On Sunday 31 January a number of pubs in the UK showed a football match, Arsenal v. Manchester United. Nothing special about that– but the regulars were handed glasses and watched the whole thing in 3D.

Sky TV will follow this by launching its 3D channel in April so everyone can have a look. Everyone with a new 3D television, that is.

This is where the consumer is going to have to watch out. Last time we had the introduction of a new technology in television, high definition, it was chaos. We had Full HD, True HD and HD-Ready, all of which had different screen resolutions. The industry did a pretty bad job of explaining it all and sales – particularly for the online retailer, who by definition couldn’t demonstrate his or her technology in front of the customer – were slow to take off.

Now 3D has started emerging into the public domain, with the UK leading the way in Europe. We need to ask a few things of the TV manufacturers and broadcasters before buying:

·      You’re asking us to buy new TVs quite soon after we’ve all bought flat screens. Recession aside, are you going to start doing this every three years?

·      A number of sources suggest that the Internet is going to converge with TV, and some TVs already have bits of Internet on them. Is this going to involve yet more technology change – and will another new generation of TVs follow as a result?

·      Four manufacturers have confirmed 3D models so far, Sony, Samsung, LG and Panasonic. Will they all be adhering to the same standard or are we in for another Betamax v. VHS punch-up?

I’ve seen demonstrations and can confirm they’re pretty impressive.  The programmes, the technology, will be very enjoyable. But based on the TV industry’s history of getting new technology going, I have my reservations about how quickly it’ll catch on.