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November 26, 2010
3D hardware featured strongly in many manufacturers' and retailers' 'Black Friday' promotions, marking the beginning of the Christmas shopping season in the US:
- From select retailers, Samsung is bundling its BD-C5900 3D BD player (SRP $229.99), 3D starter kit (SRP $499.99) - containing two pairs of glasses and the first three movies of DreamWorks Animation's Shrek franchise on 3D BD - plus a mail-in coupon offering Shrek Forever After for free with the purchase of qualifying Samsung 3D TVs.
- Panasonic is bundling its DMP-BDT100 3D BD player (SRP $249.95) and 3D starter kit (SRP $349.99) including two pairs of 3D glasses and two 3D BD titles, Universal's Coraline and Fox's Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs, with its GT25 3D TVs (42 and 50 inch models only).
- Sony's 3D capable PlayStation 3 (SRP $299.99) and 3D starter kit (SRP $399.99) - containing two pairs of glasses, a 3D sync transmitter (which increases the 3D viewing angle on Sony 3D TVs) and Disney's Alice in Wonderland - are currently bundled with the 46 and 55 inch versions of Sony's NX810 series 3D TVs.
- On Amazon.com, buyers of Toshiba's 46 and 55 inch WX800 3D TVs will also receive Toshiba's BDX-3000 3D BD player (SRP $249.99) and two pairs of glasses (SRP $169.99 each) for free.
Such deals are positive for 3D home entertainment. Obviously, the substantial savings, $729.98 in the case of Samsung's bundle, provides greater incentive for consumers to buy 3D TVs. However, a further benefit is that bundling 3D BD players and glasses helps to increase the proportion of 3D TV households that are 3D BD enabled, i.e. have all the 3D hardware necessary to watch 3D BDs in 3D. IHS Screen Digest argues that although the 'wow factor' of 3D means that a relatively high share of 3D TV owners will ensure that they can watch 3D BDs, many consumers will buy just the 3D TV either to future-proof or because they are interested in the highest specification TV models. This is especially the case given that shutter glasses, which are expensive, are not automatically bundled with 3D TV models outside promotional periods.
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