Survey: Only 2% of UK considering 3DTV purchase
But retailers claim high interest – 15% of John Lewis TV sales are 3D
Only 89 of 4199 surveyed Britons are planning to buy a 3D TV within the next year, according to a YouGov survey for Deloitte.
While the figure only documents those actively intending on a 3D set, rather than those who might buy a new TV that also happens to be 3D, it does suggest that just 2 per cent of UK consumers are intending to adopt the new technology.
25 to 34 year olds were most likely to invest in a stereoscopic screen, with over-45s least interested.
Technological interest seemed low across the board, however, with only 7 per cent claiming they intended to acquire even an HDTV in the next year.
Deloitte media director Paul Lee told The Telegraph, "It is remarkable how conservative people’s predictions for their own technology spending habits over the coming year were. Belts have tightened after the economic downturn and with little understanding of what lies ahead, consumers are still being cautious."
However, when the paper polled various retailers, it heard a different story. Comet commercial director Bob Darke claimed the chain was selling "thousands" of 3D TVs, while an earlier report from John Lewis claimed 15 per cent of all 40+ inch TV sales were stereoscopic sets.
Assorted contradictory figures have been put forward regarding consumer interest in 3D TV during recent months. A CEA report in June claimed 27 per cent of "avid gamers" intended to buy a set, while a Sony-endorsed survey reckoned 40 per cent of all TVs would be stereoscopic-ready by 2014.
All such numbers are perhaps coloured by an apparently growing trend for new TV models to include 3D support by default, regardless of whether such functionality is potential purchasers' primary interest in the device.