HDTV Expert - Is 3DTV Hazardous to Your Health?

[ronnie]

Well I don't know about the studies, polls or if there actually is a health problem. I do know that when my wife and I set through a demo she began to get dizzy and sick in the stomach in less than four minutes. I assume there are quite a few people out there that have fertigo issues that might prevent them from enjoying 3D. It does concern me that the eyes and brain have to be tricked in order to perceive pictures in 3D. What about young viewers under the age of ten? A lot may depend on how many hours a day one watches programs in 3D. Is one movie a day too much? If so why have it? Once 3D is more wide spread on cable and Sat. how many shows a day should you watch. Personally, I think threre is a lot of study that needs to be done. Certainly polls can tell you a percentage of folks who have had eyestrain, headaches or dizzyness when watching 3D, but the bigger question is does it cause any vision or nuerological damage. That may take years to find out. We will continue to watch our HDTV in 2D and high resolution and enjoy just as much as always.

[Roger Halstead]

They eyes work "for depth perception" by seeing different images from different angles. Depth perception varies from person to person, but it typically stops some where between 20 and 100 feet. Beyond that our brains do a comparative analysis or size comparison giving us the illusion of depth perception. I doubt there are many who haven't misjudged the distance of a car at night due to the headlights being closer together than most other cars. Our eyes adapt to colors and positions as well, with the brain adjusting colors to what it "knows" they have to be. I've worn both yellow and rose colored shooting glasses to enhance contrast. The rose ones are particularly surprising. Clouds become pink and the blue sky becomes green which we'd expect, BUT after a half hour of so the sky and clouds look normal. Take the glasses off and all of a sudden the sky and clouds will change color as if you are looking though colored glass or plastic. "That" is a filter your brain has created to make things look like what it expects.

However, like the large difference in depth perception, peoples tolerance for "flicker" varies widely. Even dance under strobe lights? It's an interesting experience. It can be fun, interesting, or for some, terrifying. Some actually have a problem standing up.

"I think" the phenomena of creating stereo on a movie screen or TV set works very much like normal stereoscopic vision with one exception and that is the the "flicker" that some may see and some do not. Many "gamers" can see refresh rates, or are conscious of them at far higher frequencies than I can see.

I've had passengers get vertigo when landing an airplane toward the sun late in the day. The low RPM of the propeller when landing can create a stroboscopic effect to which a few have been sensitive. It doesn't bother me and I have to fly the plane as well.

This type of thing, be it watching stereo movies or TV, being around strobe lights, or looking through something that causes a repetitive image (or flicker) is so common in every day life for most of us hardly notice. Although for some it can be very uncomfortable, I doubt it causes any damage. OTOH "they say" there are exceptions to every rule.

Normally people avoid things like this that make them uncomfortable and no one is going to force us to watch stereo TV or movies if they make us sick. I seriously doubt any one who goes to a movie and ends up with their head stuck in the popcorn bag (not for popcorn) is going to go back to repeat the experience. OTOH there are some really strange people "out there".<:-))