Consumer electronics companies may be betting the farm on selling us 3D TV, but back home in Japan a survey has delivered a reality check: almost 70% of consumers say they have no plans to buy a 3D set.
In the survey, conducted by price comparison site Kakaku.com, just 31.2% of almost 9000 people responding online said they were thinking of buying into 3D.
The rest gave it the thumbs-down, citing problems such as the need to wear glasses, price and the lack of content.
Nearly 70% of those rejecting 3D said the need for special glasses was putting them off, 57% said the new sets were just too expensive, and getting on for 40% said there wasn't enough content to tempt them.
So far in Japan Sony has released games for the PS3, while one cable TV operator, J:Com has a few 3D programmes on its VOD service, but the survey results may come as a surprise to the big TV manufacturers.
Companies including Panasonic and Sony have been pushing 3D hard in Japan, as they have elsewhere in the world, hoping to ride the wave of interest created by films such as Avatar and Alice in Wonderland.
Commenting on the survey, Kakaku.com's Tsuyoshi Kamada said that 'Television makers' expectations for 3D are high but looking at the degree of interest among consumers, there is a big gap.'
