Animation giants have vowed this year to turn three-dimensional technology into a fixture in your living room. The quest to deliver 3-D television shows, movies and videogames to homes will be a hot topic at the Consumer Electronics Show, which kicks off Wednesday night in Las Vegas. One key hurdle: persuading users to wear special glasses associated with most 3-D technologies. Companies including Samsung Electronics, Mitsubishi Electric and Hyundai IT have begun selling what they call "3-D ready" TV sets. These sets refresh the images at high speed to help reduce the headache-inducing tendencies of early 3-D offerings. …

Certain segments of out-of-home media are poised for healthy growth this year, including all digital components. Fastest growing will be cinema advertising, in-store networks, digital billboards and other alternative displays. Traditional out of home -- led by Clear Channel, CBS Outdoor and Lamar Advertising -- is still the largest segment of the industry. It is facing the same challenges as other traditional media, but unlike other media, there still seems to be plenty of activity from advertisers. Estimates put the OOH business at flat to up 2%, which is good but far below the medium's high single-digit …

It will be at least 36 months before the ad and media businesses will benefit from a national refocus on environmental studies, energy development, medical advances and infrastructure improvements, says media consultant Jack Myers. In the meantime, the media needs to recalibrate its future and purpose. Myers believes that celebrity-based reality TV series and "Page Six" style gossip have seen their day. Reality shows that dehumanize and humiliate participants will no longer be ratings winners. How-to programming that teaches us how to accomplish something worthwhile will be valued. Positive stories of human achievement will be more successful than …

California regulators plan to curb the growing power use of TV sets by drafting the nation's first rules requiring retailers to sell only the most energy-efficient models, starting in 2011. The consumer electronics industry opposes the regulations, expected to pass in mid-2009, claiming they could remove some TVs from store shelves and slightly boost sticker prices. But the California Energy Commission is looking for ways to relieve the strain on the power grid. Officials say the standards would reduce the state's annual energy needs by an amount equivalent to the power consumed by 86,400 homes. Don't be surprised …

WPP will cut several thousand jobs in upcoming months, largely in Western Europe and North America. WPP businesses are expected to cut jobs anywhere staff costs exceed 60% of revenue, to meet internal guidelines. The company employs more than 100,000 people worldwide. The reduction will be offset by increases in staff in South America, Eastern Europe and Asia, where client demand is holding up overall and even expanding in public relations and market research. Some WPP shareholders are concerned about debt levels following WPP's acquisition of rival TNS last summer. But experts say that WPP is well …

As advertisers fly into economic turbulence this year, media shops will be helping them shift dollars to ad platforms that offer a better return on investment. Shops are redoubling efforts to develop new offerings, metrics and strategic services to improve clients' ROI. "Flexibility is key in the marketplace, in the deals we negotiate, with our staffing levels and in our ability to move quickly," says Bill Koenigsberg, CEO of Horizon. The gainers will be cable and digital, as well as big TV events, says Initiative U.S. president Tim Spengler. "The question is: what is big mass-media event and …

Even the biggest proponents of broadcast TV networks have begun to see a day when they will look more like cable networks than not. At least one broadcast network may have to find a new way of operating in the near future, say experts. That network is likely to NBC or CBS. As network ratings chip away and more cable outlets produce must-see programs, it's just a matter of time before a top-rated cable network reaches as many people a weak broadcast outlet. CBS CEO Leslie Moonves, for instance, hints that the traditional relationship of broadcasting content through a …

As the stumbling economy cuts deeply into revenues, news organizations are redefining what it means to compete. Papers around the country have tried to mitigate their staff cuts by forging partnerships with former rivals. For instance, The Dallas Morning News and the Fort Worth Star-Telegram started sharing photos in November. All three major daily newspapers in South Florida formed a loose news partnership, while five papers in Maine and eight in Ohio are sharing content they gather and produce. In doing so, readers could lose another voice, and journalists their competitive drive. But cooperation is a …