Top CE Exec: 3D TV Is Overhyped

"3D is not a category, it is not a product, it is a feature,” the newspaper quotes Shapiro whose trade group represents CE companies, including TV makers.

The Wall Street Journal article also states:

"In an interview Thursday, Shapiro argued that the technology has been over-hyped compared with more fundamental developments like high-definition TV, a huge driver of industry sales for much of the past decade. Giving those digital TVs the capability to simulate 3D images, by comparison, is more of an enhancement than something altogether new, he says."

3D TV sales this year have fallen far short of expectations with the CEA saying it could top out at just 1.1 million sold in the U.S. However, many 3D enthusiasts, noting that HDTV sales also lagged in the first year, say it's just a matter of time before the new sets take off.

But Shapiro says people shouldn't look at 3D as a type of TV, but rather a feature that will be available in high-end TVs.

“The truth is that every high-end TV will be 3D.”

Sharpiro told TVPredictions.com that his views have not changed since early 2010. But the executive told 3DGuy.TV in a video interview at the 2010 Consumer Electronics Show in January that "this year will be the first year that 3D TV will be sold en masse...3D is going to be something that's out there BIG (Shapiro emphasized the word, big, in his statement.) in the marketplace in 2010."

And when asked by Dave Graveline, host of Into Tomorrow, what new products at 2010 CES had him "pumped," Shapiro mentioned 3D TV first in a list of several items that also included mobile TV, ereaders and smart phones.

One might argue that such talk could have contributed to the 'hyping' of 3D TV during 2010. But Shapiro did tell SolidSignal TV that 3D "won't be for everyone, but it will be exciting."

Some industry officials seem in recent weeks to be retreating from boasts that 3D TV would be the next big thing. For example, ESPN, which launched a 3D channel last June, said recently that it's not sure if it will keep it going in year two. And DIRECTV said last month that it believes that 3D will ultimately be a niche service.