Chattanoogans got a glimpse at what could be the future of television Thursday.
While Tiger Woods' return to golf added another dimension to the Master's tournament, the CBS broadcast from Augusta National Golf Club on Thursday marked the first live broadcast of a three-dimensional broadcast sports event.
"I was really impressed with how it looks," said Chuck WIlkins, market manager for Citadel Broadcasting in Chattanooga who joined dozens of others watching part of the Master's tournament during a Comcast demonstration here. "I was expecting it would be less dynamic than what you would see at a 3-D theater. But it actually is every bit as good, if not even better, on the smaller screen."
Such response is typical among those who have put on the 3-D glasses to watch the new Samsung 3-D television sets, according to Tom Huskin, general manager for the Best Buy store in East Brainerd.
"We've had these sets for the past couple of weeks and people really like what 3-D offers," he said. "But there are some people waiting for other competitors or cheaper prices."
So far, the Best Buy store has sold only a handful of the 3-D sets, although Mr. Huskin expects sales to pick up in the next month when other models arrive.
Costs of 3-D TVSamsung is the first major television maker to sell 3-D sets in Chattanooga. What you need for Samsung's 3-D TV:* 3D TV set. A 48-inch screen LED set is priced at Best Buy for $2,399.* Blu-ray 3D player, sells for $399* 3D active glasses, sell for $149 a pair (rechargeable for $199)Source: Best Buy
Beginning at more than $2,000, the 3-D sets will, at first, cost more than even the current crop of high-end flat-screens. The TV sets also require 3-D DVD players for movies, HD hookup from cable providers like Comcast, and special glasses for each viewer in the household.
For a typical family, the total cost approaches $3,000.
But backers of 3-D expect the new technology to catch on -- and prices to come down -- as happened with high-definition television.
"You are witnessing tomorrow's television, the way people are going to watch TV in the future," said Laurie Shipley, public relations manager for Comcast in Chattanooga. "Right now, it's still in its infancy -- like high definition (HD) was a few years ago."
Comcast of Chattanooga showed off the 3-D television technology Thursday with a live broadcast at the Lookouts Clubhouse.
Three-dimensional movies have been available on Comcast since 2008. But the new 3-D television sets use a more advanced technology, Ms. Shipley said.
The 3-D television sets require active 3-D glasses to pick up on pulsating, alternating signals sent from the TV to create a richer 3-D effect than the old multi-colored, first-generation 3-D glasses. The glasses synchronize with each TV set so that the technologies for different TV makers -- Samsung, Sony and LG, among others.
By June, ESPN will start a 3-D network and plans to show World Cup soccer matches and NBA games in 3-D. Discovery, Imax and Sony said they would jointly create a 3-D entertainment channel next year.
"The stars are aligning to make 2010 the launch year of 3-D," John Taylor, a vice president for LG Electronics USA, said during the Las Vegas electronics show earlier this year.