Thanks for the links Mzpro5. I thought the quote that in the near future you won't be able to buy a TV without 3D capability rather arrogant. Nobody knows how much that will add to the price and the reaction of the buying public.

There may be a dim glimmer of a market. I'm not a gamer but I have seen some of the games on an xBox 360 and I bet 3D would be very popular (and you don't need too many glasses) with those who play. But again you'd have to sit very close to a standard size screen to get an immersive experience. However, it would be much easier using a projector. Has anyone seen any discussion of 3D projectors? Regardless, this is such a narrow segment I can't imagine it would drive a broad change.

I agree - this is going to add cost, potentially a lot of cost. Plenty of folks aren't going to want to pay that premium if they can avoid it.

We've got them in movie theaters already. It's feasible. There were some 3D projectors mentioned at CES, I believe, but one complaint I've read from industry blogs is that the presence of glasses between you and the screen reduces the image brightness for any 3D display. Projectors already fight for every lumen of light output they can get. Not an ideal combination.

Upgrade fatigue. Just the buzzword I was reaching for but failed to enunciate. Absolutely true. As expected, the industry is anxious and tittering about anything that might keep the promise of the ultra-profitable HDTV alive. If it weren't for LED local dimming, energy star qualifiers and 1.2 inch deep sets, the prospect of selling a $3000 TV would be a distant memory by now. Seems like they don't want to face up to the glory days being behind them.



Of course, this means that you'd need an all-new game console as well. I'm fatigued just thinking about it...

Technology marches on!! SACD/DVD-A/S-video/VHS/Betamax/DAT/Edsel/Pinto/Vega

I imagine wearing the 3D glasses would ruin the usual joking and discussions that occur at a super bowl party we have every year.

I agree with the consensus here that it will probably be awhile (if ever) before 3-D is anything more than a novelty for in-home entertainment. It certainly wouldn't stop me in the least from buying a pre-pro today.

First, there's always external HDMI switchers (I'm using one now). Second, there's always going to be something new on the horizon. If you must be bleeding edge, then plan to upgrade your equipment annually. Third, if the latest in connectivity options is a major concern, a receiver from a major manufacturer is usually your best bet. They typically get to market faster than pre-pro's and have shorter life cycles. Fourth, no way I'm wearing those dorky looking glasses.

Another article questioning all the 3D buzz.

Well written succinct and to the point

Link

I recently went to my local Audio Video store and was blown away with some pretty impressive equipment. Wilson Audio, Runco,MacIntosh to name a few. The awe inspiring Home theater room that I was in sitting on a Home Theater $3000.00 recliner with a lot of impressive acoustic material surrounding me that could pass for artwork made the room very easy on the eyes.
The demo I was viewing was Terminator Salvation which if your a Terminator fan was a decent movie and gives your subs a good workout. I think that Christian Bale does a good job on the part of playing John Connor.
Sorry I digressed!
The point is that when I came home that day and watch the same movie in my Home Theater I was just as impressed.
I thought about how blessed I am to be fortunate enough to have a dedicated Home Theater room.
I am tired of trying to keep up the idea of getting a better this or that.
I have been thinking of the 997 for some time and I am realizing that what I have 990/7700 is already the Cream' de La Crem'.

Avatar 3D iMax is awesome. Congratulations to James Cameron, Disney if anyone has been to Orlando or Anaheim has some powerful 3D. Very entertaining and cool for sure.
So we just enter the Blu-Ray era, now it's the 3D era and do not forget LED, both in TV's and projectors.
It never ends.

I promised myself that I will not buy another piece of equipment just to update. You never can update. By the time you set-up that new pre-pro, TV, or 9.1 speaker system the electronic industry pulls another rabbit out of the hat.

So I am being content,,,very content. Unless something brakes where it is not financially feasible to repair I am not replacing it for the sake of updating.
The 997 would have to do a lot for me to change what I already feel is a damn good system.
Again my opinion.
I love Outlaw and will continue to buy their products but only when I have too.

Frank

Frank raises a great point. A system is about more than having the latest gadget or most expensive toys. A system is about the sum of its parts working together to give us some enjoyment and entertainment.

Last fall, I had a chance to sit at a guy's house and hear a system built around Proceed electronics driving upper-tier B&W speakers. Some of it was older tech, but it was very high-end stuff. His processor and amp alone probably cost more than my entire system, and I suspect that his speakers and the two subs may have come close to doing the same. Did I leave feeling bad about my system? Nope. I left feeling proud of my system. A partnership of more affordable products, integrated with careful thought into our den, sounded better than the amalgam of much more expensive gear that was awkwardly grouped together in his theater/office. Sure, I am pretty certain that I could have taken his stuff and set it up in such a way that it would have performed much better (although I'd have swapped the PS3 out for a BDP-83), but it is a worthwhile reminder that it's good to sometimes stop, give yourself credit for assembling the system you have in front of you, and just enjoy the music/movies.

While I agree with the general ideas about how we really don't need 3D and how fundamentally impractical home 3D would be while glasses are still needed, the recent CES coverage suggested strongly that 3D is coming whether we want it or not.

Apparently (and I don't know enough to have an independent opinion) it's actually pretty easy to get 240hz displays to do any kind of 3D that is likely to become popular. So a company could get behind one 3D technology and start putting it on its higher-end displays even without content being available (can you see the decals "3D ready" stuck on every bezel?). If that happens, there will be an incentive for "3D capable Blu-Ray" players to be built, and finally, for more 3D content to be produced, including games. That sounds like at least a plausible, if not entirely likely, scenario. (Many unanswered questions, of course, but you have to start somewhere.)