If you’ve seen the movie Avatar, you likely walked away from the movie theater thinking that 3D was going to be the next “big thing” to hit the living room since HDTV. The manufacturers of television screens thought the same way, unleashing dozens of 3D TV models. Unfortunately for them, however, only 3.6 million 3D TVs were bought in 2011. That figure is a lot lower than what manufacturers expected, according to CNN. TVs with glasses were all the rage at the Consumer Electronics Show for the past 2 years but will get a subdued presence for CES 2012, during which ultra thin electronics will dominate.

Just because 3D TVs aren’t big now, doesn’t mean they won’t be in the future. They are still too expensive for the average consumer and the technology will evolve to a point when they will be just as easy to use as normal television sets. The amount of differing 3D technology also confuses consumers, which is why Sony, Samsung, and Panasonic are working to create a 3D glasses standard. Furthermore, the amount of 3D content will continue to increase as it gets less expensive to shoot in three dimensions. Despite 3D’s early stages, the majority of 3D TV owners rate their viewing experience positively. 3D in the living room was indeed hyped up, but that doesn’t mean that it can’t be a standard feature within the next 10 years.