There are more 3D TV options than ever. Does it really matter though? Consumers are still on the fence about the technology, according to a new study from Retrevo.

According to the company’s recent Pulse Study, about 33 percent of shoppers said that they were planning to buy an HDTV sometime within the next year. Of those potential TV buyers, 55 percent said that they are absolutely not interested in any type of 3D effects.

While this could be yet another reason to cry “oh—won’t 3D TV ever catch on,” you have to look at it from the glass-is-half-full perspective. That means that 45 percent are interested in 3D. When broken down, 22 percent were actually looking forward to buying a 3D TV, while 23 percent says it depends on the price difference.

The people that were against 3D TV cited 3D glasses (30 percent) to be a big turn-off to the technology. Passive 3D technology set out to solve some of the consumer gripes about 3D glasses. However, some say that the passive 3D image isn’t as good as the one projected by active 3D TVs. Of course, those comments are coming from the people that actually understand the technology. About 75 percent of survey responders have no idea what the difference is.

More consumers were concerned with content, with 40 percent saying that there just isn’t enough programming available to warrant having a 3D TV.

Panasonic bet pretty heavily on the whole 3D thing, and recently announced plans to scale back TV production. Sony also just announced (via Bloomberg) its own TV-related losses and restructure plans.

If you are on the fence, it would be wise to wait a little longer. Retrevo Pulse says that they expect a major drop in the 3D TV price premium this holiday season. 

Rachel Cericola - Contributing Writer

Over the past 15 years, Rachel Cericola has covered entertainment, web and technology trends. Check her out at www.rachelcericola.com.