The new 3D site of Samsung Australia has included important health and safety information for buyers to read before they or their children use the 3D function available on 3D displays and Blu-ray players. Children, being more liable to 3D side effects, should be closely supervised. Pregnant women, the elderly, persons suffering from serious medical conditions, sleep deprivation or under the influence of alcohol are advised to avoid 3D altogether.
The full text follows (it is also available as a printable PDF file).
Warning
Children and teenagers may be more susceptible to health issues associated with viewing in 3D and should be closely supervised when viewing these images.
Photosensitive seizure warning and other health risks
Some viewers may experience an epileptic seizure or stroke when exposed to certain flashing images or lights contained in certain television pictures or video games. If you suffer from, or have a family history of epilepsy or strokes, please consult with a medical specialist before using the 3D function.
Even those without a personal or family history of epilepsy or stroke may have an undiagnosed condition that can cause photosensitive epileptic seizures.
Pregnant women, the elderly, sufferers of serious medical conditions, those who are sleep deprived or under the influence of alcohol should avoid utilising the unit's 3D functionality.
If you experience any of the following symptoms, stop viewing 3D pictures immediately and consult a medical specialist:
Altered vision
Lightheadedness
Dizziness
Involuntary movements such as eye or muscle twitching
Confusion
Nausea
Convulsions
Cramps
Disorientation
Children and teenagers may be more likely than adults to experience these symptoms. Parents should monitor their children and ask whether they are experiencing these symptoms.
Viewing 3D television may also cause motion sickness, perceptual after effects, disorientation, eye strain and decreased postural stability. It is recommended that users take frequent breaks to lessen the potential of these effects. If your eyes show signs of fatigue or dryness or if you have any of the above symptoms, immediately discontinue use of this device and do not resume using it for at least thirty minutes after the symptoms have subsided.
Watching TV while sitting too close to the screen for an extended period of time may damage your eyesight. The ideal viewing distance should be at least three times the screen height. It is recommended that the viewer's eyes are level with the screen.
Watching TV while wearing 3D glasses for an extended period of time may cause a headache or fatigue. If you experience a headache, fatigue or dizziness, stop viewing TV and rest.
Do not use the 3D glasses for any other purpose than for viewing 3D television. Wearing the 3D glasses for any other purpose (as general spectacles, sunglasses, protective goggles, etc.) may be physically harmful to you and may weaken your eyesight.
Viewing in 3D may cause disorientation for some viewers. Accordingly, DO NOT place your TV television near open stairwells, cables, balconies, or other objects that can be tripped over, run into, knocked down, broken or fallen over.
Guidelines for in-home viewing
To watch in 3D mode you need to put the 3D glasses on and press the power button on top of the glasses [this latter part may vary depending on the specific brand].
Turn off all fluorescent lighting and block sources of direct sunlight before watching in 3D mode. Fluorescent lighting may cause a flickering effect and direct sunlight may affect the operation of the 3D glasses.
Leave it to Australia to be on top of things like these possible health issues from too much 3D viewing. Australia is a great country - love it! BTW I saw Avatar 3D in Sydney at the IMAX theatre (largest in the world at 8 stories high) on opening day!
I think 3D was the only thing missing from the movie Idiocracy. Goes to show there was little R&D into the home technology. All to ride the wave and make a buck. I hope 3D in the home dies. I am for it in the theaters, as it should be a treat (like IMAX and drive-in theaters), but should not be something "standard".
Try reading the text, NOT what you think it implies. NOTHING in the text says 3-D can kill you; it's just a laundry list of possible effects to keep the lawyers at bay. It's prudent action, NOT the death of 3-D (or its viewers).
Or maby they have to be absolutely sure to include everything they can think of in the warning so that people dont have any imaginable reason to sue them for wrong/bad use of the product, there is warnings on everything, we just dont read it. Since 3d tv is a brand new product line they better include everything in the warning! smart of samsung
I Just looked at the Samsung 3D TV at an audio video retailer last week. Within a short time
i got a headache. My take on This 3D for the home is that most people will not want to wear those glasses for extended periods.3D for the theaters is where it should stay. I had seen Avatar in IMAX 3D. it was Amazing. But imagine watching TV shows on going in 3D all the time
It could become a major problem. At best 3D in the home will be a small market.
