Findings from research firm Frank N Magid Associates carried out on behalf of Panasonic during Disney’s D23 Expo in Anaheim last month, suggest that a vast majority of US consumers believe that 3DTV significantly improves their television viewing experience.

“We’ve always said that, just as with HDTV, once consumers experience 3DTV, they will want it,” said Eisuke Tsuyuzaki, Panasonic Corporation of North America’s Chief Technology Officer. “This survey proves it. We couldn’t be happier with the results.”

The somewhat self-serving study, given Panasonic’s major stake in 3DTV, reveals that 99% of those surveyed who have seen 3DTV perceive it to be at least “somewhat better” than standard HDTV or ’2D’ TV and 71% said that 3DTV is “much better” or “dramatically better” than 2DTV.

The research firm suggests that unlike HDTV, 3DTV is off to a much faster start, with multiple full-time 3D channels available on cable and satellite just one year after the technology’s launch, They include in the US DirecTV’s n3D Powered by Panasonic, Comcast’s Xfinity 3D Channel, ESPN 3D, and Discovery’s 3Net. By contrast, HDTV channels from these major content carriers were not available until at least four years from that technology’s 1998 introduction.

Story filed 29.09.11