To view our videos, you need to
enable JavaScript. Learn how.
install Adobe Flash 9 or above. Install now.

Then come back here and refresh the page.

The second week of March 2010 may be remembered as the week TV consumers entered the third dimension. Thanks to a combination of timing, strategies, competition and other factors, the first batch of next-generation, 3-D TVs have hit store shelves.

Panasonic is joining with Best Buy for what both companies are billing as the first sale of the world's first full high-definition, 3-D home theater system. It's a claim that Samsung might take issue with, because it too is launching its own line of 3-D TVs and Blu-ray players.

Regardless of who ends up with the first big sale, it's obvious 3-D is the trendy feature that's pressuring consumers to upgrade their sets.

"I don't know if there's one 'aha' moment or mega-moment that's going to really push it over the top," says Jonas Tanenbaum of Samsung. "I think it's really a combination of different type of media. Whether it be broadcast or gaming or pre-packaged Blu-ray, I think, is really the key."

As for content, several PC video games have kicked it off with 3-D versions, some Blu-ray DVDs are on the shelves and around summertime ESPN, Discovery and other networks are planning all 3-D channels.

Most 3-D sets will run at least $300 to $500 more than an equally-sized 2-D model. Developers say the 3-D sets often offer other upgrades in terms of picture quality and connectivity.

However, the ultimate 3-D set may cost far more, as consumers may be trying to replicate the experience of going to a movie theater with a large television.

"Typically, when people experience 3-D, it's in a theater with a big screen and that really makes an impression on you. But when you start stepping down to a 50-inch model, it just doesn't quite have that same impact," says David Carnoy of CNET.com. "So ideally, you'd want a 60- or 65-inch set and that's probably too expensive for most people at this point."

It's a sentiment backed by a recent survey from market research firm NPD, which found about a third of consumers were at least “somewhat interested” in having a 3-D set. Those surveyed said their main concerns about 3-D TV are price, content availability and the inconvenience of having to wear glasses.