By Paul Gray – Director, European TV Research, DisplaySearch

Today has been the main day of press conferences here at IFA. It’s the chance the set makers get to show their strategy in Europe.

Essentially the group has split into two packs, unlike the usual single message that tends to be the industry consensus.

Samsung, LGE and Sharp made a very clear play that the future is LED backlighting for better contrast performance in direct-lit panels and for incredible thinness for edge-lit panels. Whatever, it’s a big power saving, and we know that is good for you, me and the planet.

Sony and Panasonic have raised our eyes to the distant horizon, to a 3D world of incredible realism in home entertainment. They intend to leapfrog the flatlanders and offer something far more dramatic. Standards, broadcasters and bandwidth? It will be sorted out on the way.

Panasonic Management and Jon Landau (of “Avatar” movie fame) Wearing Their “Men In Black”-style 3D Glasses

I think the telling point was made in the Loewe press conference Q&A. HD was first demonstrated in IFA in 1990. In 2010, Germany will get a free to air HD service. It will have taken 20 years. Germany is no laggard; it’s a well-run, efficiently-administered country that knows a thing or two about broadcasting. (Berlin was the first place in the world to perform analog switch-off in 2002.)

I believe in 3D in the cinema; it fits a value proposition of “pay your money and enjoy the thrill ride for the next two hours.” I fear that with European screen sizes (the sweet spot is 32-42″), watching 3D will be like observing a fish tank full of tiny people. Consumers, I suspect, will be hard to convince.

I’ve a few more demos to see, but for the moment I’m still a flatlander.