3D Holes: The Missing Bit at CES

By Paul Gray - Director, European TV Research, DisplaySearch

One of the big surprises for me while reflecting on the hysteria at CES was the total absence of 3D still cameras. Digital still cameras have been a runaway success, even if the change in consumer behavior (no more printing) has led to the reshaping of the industry more than expected.

However, bearing in mind that consumers are clearly very happy to view their pictures electronically, I would have expected that stereoscopic cameras would have appeared.  So far, I can find only one, the Fuji FinePix W1.

Figure 1:  Fuji FinePix W1 Stereoscopic Camera

 I was unable to find any other products launched, although a slide by Sony appears to hint at some 3D DSC’s in 2010, as reported by Engadget at the end of last year in “Sony working on 3D Alpha DSLR cameras?”

3D home photos are a wonderful way to bring memories back to life and should have real emotional impact and value.  However, it’s another example of how TVs are still significantly ahead of available content.

It will be an interesting question in the coming months: Will the upcoming 3D TVs and Blu-ray players with USB or card slots decode the .JPS Stereo JPEG format?