I just think that 3D is not for everybody.To each is own.Give it several years we will be hearing some not good stuff about it.We won't see it now but the effects of it will come out later.
Kind of like those sun deflectors that you put up in the windshield when you park your car... they actually have a warning on them telling you not to drive the car with them in place. We used to joke about it all the time when I worked for Autozone.
Anyway, personally I think that 3D is a passing craze. It sounds like a good idea, but once people get it home and find out how much of a pain in the a$$ it's going to be they will find themselves using it less and less.
I watched Avatar in 3D too and all I can say is that I had a headache watching the first thirty minutes of the movie.I noticed that my eyes took awhile to get adjusted to it.But for me personally,3D for theatres only not for the home.Give it several years and we will be hearing some people having health issues regarding this as far as their sight goes.
I think theatre 3D technology has improved significantly. I remember going to Disney World and watching those 4D experience rides/shows and leaving with nausea and headaches. They only lasted 20 minutes. I made it at least to Avatar's final act before feeling eye strain. But now that I think of it, Only 5 minutes with the Samsung at BB left my eyes and head slightly unhappy. So there goes my theory... still gonna post this... feel free to ignore now that it has no purpose
I love the parade of idiots that ensue after a post like this. Did you guys know the Sun can give you cancer, if you drink too much water it will kill you, and Diabetes is linked to Obesity?
Theater 3D is different than in-home 3D due to active shutter glasses. Anyone who saw Avatar in the theater experienced it through passive glasses. Therefore you witnessed crosstalk and ghosting which are the major causes of Nausea and Headaches.
In-home 3D uses active shutter glasses. These help eliminate crosstalk and ghosting. The best viewing experience would take place on 3D plasmas. It is the fastest technology on the market. Samsung LED LCD's still have crosstalk and ghosting because the technology doesn't meet the necessary response time. It is an improvement over the theater but nowhere near as solid as 3D plasma (bring on the Plasma myth comments!)
By the way, it isn't recommended that children, pregnant women, or anyone under the influence operate heavy machinery.
That's nice important information,but will the manufactures bring down prices of their existing LED Tv's,Hi End LCD Tv's,And Full HD Plasmas...Since iam always intresated in buying bigger sized screens..Say 50 to 60 inches screen sizes ! And iam not intreasted in 3D Tv's since i hate to wear glass...And i do not want my children to watch television content in 3D.And i do not know the effects of using these glasses long term.Since the techonology is still in infant stage,lots of changes are yet to come.
And by the way they should concentrate in making better standard BD players which has less of seek time.i.e the player should start fast(Quick Play).
And i have observed that all modern techonologies seem to hardly last not more than just 3 years flat.Then once again you have to buy something new at least to prove your neighbour that you are a tech savy.
This is sort of like those warnings "if erections persist for more than four hours consult a doctor..." kind of things. DO not 3D while texting and driving at the time, do not 3D while opening cans of spinach and drinking vodka, do not 3D if pregnant and roller skating. Not for persons in a coma, and so forth...
So when I come home from the pub with all of these symptoms
* Altered vision
* Lightheadedness
* Dizziness
* Involuntary movements such as eye or muscle twitching
* Confusion
* Nausea
* Convulsions
* Disorientation
and are to drunk to remember not to watch TV, what do I do then?
Pretty much the same warnings any video game, tv or the like has. There is always some person out there that has to be seizure prone to ruin it for the rest of us (I jest, don't down rank me)
Anyways, 3D while under the influence - HELLO! You know people are going to try it
So many people (not home theatre gents) but regular Joe-blow or grandpa have just spent $$$ on newer TV's. they are not going to spend more $$$ on a new TV, new bluray, and sit and wear stupid glasses
I agree with the person who said keep 3-D in the theaters. Anyway aren't they trying to get mass adopters for blu ray? If they flood the market with different formats it aint going to work. Make it simple and to the point, it's hard enough to try to tell someone who loves DVD that now that format is inferior compared to blu ray and yet now there is another blu ray format? Give me a break I will not be satisifing their greed, I already traded up hundreds of DVD titles to blu and I'm not doing it again...
The problem is that most 3D so far anyway has really been targetted at kids and teens. Now it seems this market may find excessive 3D to be hazardous to their vision. Perhaps this aspect should have been investigated before bringing 3D to the home theatre market. Vision is precious.
