By: Wendy Sheehan Donnell

Here’s what you need to consider before you take the plunge into the third dimension with a new 3D HDTV.

If finding the right HDTV wasn’t hard enough, now you need to decide if you want to make the leap to 3D. Walk into your local electronics store today and you’ll see 3D TVs from Panasonic and Samsung. Last week, Sony announced that you could preorder one of its Bravia 3D LED TVs, and LG, Mitsubishi, Sharp, Vizio, and others will start selling sets the coming months. If you check out an in-store demo, you’ll likely be impressed by 3D. We recently spent some quality time with Panasonic’s VT25 3D plasma watching Ice Age 3: Dawn of the Dinosaurs and it was a blast. After all, 3D adds depth and, when it’s done right, can make you feel like you’re inside the picture. While 3D isn’t new, bringing it to your living room on an HDTV is. As with any nascent technology, the big question is: Should you dive in now? Or wait until more 3D sets are available, prices come down, standards shake out, and content becomes more plentiful? Here’s what you need to consider before buying a 3D TV.

2D TV vs. 3D TV: Weighing the Cost
If there’s one thing you can count on in consumer electronics, it’s this: being an early adopter willcost you. Currently, 3D HDTVs fetch a premium over their 2D counterparts. (When we say 3D HDTVs, we mean fast plasma or 240Hz LCD/LED displays that require active shutter glasses to deliver three-dimensional images. While 3D can be delivered in different ways, this is what major television manufacturers are currently offering.)

Right now, Panasonic’s 50-inch full HD 3D plasma, the TC-P50VT25 sells for $2,599.95. The same-size, similarly featured TC-P50G25 sells for $1,499.95 without 3D. You do get a set of active shutter glasses in the box with the TC-P50VT25, but a $1,000+ premium is a lot to pay when you consider that you’ll probably want to pick up a 3D-ready Blu-ray player (another $400 for Panasonic’s DMP-BDT300) and additional pairs of active shutter glasses ($150 each).

Samsung currently offers a greater selection of 3D HDTVs with the top-featured 3D model, the 55-inch, LED-backlit 240Hz UN55C9000 ringing up at a staggering $7,000. Not all of Samsung’s sets are outrageously priced, however: the 55-inch UN55C7000 is $3,299, while the same-size 2D N55C7000 with similar specs is only $300 less expensive ($2,999). Samsung doesn’t bundle glasses with many of its 3D HDTVs: A single pair will cost you $150, or you can buy a Starter Pack with two pairs of glasses and a copy of Monsters Vs. Aliens in 3D Blu-ray for $350. Samsung’s least-expensive Blu-ray player, the BD-C6900 is $400.

Part of the price problem: Since it requires fast displays, television manufacturers are integrating 3D into their most expensive models. Plus, there’s the additional gear you need to get to see the 3D. All of this is a tough sell when fierce competition means that 2D HDTVs and standard Blu-ray players just keep getting better while their prices continue to drop. And with standard HDTV, you don’t need to buy accessory glasses. On the other hand, with a 3D set, you will get the latest HD technologythat will also benefit traditional 2D content.

What are you Going to Watch?
A 3D HDTV and active shutter glasses are only part of the picture when it comes to 3D television, equally important is the availability of 3D content. This is a major limitation with 3D TV right now; there’s very little you can watch in 3D. Every 3D HDTV displays high-definition 2D content, but if you’re paying a premium for a 3D TV, you want to be able to see a wide selection of 3D movies and television—and we’re just not there yet. Currently, you can watch 3D in two ways: 3D Blu-ray discs or 3D TV programming.

Just like with 2D high-definition TV, at 1080p, Blu-ray the highest-quality content you can get. The thing is, though, at the time of this writing, there are less than a dozen notable 3D Blu-ray titles. And this slim selection is mostly animated films and horror flicks (Coraline, Monsters vs. Aliens, and My Bloody Valentine, for example). Major studios promise more 3D titles later this year. Disney is slated to release A Christmas Carol in November and Fox Home Entertainment announced that the 3D blockbuster Avatar on Blu-ray would hit store shelves back in April, but that release was pushed back to 2011. 3D Blu-rays may be coming, but it’s a very slow go.

If you’re a sports fan, you’ll have a little more luck finding something to watch—but not much. ESPN 3D launched last week on various carriers including AT&T U-verse, Comcast, and DirectTV with the first U.S. World Cup match and will air at least 25 World Cup games in 3D. DirectTV, for one, promises to air at least 85 live sporting events (including college basketball and football games and the Summer X Games) in 2010. DirectTV 3D pay-per-view and on-demand channels should be available later this month. Discovery Channel touted a forthcoming 24/7 3D channel earlier this year at CES, but a launch date or distribution plan have yet to be announced.

Along with live action sports, console gaming might be what brings 3D to the masses. Last week, Sony added a third dimension to console gaming with a firmware update enabling 3D games on existing PlayStation 3 consoles. But right now, there are only four 3D PS3 game titles available. (Additionally, the company plans an additional PS3 firmware update that will enable 3D Blu-ray playback this fall.)

Where is 3D TV Headed?
Since 3D-enabled HDTV is in its infancy, it’s difficult to say just what the 3D home-theater landscape will look like in, say, a couple of years. Take 3D glasses, for example. The current crop of 3D HDTVs from Panasonic, Samsung, and Sony all require active shutter glasses for 3D viewing. At about $150 per pair, this necessary accessory adds considerable cost (not to mention the fashion ramifications). If you want to be able to enjoy 3D with family and friends, tack on at least another $600 to the price of an already expensive TV. And right now, there’s no universal standard, so not all manufacturers use the same glasses. It’s not guaranteed that your Sony glasses will work with a friend’s Panasonic 3D TV. At a 3D demo we attended recently, Panasonic’s glasses worked with a Samsung 3D TV, but Samsung’s glasses didn’t work correctly with the Panasonic sets.

Also, there are competing 3D technologies in the wings. JVC is developing HDTVs that can show 3D using less-expensive passive glasses, but the sets themselves will cost a lot more. Hitachi and Toshiba are working on sets based on parallax barrier technology that won’t require glasses at all. (Reportedly, this is the same technology Nintendo will employ on its forthcoming portable 3D gaming system, the3DS.)

That’s not to say there hasn’t been any progress on standardization. The Blu-ray Disc Association has a standard for 3D Blu-ray discs, and the HDMI consortium has released cable standards for connecting other 3D-capable devices to your TV.

Even so, buying a 3D HDTV set-up today is an expensive and potentially risky proposition. The 3D home-entertainment market is sure to change as additional standards shake out and preferred 3D technologies rise to dominate the market. If you’re a sports fan, or an avid gamer, however, 3D is worth exploring—just be ready to pay for it.