JUNE 22, 2012 • With little fanfare, satellite television provider DirecTV has made its dedicated n3D channel part-time on June 1. The channel was launched in July 2010 in partnership with Panasonic as the first 3D line-up to operate 24 hours a day. But a dearth of 3D content forced DirecTV to run much of the same programming in a loop. Now if there is not enough 3D content, the service will just run a logo instead of repeats.
Impact: Two years ago when the onset of 3D television sets was being billed as a huge event by consumer electronics manufacturers, we went on record as being dubious about how much most consumers really cared about 3D. We were equally dubious as to whether there would be enough 3D content to create any sort of demand. Segue to the summer of 2012 and the inability of Panasonic and DirecTV to reasonably populate a single channel with 3D content is telling. Despite good support from video game publishers like Sony, we still view 3D as a niche feature important to a small portion of consumers. If the case were otherwise, there likely would be more television content available for DirecTV to air.
