Sony, Panasonic to release 3-D TV

ATLANTA, Sept. 18 (UPI) -- Sony and Panasonic say they'll release 3-D television next year, despite skeptics who say the systems won't be ready for prime-time home viewing.

"TV finally becomes real. You're in it. It's the next frontier," Panasonic Vice President Robert Perry told CNN in a story published Friday.

The systems will require 3-D glasses, special broadcast content, and a new television that costs more than some high-definition televisions on the market now, CNN reported. Sony and Panasonic have yet to release the costs of their 3-D TVs.

The cable sports network ESPN is test-recording some sporting events in 3-D, which would make football players appear to jump out of home television screens, CNN reported.

Skeptics say 3-D broadcasts will consumer an unworkable amount of television bandwidth and the glasses and graphics literally could give some people headaches, HDTV publisher Shane Sturgeon said.

"From what I've seen from most of the manufacturers, it's just not there yet," Sturgeon said.