With all the excitement (and the megabucks) that Avatar has spawned, there’s no doubt that 3D is today’s hottest technology topic.

Ironically, the concept is hardly a new one, with the first stereoscopic camera developed some time in the 1840’s and a long line of 3D movies stretching all the way back to the 1950’s (House of Wax, Creature from the Black Lagoon and the unforgettable Spacehunter: Adventures in the Forbidden Zone amongst them).

But now, the buzz is that 3D technology is now on its way to a living room near you.

Or is it?

At the moment, there are a number of different technologies being developed for 3D TV, of which four are the most significant. 

The first 3 (Anaglyphic, Polarization and Alternate-frame sequencing, since you ask) require special glasses or headgear, each with different amounts of complexity, but equal nerdiness. 

At least he fourth option, Autostereoscopic, spares you the embarrassing eyewear. But its highly complex and precise lenticular-based technology (the same principle as those 3D postcards where the picture changes as you tilt the postcard) makes it very, very expensive.

Which means anyone who’s contemplating investing in any of these technologies is being asked to gamble. 

As we’ve seen in previous incarnation of music and video technology, there’s always a move towards a standard format. And sometime soon, three of those four technologies will be as obsolete as the Video2000. (Remember that? Thought not.)

Though I’m not about to try and predict the likely winner, I doubt that the future will see us watching Emmerdale with a pair of daft looking specs perched on the end of our noses.

There have also been some reports of viewers feeling ‘seasick’ whist watching 3D TV, though I suspect that has more to do with Directors’ and Camera Operators’ excitement about having a new toy to play with and getting a bit overenthusiastic with the camera moves, and it will doubtless settle down when the novelty wears off.

While I can understand all the excitement about 3D TV, as a professional home entertainment designer and installer, I won’t be jumping on any bandwagons. Not for some time to come anyway.

If you want my take on 3D TV, it’s this: anyone planning a home cinema or home video setup is about to make a significant investment. 

So it’s important that it’s as future-proofed as possible, and I don’t think that hoping that the technology you pick is ultimately the one that wins out is the best example of that strategy.

So, personally, I’ll be waiting until the technology is standardised and the bugs are ironed out. I’ll be waiting until the broadcasters have come on board properly. And I’ll be waiting until equipment prices represent better value.

And in the meantime, I’ll be enjoying my HDTV, which gives me brilliant pictures, vivid colour, and as immersive an experience as I’m likely to want on at least 95% of what I’ll be watching over the next year or two.