1. 3D Arrives, Again
Three dimensional games and movies have entered the mainstream, yet doctors still have questions about stereoscopy’s long-term health affects.
Until 2009, 3D displays and movies had trouble taking root in theaters and living rooms. Stereoscopy, as it is more formally known, was confined to niche photography, cultish films and the Thriller ride at Disneyland. But with Avatar’s wild flights through Pandora, the technology has been given new life. Today manufactures want to shift the paradigm, envisioning 3D as the future of their screens in the same way HD was a decade ago.
Samsung sold 2 million 3D televisions in 2010 and Yoon Boo-geun, the company’s president of visual displays, expects (hopes) to sell more than 10 million sets in 2011. LG and HTC recently released the Optimus and the EVO 3D, respectively, which are high-end smartphones with 3D cameras and 3D displays. YouTube announced that its videos would be compatible with NVIDIA’s 3D vision hardware.
Throughout all of these developments, skeptics have voiced concerns. Some believe that parallax screens, which obviate the need for the foolish glasses, are still too primitive and cumbersome. Others worry that device manufactures aren’t in sync with content producers—games, movies, media—to accelerate demand for the technology. And finally there is the concern that we’ll never “need” 3D like we “need” features on our phones like texting or GPS—it’s merely an extravagance. Critics say features like texting and GPS have become a crucial part of the way we communicate and operate; nothing about 3D would make it as integral.
But what about the effects of stereoscopy on us—our bodies and minds? What is 3D doing to our brains? We may enjoy flying on alien horses through Pandora from the comfort of our couch, but is there a chance that this technology could harm us?
- 1. 3D Arrives, Again
- 2. How 3D Works: The Quick and Dirty
- 3. What Is 3D Doing to our Brains?
- 4. We Can Turn Off the 3D Screen; Can We Turn Off the Long Term Effects?
- 5. What About The “Vergence Accommodation Conflict?”
- 6. Other Visual Acrobatics Brought on During 3D Graphics
- 7. Are 3D Manufacturers Concerned About Health Effects?
- 8. And the 3D Future?
TG can you please stop putting tag lines such as "Three dimensional games and movies have entered the mainstream, yet doctors still have questions about stereoscopy’s long-term health affects." under the new heading for each page. I keep re-reading it. I'm sure other readers would have a similar annoyance. It should go under the main title.
Cheers.
There will be people more sensitive to 3D than others, I can't stand 3D on a small screen up close. i.e. computer monitor, even a 50-60 inch tv from 2-3m for only a short time ~ less than 30mins. But I am fine in the theater sitting anywhere from the from row to the back. Maybe there is a link to back-lit displays and projection type 3D?
This article is incredibly sensationalist. I read through it expecting to see actual discussions on the topic at hand, but all I found was "we'll we haven't proven that it *won't* hurt you," as if it's trying to egg me on to believe that it's going to kill me or something. I'll be getting the Evo 3D tomorrow (well, later today) and I don't think this is any cause for concern. I've played Minecraft for a few hours at a time using red/cyan anaglyph glasses, and while it's a bit hard to get used to, I can simply take them off at any time and the only adjusting I have to do is to the increased brightness (since I was only letting small bits of light through the filters.)
"Anyone who’s found the dinosaur in one of those patterned images in the mall...."
ummmm....there is a shark in that image....not a dinosaur.
This article is incredibly sensationalist. I read through it expecting to see actual discussions on the topic at hand, but all I found was "we'll we haven't proven that it *won't* hurt you," as if it's trying to egg me on to believe that it's going to kill me or something. I'll be getting the Evo 3D tomorrow (well, later today) and I don't think this is any cause for concern. I've played Minecraft for a few hours at a time using red/cyan anaglyph glasses, and while it's a bit hard to get used to, I can simply take them off at any time and the only adjusting I have to do is to the increased brightness (since I was only letting small bits of light through the filters.)
