There’s been a lot of talk about how video games, sports and Avatar will popularize the use of 3D televisions in the future, but one element hasn’t been talked about enough: adult films. In Japan in particular, adult videos equaled 108.6 billion yen ($1.2 billion) in 2009, or nearly a third of the overall video market.

“Adult videos will likely be an incentive for consumers to buy a 3-D TV,” said content analyst Yuji Fujimori, at Barclays Capital in Tokyo. “It s worth paying attention to the move because it s lack of content that s hindering expansion.”

Adult movie maker S1 No.1Style will release 3D X Mika Kayama and 3D X Yuma Asami, the first 3D porn movies in Japan, on June 7. Not so coincidentally , it comes the same month that Sony releases its 3-D Bravia TV models.

“I want to try it out,” said Satoshi Miyazaki, 33, who pays about 2,000 yen a month to watch adult cable channels. “I need something dramatic to justify replacing my TV. This could be the motivation.”

“Adult movie sales in Japan have dropped 15 percent since the peak year of 2006 due to the recession and free pornography online, but 3D may reverse the tide. 3D technology is just what the porn industry needed,” said Takashi Kadokura, an economist at BRICs Research Institute.

Sony expects 3D products to be a trillion yen business by March 2013. They’re looking to ship Vaio laptops that have 3D capabilities by the end of 2010, something Toshiya Shimizu may buy when it gets cheaper. “I want to rent the DVD first to see how good the image is,” said Shimizu. “I’d like to watch Yuma Asami in 3-D.”

Source: Business Week {link no longer active}