Blu-ray and 3D Home Entertainment - Can 3D Help Blu-ray Succeed?

Estimated sales of Blu-ray Players for 2010 will be about 24 million, more than double from that of 2009. Many think this is due to the Home 3D trend. Around 10 percent of all Blu-ray DVD Players bought in 2010 will be 3D players. Sources for Futuresource Consulting states this will continue to increase over the next few years to 25 percent and by 2014, 3D Blu-ray Players will be in 40 percent of homes worldwide. These estimates do not even include the most popular 3D Blu-ray Player, Sony's PlayStation 3.

But is 3D just a fad? Will the buzz about it soon fADE AWAY and therefore see the end of Blu-ray becoming a mainstream format? This can always happen when dealing with relatively new technology. And especially if you join the two new technologies. Of course 3D has been around for a very long time, but it has never been available in our homes. So we can not predict how households will embrace 3D Home Entertainment.

A recent survey by Interpret, LLC, an independent research company dealing with economic trends of consumers, stated that 35 percent of the consumers they questioned will be buying a 3DTV within a year. That percentage is up from the first quarter of this year. It also states that the main drawbacks for most consumers are the price and the requirement of wearing 3D glasses.

While prices for a 3DTV, 3D Blu-ray DVD Players and 3D shutter glasses remain high, you should see a significant drop in the near future. Igniting even more interest in these products. Costs for a 3D Blu-ray Player have already decreased over 25 percent from the beginning of 2010. And 3D Home technology is trying to develop 3DTVs where glasses are not needed. Of course you do not have to wear glasses all the time with a 3DTV, only when watching 3D content. But at a cost of $150.00 per pair, it is nice to see companies such as Sharp, Toshiba and Microsoft trying to eliminate them from the experience.

While these studies seem to indicate a steady growth over the next few years for Blu-ray, it still has obstacles to overcome beside the acceptance of 3D Home Entertainment. Many people already see the demise of Blu-ray with the availability of online streaming of High Definition content. But Streaming High Definition content has its own set of obstacles to over come; quality issues, lack of sufficient bandwidth and ISPs having monthly usage caps.

Blu-ray has none of these issues. And by adding 3D to its arsenal, it has provided itself a better opportunity to achieve greater success. 3D Home Entertainment brings an extra element that streaming content does not have. And that is providing the user with a theater like experience. Many believe watching a movie in 3D is more like watching it in a movie theater. And that 3D is more realistic and has an immersive aspect. You are adding a new dimension to your viewing, that opens up a whole new medium.

If 3D fails to take hold in Home Entertainment market, it does not mean the end of Blu-ray. It is still the best High Definition format available. While Blu-ray has not seen the success DVDs had in the late 1990s. It has built a solid foundation and has continued to grow ever year. With the coming of 3D Home Entertainment, the success of Blu-ray may finally become the mainstream disc format many predicted.