I've been saying for months that 3D is being driven by marketing types not the technical guys at the big TV manufacturers. It is being rushed to market too soon and is likely as a result going to be doomed to either failure or to a very slow adoption curve. The Austalian health warnings further reinforce my views and also identify a new problem with 3D I'd never really considered. There's lots to consider.
You can't have a technology that works by kidding your brain into thinking you're seeing something that you're not. This is NOT the same as surround sound, folks!
I'm still trying to understand why we need to upgrade beautiful raw 1080p as-is Blu-ray? That combined with Lossless audio defines near perfection in my book...and as bonus, no headaches or nausea.
I remember seeing this exact same warning for the first time back in the early 90's on the first Sonic the Hedgehog video game. Relax people, it's just a giant corporation trying to be proactive in saving their own asses!!
Do I hear the shot that killed 3D. Some of those side affects are better than the non prescription drugs (and prescription drugs) that you can find at the store.
Personally I feel that IMAX 3D is far superior to standard theater 3D experiences. I saw Alice in Wonderland and How to train your Dragon in IMAX 3D and it was a much better 3D experience than my standard theater 3D experiences.
That being said I agree that 3D should be reserved for the theater experience. I am so pleased with 2D Blu-Ray that I can't imagine the 3D experience at home being a significant leap in entertainment value. But who knows, technology in the end may be able to deliver a great 3D experience in the home after time, trial and error.
As to the safety issue I'm certain we'll find out how many people actually experience these symptoms when more and more consumers get these 3D TVs in their homes.
Vince Bond: you hit the nail right square on the head!
I don't think it's a death knell for 3D TV. It's only the companies CTA! There will be people, mark my words, who'll try to sue for the craziest, darnest things as many of you have already pointed out. You know, you gotta CYA, right? They're nothing more than supernumerary clauses designed just for that. Like the Excedrin Migraine label says: "Aspirin may cause a severe allergic reaction which may include: hives, facial swelling, asthma, shock." So, if you have these symptoms but use the product anyway and ignore the warning, you can't sue them if you get sick, nor can your relativies if you die from it.
Wow I see an opportunity here. I think I'll invest in some Norvartis Consumer Health, Inc. shares. Man 3D TV is going to spawn a lot of health problems and people seeking remedies.
I am going to get rich off 3D TV. Yippee!
Ahahahaha, as soon as I saw the title of this thread I knew all the haters would come back out of the closet for more hate. Feel the hate. Let it flow through you. Join the dark side.
So you can't watch 3d TV when you're drunk? Major Fail!! My take, it didn't work the first time around, and it won't work this time either. Why are they so damn persistent in trying to force 3d on us. I just don't get it...
JESUS.... Look at this essay!!! I knew I wasn't crazy when I had a headache after watching Avatar in 3D along with some eye strain.
All of this will be conveniently and neatly tucked away in some throw-away pamphlet included with the equipment; the print will probably be microscopic. The industry has too much behind this whole 3D agenda to allow this kind of an impediment to stagnate sales. I wonder if we'll even see anything that remotely resembles this information in the states. After all, let us not forget what this is all REALLY about ($$$).
Hey, nice spectacular comet! Caution! Anger may be hazardous to your health. Don't stir the pot or rake the muck. You're just spurring them onward in their cause.
May the force be with you no matter which side you're on.
I heard that if you get wasted and put on those glass, you'll be seeing things in 3-D the rest of your life.......and if you watch a 3-D movie while your pregnant....well, you just don't wanna do that! It has the same effects of smoking and consuming alcohol.
....wait, that doesn't make sense!
This is actually serious. I had a major migraine after watching Avatar in 3D.
My wife had a severe headache and nausea after seeing Polar Express in 3D at the theater. It lasted for hours! I've had a hard time convincing her to try 3D again after that one. We did get to Avatar and she made it through this time, but she's not anxious to see anything in 3D now.
Is it just me or do the people who seem to be complaining of headaches tend to be those who are middle-aged+ and who actually have the money to buy these things?
The one thing that has caught my attention most is the repeated comments about headaches from seeing Avatar and Alice in Wonderland. That is the Achilles' heel of 3D. I know, not everyone gets them. Personally I was fine for both, but if there are that many people experiencing negative side effects from 3D it will never become as common place as they would like.
