Panasonic's first 3-D TV set in $2,900 package

By http://www.boston.com/

(David Goldman/AP Images for Best Buy) Brad Katsuyama, holding a receipt, and wife Ashley, become the world's first consumers to purchase a Panasonic Full HD 3D system at Best Buy in New York on Wednesday March 10, 2010.

NEW YORK—Panasonic Corp. on Wednesday revealed the price for its first 3-D TV set, confirming that $3,000 is about what it takes to be among the first to watch 3-D movies in the home.

The Japanese company put its first 3-D sets on sale at an event in New York on Wednesday. Panasonic's suggested retail price is $2,900 for a 50-inch plasma set, one pair of glasses and a 3-D Blu-ray player. An extra pair of glasses costs $150.

South Korean competitor Samsung Electronics Co. announced Tuesday that its 3-D sets would go on sale this week. For $3,000, buyers get a 46-inch set, two pairs of glasses, a 3-D Blu-ray player and a 3-D copy of "Monsters vs. Aliens." There's also a 55-inch set available -- it's $3,300 for the set alone.

Both manufacturers plan to expand their 3-D lines rapidly. Rivals are on their heels: LG Electronics Inc. plans to put its 3-D sets on sale in May and Sony Corp. is bringing out its 3-D sets this summer.

The sets can switch between 3-D and regular 2-D mode, which doesn't require glasses.

There's a dearth of movies on 3-D discs, but studios are rushing to put them out. On Wednesday, Twentieth Century Fox, the studio arm of News Corp., said it would make "Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs" its debut title in 3-D Blu-ray.

© Copyright 2010 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.