3D television is coming to a living room near you, as early as 2010.

As the economy worsens, the forecast for the TV market is looking grim. TV manufacturers are looking for ways to get people to purchase new TVs. 3D television might be the next gadget that manufacturers are betting on. Sony and Panasonic say they will release home 3D television systems in 2010; Mitsubishi and JVC are reported to be working on similar products.

At this year’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, four of the top selling TV manufacturers–Samsung Electronics, Sony, LG Electronics and Panasonic–showed off their latest versions of 3D TVs. Panasonic set up a mini-home theater where its 103-inch, plasma 3D screen showed clips from New Line Cinema’s Journey to the Center of the Earth and Walt Disney Pictures’ animated film Bolt. They also showed high-definition 3D footage from NBC’s broadcast of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.

Surprising, 3D TVs are not significantly more expensive than non-3D TVs. Samsung and Mitsubishi currently sell their 3D-ready TVs for between $1,000 and $2,800, depending on functionality. So, if you are currently in the market to upgrade you old TV, it may make sense to purchase one with 3D capability. However, no one is jumping out of their seats to upgrade their 2-3 years old digital TVs to 3D-ready. The reason, there isn’t much 3D content available yet.

Three-dimensional movies have been around since the 1950s. And for most of its lifespan the technology has been seen more as a gimmick than something that truly enhances the movie-going experience. But newer technology and advanced special effects are helping 3D movies break into the mainstream.

The biggest push for 3D might be coming from Hollywood. DreamWorks announced last year that all of its films will be produced for 3D production starting in 2009. ESPN is currently test-recording some sporting events in 3D, using cameras with two sets of lenses, which would make football players appear to jump out of home television screens during live 3D broadcasts.

There are some drawbacks to watching 3D broadcasts. For one, to get the really cool 3D experience without getting a massive head-ache, consumers will have to wear special glasses when they’re watching TV in 3D. The glasses are needed because 3D imaging requires sending a different image to each eye. And the glasses help merge the images in the mind and trick the brain into thinking that it’s seeing a single 3D image. Without the glasses, the images looked fuzzy.

Also there are concerns that 3D broadcasts, which require twice the data, will gobble up an unworkable amount of television bandwidth. There is no standard way to get 3D footage from the movie studios or from a live broadcasts to the home. Some companies are beginning to develop standards, but there’s no guarantee that one common standard with emerge. We could end up with the HD DVD vs Blu-Ray fiasco again.

Shane Sturgeon, publisher of HDTV Magazine, said “from what I’ve seen from most of the manufacturers, it’s just not there yet,” he said of 3-D TV technology. “I think right now, the technology — whether you’re talking about the refresh rate or the strobing or the glasses — there are too many things right now that get in the way of enjoyment of the film for it to kick off.”