(WHAS11) - The success of Avatar and Alice in Wonderland in 3-D is breathing new life into what was once considered a cheesy gimmick.
Now it's making the leap from the big screen to your television.
The first 3-D TVs are now on sale.
In the 50s, families could only imagine sitting in their living room watching TV in color.
In the 60s, they could only dream of the day they'd hang a flat-panel TV on the wall.
But these days, we don't have to wait decades for technology to evolve.
This time it's bringing us into a whole new dimension.
"3-D is here and it is here to stay," says Tim Baxter, President of Samsung Electronics America.
Looking for more depth from your TV? It can be yours for $2,600 to $3,300.
The big screen 3-D blockbusters Avatar and Alice in Wonderland have helped revolutionize demand on the small screen.
Here's how it works: 3-D cameras have two lenses close together, capturing two images and sent to us in two sets, one image for each eye.
The new 3-D glasses lenses open and close rapidly melding the two images together, giving the image of depth and the feeling that's it right in front of our face.
But some say it is still out of reach because the glasses aren't universal and the 3-D content is lacking.
It's not just TV; video games are also transitioning into 3-D. You can already find more than 8,000 YouTube videos in 3-D online.
Doctors are even using 3-D video as a tool to show their students how to perform arthroscopic surgery. It is quite an eye opener for the 1960's critic who originally called television “Chewing gum for the eyes.” Surely, he didn't picture this.
ESPN is planning to roll out its 3-D network in June beginning with the World Cup soccer match between South Africa and Mexico.
Sony, Discovery and I-Max are all set to launch a 3-D network next year.
