http://www.i4u.com/39228/blu-ray-3d-exclusivity-may-kill-format

Blu-Ray 3D Exclusivity May Kill Format

Of the 25 Blu-ray 3D titles that are being manufactured and pressed this year, only six will be available on store shelves. And most of those aren't even heavy-hitting titles. As a result, there's a lot of mixed feelings about the future of the brand new format.

Blu-ray 3D is supposed to be the format that revolutionizes and fully takes advantage of the new market of stereoscopic 3D TVs. But there's a problem. Very few people own a 3D TV and it's expensive to create a Blu-ray 3D disc. As a result, there's been an interesting phenomenon: TV manufacturers are paying movie studios to cover the cost of the Blu-ray 3D production, and in return the manufacturer gets the exclusive rights to distribute that movie.

Panasonic, Samsung, and Sony have all struck these deals with very major studios. Samsung gets the Blu-ray 3D rights to Dreamworks computer animated flicks, Sony signed a deal with Disney, and Panasonic will get the biggest 3D title of all - Avatar. So anyone who buys a non-Panasonic 3D TV will be systematically blocked out of owning the 3D movie that defined the entire 3D genre. At least for now.

All of this sounds good to the business people at these companies. TV manufacturers get a bargaining chip to get people on their side, and the studios hardly have to pay anything while they explore the new technology. But consumers are the ones on the losing end here.

High Def Digest calls this move one of the "biggest Blu-ray blunders," saying the format "is being crippled from the start, by forcing consumers to pick or choose their setup based on what movie they like more rather than what player."

For sure. There's only one Blu-ray 3D movie in actual stores right now: Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, a Sony Pictures movie. That movie also comes free with a Sony TV purchase, but Sony decided to make it available for regular consumers as well. Most other TV manufacturers, though, aren't part of a bigger corporation that can make its own 3D movies.

Luckily there are other forms of 3D content, including streaming 3D on Samsung TVs, ESPN 3D and DirecTV-owned 3D satellite channels, and PS3 3D games.

related:

Disney Blu-Ray 3D Titles To Be Sony Exclusives
Avatar Blu-Ray 3D Coming Out This Year, But Only For Panasonic TVs

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wtf is this shit... so TV manufacturers are getting exclusives?? O_O

Well I bet $am$ung will steal all the exclusives away from SONY with their own format!

this is what happens when formats are forced on people instead of waiting for the right time. Glad I stream all my movies, and glad that I will not get into 3d until no glasses are needed

that just sounds horrible

This is... weird.

Does this mean Avatar will not play on SOny 3D tv's ?

On topic: It's RETARTED to have different titles exclusive to different manufacturer players, PERIOD.  Last I heard, it was a timed exclusive, but that's still RETARDED.  I hope 3D movies crash and burn.

@ thranx: In reality, there is no "right time" for a format.  If a product is not supported, then it will not thrive.  So a product needs to introduced to the market to consumers to see how well it will be supported.  That's the way how business works.  And I'm glad I do NOT stream all my movies because the uncompressed 5.1 audio and 1080p resolution has been a well enjoyed treat to the ears and eyes.

That's...ugh...I think I need to lay down a bit.

So, to be able to watch every 3D movie I will need not one but a bunch of BR players.

Congratulations! This is the most epic fail since the squareshaped wheel!

This is just crap, seriously this is a fail

There is a right time though. They could have waited until the 3d technology was cheaper, or until blu ray was cheaper, or both.  Since I lack surround sound right now I do not notice this, but in the future I am sure this will change as internet speeds keep going up.

Edit: Looks like this change is coming sooner than I thought(at least for 5.1 http://www.reelseo.com/silverlight-srs-51-support-toolkit/)

Actually you will need to buy a bunch of TV's, even more expensive