3D TV

Both Samsung and Panasonic have recently debuted 3D TV bundles with Blu-ray players and active-shutter glasses.

Panasonic’s package features the TC-P50VT20, a 50-inch 1080p 3DTV for $2,900 which comes bundled with Panasonic’s DMP-BDT300 3D Blu-ray player, which is capable of playing Blu-ray discs and DVDs and also has access to Netflix, Pandora and Twitter.  This bundle is only sold through Best Buy.  Included in the bundle is one free set of ($200) battery-operated 3D glasses.

Panasonic has added a 55-inch model for $400 more.  Reports are Panasonic sold out in its first week of sales.  Samsung released a bundled 3D TV package over a week ago, has not yet released its 3D shipment or sales figures.

Samsung introduced its line of 3DTVs today, including 17 different TVs, Blu-ray players, and home theater products. Samsung is offering new buyers a 3D starter kit which includes the 3D version of Monsters vs. Aliens and a pair of active-shutter 3D glasses with the purchase of a compatible TV and Blu-ray player or home theater system. Samsung also announced a deal with DreamWorks to exclusively release 3D versions of its films.

The prices for the LED-based 3D sets start at $1,999.99 for the lowest-priced UN40C7000, and up to $7,000 for the 55-inch UN55C9000 (available this month in 55-inch and 46-inch). The 3D plasmas range from $1,799.99 for the PN50C7000 and up to $3,799.99 for the PN63C8000, both available in May.

Samsung’s BD-C6900 Blu-ray player starts at $400 or $900 for the 3D-compatible HT-C6930W Blu-ray home theater system.

Key features of the Samsung BD-C6900:

• 3D Blu-ray player
• Slim design with a transparent cover
• Supports Internet@TV/Samsung Apps, which will provide content from Netflix, Pandora, Vudu, Blockbuster, Picasa, and Twitter
• 15 second disc load; 15 second boot up
• Built-in Wi-Fi

Samsung's First 3D TV

Electronics market intelligence firm iSuppli issued a report Monday morning claiming 78 million television sets with 3D capability will be sold in the year 2015. “The market so far has been more talk than action,” researcher Riddhi Patel wrote in a note accompanying the report. “However, announcements made before and after the 2010 Consumer Electronics Show in January indicate that 3D TV is becoming a reality.”

In other news, the first Samsung 3D-enabled HDTV is currently available for purchase on Amazon. The 55-inch UN55C7000 includes a 240Hz LED display, four HDMI 1.3 inputs, which are HDMI-CEC compatible: a component, a VGA, two ConnectShare Movie USB ports. It also has a BDWise feature, which is able to adjust components automatically, in order to offer the best picture and sound quality.

Read the full iSuppli report here.