NEW YORK (
) -- With all due respect to the 3-D industry, the notion of fooling the eye into seeing depth when there is none is a nonstarter. Sure, movies such as
Spider Man
,
Star Wars
and
The Adventures of Tintin
keep experimenting, and equipment makers such as
Sony
(SNE) - Get Report
,
Toshiba
,
LG
and dozens of others huff and puff the 3-D thing. But for the average consumer? Nobody cares.
It's not that 3-D TV isn't cool. It's just that our silly, shortsighted American economy has treated consumer earnings power like a disease. And with that kind of assault, nobody has the coin these days for a new 3-D set. So, to paraphrase Yoda, "Languish this technology will."
Toshiba's unveiling a 3-D TV that might just find a home in your business. |
But that does not mean 3-D is dead. Such displays can fill an important niche: as a point-of-sale tool for a business, say, on a sales floor or in an office or lobby.
To get a feeling for how 3-D might work for your business, the folks at Toshiba invited me around for a demo of their latest state-of-the-art 3-D display; a 55-inch, so-called auto-stereoscopic 3-D TV that -- get ready for this -- requires no 3-D glasses to use.
That's right. A decent-quality 3-D image without the stupid glasses. That got my attention.
What you get
If you know what you are doing, these glasses-free 3-D TVs can most definitely rock the business house.
Right away it's clear the wonky, "Nobody is going to want to waste a moment with this 3-D nonsense" vibe is gone. The demo 55-incher I saw offered a simply excellent viewing experience. The versions of
Up
and
Coraline
I saw were very sharp.
Neither was anywhere close to even an average theatrical 3-D experience, and it was a step or two away from the better-quality active-shutter 3-D screens that require users to wear glasses. But overall I got a solid if subtle feeling of depth with this screen, and color was good. Screen quality was high. And most importantly, resolution -- usually the buzz kill for 3-D screens -- was first rate.
Given the proper installation, messaging and content, these devices can feed a customer in line to place an order, get service or otherwise interact with your business a unique, top-quality experience.
Do it right, and this sucker can absolutely sell.
What you don't get
These sets won't be cheap. The unit I saw, due out this year, should cost about $10,000. So you will need to think through the ROI a bit before you jump. Second, to get it to work in your shop, you will need to install the set properly and create the right kind of 3-D content.
I would advise working with a professional installer. They're out there, but finding a good one will take some effort. (Start with the set vendor. They have lists of sales reps in your area.)
Most importantly, keep in mind that the glasses-free screen requires that the user stand in the right spot relative to the set. The customer will need to be choreographed into the right position for the screen to work. That can be a pain.
Bottom line
Right now, with not much else going on in point-of-sale (Who really cares if I can use an iPhone to run a credit card? I mean, honestly), using a 3-D display in a business is the idea of the moment. Yes, it takes effort, but even I, Mr. Cranky Technologyhead, was surprised how well-developed 3-D is for business use.
Done right, a 3-D display can offer just the kind of unique, crowd-gathering trick that can put money in your pocket in this miserable economy of ours. And these days, ideas such as that just don't come along that often.
By all means, give glasses-free 3-D a good long look. You'll be surprised at the depth of the value.
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This commentary comes from an independent investor or market observer as part of TheStreet guest contributor program. The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of TheStreet or its management.
