Despite NAB 2009 being promoted as the launch pad of 3D HD consumer broadcast video solutions, the concept of 3D HD consumer video entertainment is at least nine years old. Back in 2000, when I lived just outside of New York City, I used to take friends to the Palisades Mall to see 3D IMAX movies. Just like the demonstrations here, moviegoers in 2000 were handed glasses, which were much larger and bulkier than they are now, and told to hang on for the ride.
    I find that the picture quality and depth of the 3D imagery is much the same now as it was nine years ago, when IMAX used episodes of The Simpsons and archeology documentaries to showcase the platform, however, the focus now is making 3D HD an everyday element of our down time and not an hour car ride to the nearest IMAX theatre.
   This is the biggest challenge for providers looking to bring live events into the living rooms of consumers. Will audiences wear glasses to watch TV? Can our eyes adjust to a new way of taking in visual information? Will the acceptance be massive enough to justify the massive costs of overhauling our broadcast infrastructure? After all, it’s difficult enough to switch from MPEG-2 to MPEG-4.
   Hopefully, the extra dimension of entertainment arrives sooner than later, because there is nothing I’d enjoy more than watching the NL East playoffs in 3D.