At the IFA electronics fair in Berlin, Sony said on Wednesday that it is developing its own platform for film distribution to TVs, and next year it intends launching a television capable of showing 3D images.

The Sony attempt, apparently aimed at boosting the sales of its flat TV sales, would mark the consumer electronics company's endeavors for a big haul in the direction of popularizing 3D movies, TV and computer games.

A part of Sony's Bravia LCD range, the 3D TVs, to be launched in 2010, would necessitate the use of special glasses by the users, for a 3D effect. The glasses will be equipped with special filters that will switch on and off at high speed, to correspond to the images coming from the TV sets.

Apart from the 3D TVs, Sony intends adding the 3D compatibility to its other electronics products, including the PlayStation 3 games consoles; the Blu-ray Disc players; and the Vaio laptops. In fact, the Blu-ray Disc Association has already assured that it would be adding 3D support to the format, thereby facilitating the creation of a common standard for content on video discs.

Referring to movies, sports and computer games as key areas where the 3D technology would likely have its greatest affect, Sony CEO Howard Stringer during a news conference: "3D is clearly on its way to the mass market."