So, you're saying the topic isn't something we should be writing about? Sorry--I disagree. I think a lot of people are concerned about this, a lot of people are affected by it, and that justifies our coverage. While, after doing our research, we did not come up with a "smoking gun" linking 3D viewing to biological harm, I think we made clear just how little information scientists have thus far gleaned about the topic, and that more research is clearly needed.
"the technology has been given knew life."NEW
Thank you.
TG can you please stop putting tag lines such as "Three dimensional games and movies have entered the mainstream, yet doctors still have questions about stereoscopy’s long-term health affects." under the new heading for each page. I keep re-reading it. I'm sure other readers would have a similar annoyance. It should go under the main title.Cheers.
Thanks for the feedback.
You will go crazy that's what 3D TV will do to you.
I think this was a great article. I personally am not a fan of 3d, mostly due to poor presentation and high cost. I've never had any of the mentioned side effects, but I am glad to know what to look out for, a red flag you could say. I don't trust 3d personally, I don't have any of the products and do not let my 4yr old watch 3d content. I appreciate the summation of the research going into 3d right now and look forward to more conclusive results in the future. Thanks TG for doing this article.
Good article. 3D causes my wife to have severe migraines, which she's prone to anyway, but 3D aggravates it. I think she only caught half of avatar when her dad decided to take us to it in 3D. That, and other effects are why we need to pursue hologram research! Then our brain won't know the difference between the holo-actors and real people! (thinking multiple projectors at different points in a dedicated holo-room sort of like the holodeck. Maybe without the interactive part just yet....)
It is highly irresponsible to say microwaves are an overblown concern: http://articles.mercola.com/sites/ [...] zards.aspx
3D, irregardless of where I see it (a TV or a theater screen), gives me migraines. It's doing something my brain doesn't like, and I know I'm not the only one.
I never experience fatigue watching digital 3D movies at the theater or using 3D Vision on a PC. As far as 3D HDTV's I cannot say as no one I know has one. I think the real problem is that, even with the newer digital 3D technologies, we are still using stereoscopic principles to accomplish the effect. It's really nothing more than a "parlor trick" as it were (albeit much higher quality). I agree with dread_cthullhu. What we really need is "real" 3D technology that produces real 3D photo-realistic holographic images. Anyone know any news about any companies working on this currently? I haven't heard anything... or is it simply not going to happen anytime soon?
Perhaps these nauseating effects would be alleviated if they showed less crappy movies.
Thank you! I always wanted to write in my site something like that. Can I take part of
seragam
There will be people more sensitive to 3D than others, I can't stand 3D on a small screen up close. i.e. computer monitor, even a 50-60 inch tv from 2-3m for only a short time ~ less than 30mins. But I am fine in the theater sitting anywhere from the from row to the back. Maybe there is a link to back-lit displays and projection type 3D?
This makes sense. To focus on an object close to you requires to you use the muscles in your eyes, which can get tiresome after a few seconds. Objects farther than a few yards are effectively "at infinity" as far as your focussing muscles are concerned so both eyes point directly straight ahead. In this position, the eye muscles are relaxed.
Holograms please
wow spammers spammed the life out of the comments lol...... AND TOMS FIX THE INABILITY TO COMMENT ON IE9 FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THAT IS HOLY!!
"But those are monkeys. While they are certainly predictive in many cases, they are not humans."
No, our brains work close enough that if we don't see malignant side effects in monkeys, we're going to be ok too, so stop spreading FUD.
To reverse this stupid quote, are you saying that if there were side effects then you also would say "Hey, sure there are side effects, but that's only in monkeys, so we don't know what would happen in humans", if that is the case, wtf did you run the tests for anyway? since no matter what they say you're going to claim that "hey, it does not apply if it does not let me spread FUD"?
Oh god those poor baby monkey, I really hope for their sake they didn't have to watch Avatar 3D on a non-stop loop for those 3 months.. It might not effect their eyes, but I would imagine it could bring on suicidal urges. I just wish the movie producers would actually invest time in fixing the issue with the actual movie content instead of having to make it 3D. Just one more case of eye candy replacing any actual watchable content..