News: Panasonic takes 3D on mall tour

With Christmas shopping in full swing, Panasonic is trying to entice consumers to invest in 3D for the home. The electronics manufacturer is launching a 14-city mall tour on Dec. 1 and a sweepstakes.

Panasonic’s “Unwrap 3D” tour will stop at New York, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles and San Francisco during Dec. 1-5 and Boston, Washington DC, Miami, Minneapolis, Houston, Phoenix and Seattle on Dec. 8-12.

On the tour, Panasonic will showcase its 3D products, including plasma TVs, 3D Blu-ray players, rechargeable 3D Active Shutter Eyewear and other 3D products, including its first 3D camcorder. And visitors to the mall tour will be able to enter to win the ultimate Panasonic Full HD 3D Home Entertainment system, which contains a Viera Full HD 3D Plasma TV, 3D Blu-ray Disc Home Theater In-A-Box, 3D Active Shutter Eyewear, 3D camcorder and LUMIX GH2 camera with interchangeable 3D lens.

The new 3D at home technology, which uses Active Shutter glasses and offers the same stereoscopic quality of 3D that’s now shown in theaters, requires an upgrade in equipment, including a 3D TV and 3D Blu-ray-ready player, both of which are pricey, and that will keep it out from under most Christmas trees this year with the economy still lagging.

Also, movies released on Blu-ray 3D are still very limited. However, studios did debut a number of titles this year, including some on the same day as the movie’s DVD and Blu-ray release, showing enthusiasm for the new product on their part.

Here’s a list of the titles available now and coming soon on Blu-ray 3D:

Available now

Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore (Warner)

A Christmas Carol (Disney)

Clash of the Titans (Warner)

Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs (Sony)

Imax movies Deep Sea 3D, Under the Sea 3D and Space Station 3D (Warner)

Monster House (Sony)

Open Season (Sony)

The Polar Express (Warner)

Dec. 7

Imax movies Grand Canyon Adventure: River at Risk, Wild Ocean and Dinosaurs Alive! (Image)

Dec. 14

Despicable Me (Universal)

Dec. 17

Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole (Warner)

Dec. 21

Step Up 3D (Disney)

Dec. 28

Resident Evil: Afterlife (Sony)

Jan. 4

Coraline (Universal)

Jan. 11

Piranha (Sony)

About S. Clark

Sam Clark is the former Managing Editor/Online Editor of Video Business magazine. With 19 years experience in journalism, 12 in the home entertainment industry, Sam has been hooked on movies on since she saw E.T. then stared into the sky waiting to meet her own friendly alien. Thanks to her husband’s shared love of movies, Sam reviews Blu-ray discs in a true home theater, with a 118-inch screen, projector and cushy recliners with cup holders.