Maybe.... Wiring up all the seats wouldn't be trivial, especially in a concrete building, like the National.
Also, and I'm speaking from sad experience here, it'd be waaaay easier to persuade a sponsor to underwrite branded glasses than it is to solicit donations for an infrastructure project.
Though they may be less robust, if the glasses break you can hand the patron another pair; when the seat-back LCD goes on the fritz you'll have to move them to another seat, which is always disruptive, and not always possible.
Overall, I suspect the glasses end up being much cheaper.
I assumed the parent was referring to an asynchronous, staticly rendered offline protocol running over paper. The cellulose displays are hosted in marsupial pouches stitched into the seat in front of you.
Perhaps I am mistaken and some theaters have gone full xzibit on all the seats.
Also, and I'm speaking from sad experience here, it'd be waaaay easier to persuade a sponsor to underwrite branded glasses than it is to solicit donations for an infrastructure project.
Though they may be less robust, if the glasses break you can hand the patron another pair; when the seat-back LCD goes on the fritz you'll have to move them to another seat, which is always disruptive, and not always possible.
Overall, I suspect the glasses end up being much cheaper.