Panasonic is sweetening the 3DTV pot just a bit by throwing in a second 3D movie with the purchase of the set maker's first 3D-enabled TV panels. This week the firm said it will throw in the Blu-ray 3D version of the Tim Burton computer-generated "Coraline" (Universal Studios) with the purchase of its Viera-brand VT25 Series 1080p 3D set.
The second movie title joins the 3D version of "Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs," which Panasonic already has been adding to all Viera 3D purchases. Both 3D versions were authored by Panasonic Hollywood Laboratory.
Panasonic, which claimed the first 3D TV retail sale at a Best Buy store in New York in March, is including Coraline with the previously announced Blu-ray 3D release Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs, from 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment.
The Viera VT25 series plasma 1080p 3D unit comes with one pair of 3D "active shutter lens" glasses. (Again, that's one pair. Additional glasses must be bought separately, and they run about $150 a pair.)
Panasonic's initial 3D sets are at some retailers in the U.S., featuring screen sizes starting at 50 inches. Early price points (starting at around $2,600) currently appear to be about double those of non-3D units.
Apparently already forgetting about the advent of HDTV and Blu-ray, Panasonic is marketing its initial 3D units as signifying a rare "game-changer" for the TV industry.
And a trivia question that may amaze your friends and impress your neighbors: When, what and where was the first 3D TV set sold in America? According to Panasonic, it was one of its own Viera Series units… at a Best Buy… in New York City… in March.
