Aside from the cost of buying 3-D TV sets, the glasses required to watch them are a major hindrance, according to a study released today by The Nielson Co. about consumer attitudes toward 3-D televisions.

Fifty-seven percent of people surveyed cited the glasses as a reason they were not likely to buy a set. Nearly nine in 10 people worry that it will constrain them from multitasking while the TV is on, the survey said.

“There is a lot of interest in 3-D TV but there are barriers that you have to overcome to make it a successful experience,” said Char Beales, president and CEO of the Cable & Telecommunications Association for Marketing.

The study suggests that the true breakthrough for the technology won’t come until sets are developed that allow 3-D viewing without the glasses,

The percentage of people who said they were interested in buying a 3-D set during the next year went down when these willing consumers were brought in to see how it worked, Nielsen said.

People are also concerned there is not enough 3-D programming available yet to make a purchase worthwhile.

More than three-quarters of people surveyed said 3-D viewing is best-suited to special events like sports or movies than regular TV viewing, the survey said.

Still, 52 percent of consumers who tried out 3-D televisions said it was a better experience than they had expected. And seven in 10 regular gamers expressed interest in playing games in 3-D, Nielsen said.

Nielsen conducted focus groups and a survey of 425 randomly selected people who answered questions and watched a 30-minute highlight reel of 3-D television. The margin of error is plus or minus 5 percent.