I’ve been labeled a cynic, and while I may deny the wider scope of the accusation, there is nothing that has drawn out my cynical leanings like the hype that has built up around 3-D TV in the past year. A year ago, I attended a single demonstration of 3-D technology —  in the presentation theater. This year, there are so many 3-D displays on the floor that if you are not wearing 3-D glasses you would think some the exhibitors forgot to adjust the picture quality of their sets.

So it probably will come as a surprise that after three days of NAB 2010, I’ve actually softened my stance somewhat. There is genuine excitement about 3-D, driven in part by plans of major broadcasters to do 3-D broadcasts beginning this year. There also is a sense that the excitement is joined by actual cooperative efforts by companies up and down the delivery chain to ensure that the experience works for the viewers.

In one promising proposal, Nagravision and South Korea’s SkyLife unveiled plans to expand a 24-hour 3-D TV network that SkyLive launched in January as well as add another pair of 3-D channels by 2012. Nagravision will provide content sourcing and distribution as well as help create more content to populate the channels. SkyLife claims 2.5 million subscribers to its DTH platform, with 70 percent of its HD viewers expressing interest in 3-D, and CEO Lee Mongryong says 10,000 3-D enabled TV sets have been sold in the country in the pasta month.

Nagravision Chairman and CEO Andre Kudelski sees opportunities to provide such 3-D services and support in other regions of the globe, but South Korea and its population full of first adopters “is a real laboratory to make [3-D TV] happen.”

I’m not fully convinced that 3-D TV will be an immediate success – or even a success at all, but within the next year, the broadcasting community will have much more evidence of 3-D TV’s development timeline, acceptance among consumers and revenue potential.