TOKYO - Sony Corp will launch three-dimensional (3-D) televisions in June, entering an increasingly crowded market that is betting the revolutionary TV will become the next hot product in the electronics industry.

The maker of Bravia flat TVs hopes 3-D models will make up 10 percent of more than 25 million LCD TVs it aims to sell in the next financial year.

Sony's Chief Executive Howard Stringer holds high hopes of a shift to 3-D as it will likely give a boost to many of its business operations, which range from TVs, digital cameras and Blu-ray DVD players to video games.

"Sony is a formidable competitor to Samsung because it is leading the game industry. It will likely be ardent game players who will first buy 3-D TVs as an early adopter," said Alex Oh, an analyst at Hanwha Securities in Seoul.

"In that sense, Sony, which is envisioning a comprehensive entertainment company, will take advantage of its game business, contents and movies, compared with Samsung and LG which remain focused on hardwares."

Behind industry leader Samsung Electronics Co Ltd, Sony is vying with LG Electronics Inc for the position as the world's No 2 flat TV maker. The maker of the PlayStation 3 game console plans to release 3-D game software around June in time for the TV launch.

Last month, Samsung started offering 3-D TVs in South Korea and said it would launch them globally this month with the aim of selling at least 2 million 3-D TVs this year.

Panasonic Corp, the fourth-largest, plans to launch its 3-D TVs in the United States today and says it will cooperate with top US electronics retailer Best Buy Co in promoting them.

Many TV makers hope the new technology will be as big a boost for the industry as the transition to color TVs from black and white.

However, some analysts noted many consumers have only just unboxed new high-definition TV screens, making them unwilling to spend on another upgrade any time soon.

Sony will begin selling 3-D TVs in Japan on June 10 and plans to launch in the overseas market around the same time.

The electronics and entertainment conglomerate expects a model with a 46-inch screen to sell for 350,000 yen ($3,875) including two pairs of 3-D glasses, a 52-percent premium over its latest regular LCD TV with a comparable screen size.

Sony shares have been on an uptrend in recent weeks after its TV operations posted a quarterly profit for the first time in two years in October-December, raising hopes the business could book a first annual profit in seven years in the new year from April.

The more than 25 million LCD TVs Sony aims to sell in the next financial year compares favorably with its own forecast of 15 million it plans to sell in the financial year ending this month.

"We at Sony will liberate 3-D from the confines of movie theaters and make it something that people can enjoy at home," Sony Senior Vice-President Yoshihisa Ishida told a news conference.

The sci-fi blockbuster "Avatar" and other recent titles have sparked massive interest in 3-D movies, and electronics makers are now rushing to get flat panel TVs with three-dimensional visual effects to the market.

Global demand for 3-D TVs will most probably reach 15.6 million units in 2013 from an estimated 1.2 million units this year, according to research firm DisplaySearch.

REUTERS

(China Daily 03/10/2010 page14)