It’s… sorry about this… it’s… um… footage from 1953 of the Queen’s coronation year. In 3D.

Not exactly what I had in mind, but the news that Channel 4 is going to run a week of primetime 3D content this Autumn is just one more step along 3D’s road to the mainstream. The line-up also includes a Derren Brown special and a selection of 3D movies, and it’ll all be possible with your existing TV set – all you’ll need is a pair of special specs from Sainsbury’s.

Now, this worries me a bit. I’ve seen the type of technology Sky is planning to use – with a 120Hz TV set required – and it works well. Really well. By contrast, the simpler method used by broadcasts such as this isn’t so immersive. My recent feature, 3D: Coming to a Screen Near You, explains the differences.

My worry is that, by beating Sky to the punch like this, Channel 4 could be merely extending the disappointment most viewers feel when they buy one of those cheap 3D DVDs, with cardboard glasses in the box. Too many people have an idea of 3D that’s based on outdated technology, and it takes a real 3D viewing experience to alter that misconception.

Channel 4 will be using ColorCode 3D glasses, which use amber and blue filters to produce the 3D effect. I’m sure it’s new technology, and I’m ready to admit I’m wrong when the broadcasts begin, but that sounds to me like a backward step, not only from the active-shutter technology used by Sky and Nvidia, but also even from the polarised glasses used in current 3D cinemas.

What sort of damage could be done if the nation tunes in and watches with an underwhelming collective shrug? To be fair, the technology has been tried in America for an episode of Chuck, and the reaction was apparently positive.

I really want the same reaction to occur in the UK, so I’ll be switching to Channel 4 in the coming weeks with my fingers and toes firmly crossed. Will you?