Three dimensional television is the most substantial change in new consumer technology being released in 2010, and it’s getting a lot of attention. Between this year’s release of “Avatar” and an assortment of other movies being released in theaters in 3D to follow suit, the technology conglomerates are determined to get these new products in your home, from 3D ready televisions to 3D Blu-ray players, 3D Blu-ray discs and 3D glasses. 3D movies in theaters are already bringing in top dollar, and these components and other media will be no different. If you want the newest technology, you’ll have to pay for it.

3D has already received a bit of criticism in online technology forums. Some home theater lovers are ranting about having to wear glasses, the technology not being practical for home use, and about how there is no content for the technology yet. Another disadvantage is that there are multiple formats for 3D television; this means there are also multiple types of glasses to be worn for different 3D televisions, so while you might have invested $150 into your own glasses, you can’t bring yours over to the Superbowl party at your friends house (who happens to only own 2 pairs of 3D glasses) because he’s running a Samsung and you’re running a Panasonic and they use different technology. For the most part, it seems this is going to be a technology for use in your home with you and your spouse or maybe a family, but most people aren’t going to have 10 sets of glasses laying around for a friendly get-together–call me if you do though.

The latest backlash seems to be a host of blogs talking about the dangers of 3D television, brought on by Samsung themselves! Upon Samsung’s release of their new 3D-ready televisions, they implanted a disclaimer on their website that sounded not unlike the end of many pharmaceutical commercials. Samsung asks that you stop watching if you are experiencing cramps, trembling muscles, nausea, are overly tired, pregnant, in poor physical condition, are under the influence of alcohol, or are experiencing a disturbance of consciousness. This is old news for most Americans who brought caution warnings to McDonald’s coffee cups, but for someone deciding whether or not to buy a 3D television, this does them no favors. For most people, none of the above warnings should be of any concern and are simply precautions against frivolous lawsuits; however, most people are likely to experience a slight change in perception for a few minutes after watching 3D television for a while, but this fades quickly.

The truth is the technology is pretty awesome, and if you haven’t already experienced it in the theater, you definitely need to check it out there before you drop some big bills on a bunch of components. This will alleviate any concerns you may have over health risks or discomfort. Watching Avatar in 3D was like stepping into another world. They say 90% of the relevant information in a movie is audio; with 3D, video starts to become a major component in the believability of what is happening around you–what is happening around you. I remember at one point during some scene in the forest trying to dodge a bug that I somehow managed to forget was on the movie screen and not heading straight toward my head. That really happened. I haven’t been able to go see any other box office 3D hits. I was going to go see “Alice in Wonderland” but I heard it wasn’t very good. Unfortunately, three dimensions does not a good movie make…things haven’t changed that much.

One of the coolest potentials in 3DTV is what will happen in the gaming world. Because most games are developed in three dimensions, making a game 3D requires not much more than some conversion software and a system with enough processing power to handle it. Soon to come, Sony will be offering a firmware upgrade for PS3 owners to make their system 3D compatible. And games are already in the process of being converted, though the process does take a toll on the games’ graphics. For example, in the game WipEout HD, the frame-rate will be dropped from 60 to 30 frames per second. For other games which were designed with lesser frame-rates, other cutbacks will have to be made; while cutting the frame-rate from 60 to 30 fps may not be very noticeable, cutting a game which was designed at 30 fps to 15 fps would be very noticeable, annoying, and render the game almost unplayable. As new games are developed, this will become less of an issue, and designers will be able to work around the increased demands of 3D on the processor.

Finally, 3D will not be limited to just portable media. It will be available over the air! In January, ESPN and Discovery Communications both announced the launch of their own 3D networks. ESPN plans to introduce 3D this summer in time for the World Cup, and Discovery is partnering with Sony and Imax to begin broadcasting in 3D in 2011. ESPN’s first scheduled broadcast in 3D will be the 2010 FIFA World Cup match South African vs. Mexico on June 11. ESPN and Discovery were the leaders in the HD revolution and are taking the lead once again into 3D, and more networks are sure to follow in their footsteps in the same fashion.

We are entering a new era of entertainment–one which gets us ever closer to actually being there, whether we are on the field in Lucas Oil Stadium or in the ocean depths swimming with the Great White shark. Sure, there are bound to be some bumps along the way–remember Blu-ray vs. HD-DVD?–but ultimately, new technologies are bringing us ever closer to the action, and 3D is the next step. From there, who knows, but I doubt we’ll be petting the shark any time soon.