As for myself, I wish they would just leave it in the theaters. Give me a reason to go out and see a movie with some friends. They complain as it is about sales not being high enough.
If it is common place it cannot be special, if it's not special why would you spend $15 to see it.
Not only do I hope 3D stays in the theater, where the experience rightfully belongs, but we should get a choice to watch a new movie in either 3D or 2D, like Clash of the Titans. I didn't want to see Alice in Wonderland in 3D, but I had no choice in the matter.
They put the same stuff in the front of video game manuals. If the box office isn't a clue, the people howling about 3D are a minority. I don't personally know anyone who is physically affected by 3D, the negative side-effects can't be THAT prevalent.
This 3D is completely different from 3D in the theatre.
The constant alternating of the lenses could easily produce seizures in [B]susceptible[/B] individuals (not the general population). This is the same warning included with most video game consoles.
It's "completely different than the 3D in the theater" only in the technical implementation. The end result to your eye is the same, it sees a rapidly flickering image.
Photosensitive Seizure Warning
A very small percentage of people may experience a seizure when exposed to certain visual images, including flashing lights or patterns that may appear in video games. Even people who have no history of seizures or epilepsy may have an undiagnosed condition that can cause these "photosensitive epileptic seizures" while watching video games.
These seizures may have a variety of symptoms, including lightheadedness, altered vision, eye or face twitching, jerking or shaking of arms or legs, disorientation, confusion, or momentary loss of awareness. Seizures may also cause loss of consciousness or convulsions that can lead to injury from falling down or striking nearby objects.
Immediately stop playing and consult a doctor if you experience any of these symptoms. Parents should watch for or ask their children about the above symptoms - children and teenagers are more likely than adults to experience these seizures.
The risk of photosensitive epileptic seizures may be reduced by taking the following precautions:
Play in a well-lit room
Do not play when you are drowsy or fatigued
If you or any of your relatives have a history of seizures or epilepsy, consult a doctor before playing.
http://www.microsoft.com/games/home/photosensitive_warning.aspx
I guess Microsoft will be closing their doors any day now.
Even at the biggest theatre level , thise thing with 3D has it,s side effect on many people , Avatar was my first 3D experience at the theatre...omg it was so painfull experience seating in the theatre for allmost 3 hours with those stupid glasses, though i had to take about 5 differenets break's during the movie just to relief my self from the pain in my eyes and the headashe i was having, i hated it so much , now that iam even going to skip watching Clash of the titan at the theatre just because it,s playing in 3D version in all the big theatre.
This 3D thing is just an another gimmik and eventualy it will fade away and die but i hope it will happen soon and not take too long , because the more it stays the more it,s going to distroy our children and people who have had a healthy life.
HILARIOUS!!!! Really funny stuff here! I personally couldn't care less about 3-D, and I agree with Blu-runner@ that we should always the choice between 2 or 3-D!
Sad to think our society has become so politically correct that they felt they should warn people about:
"Accordingly, DO NOT place your TV television near open stairwells, cables, balconies, or other objects that can be tripped over, run into, knocked down, broken or fallen over."
Is there an epidemic of people tripping over their TVs?
Give me a break. Has anyone else seen anyone act strange after watching a 3D movie?
If anyone has a problem in watching 3D, then recommend not watching any of the 3D movies that are being released on the big screen or blu rays...
Leave it to the Auzzies to add more color to something that isn't really there.
About watching 3D full time at home; I think it might be a bad idea. After you get over the woozy feeling, you get use to the affects. After watching 3D TV for a few hours, it might have a lasting effect. I think watching 3D at home is okay, but not enough to commit to buying a 3D TV. I think I'll keep watching 3D movies the ole fashion way... using my 3D colored glasses. This way, when I want to watch 3D, then all I have to do it flop a 3D blu ray in the player, spin it up and enjoy. When I want to watch a 2D show, the same, but without the colored glasses.
So if you want to take heed to the Auzzies about 3D, that is fine, but I think we are all taking the 3D too far. After all, didn't we just start buying blu ray more since the format war was over? Don't know about you, but I have already invested a ton of money into blu ray and don't plan on adding anymore until another 5 to 10 years from now. Depending on how long my HDTV and blu ray player will last.
It's not hate it is a serious matter, I had a friend die from having a seizure and it's not cool. I can't even watch 3-D movies because of the headaches, I been saying that all along, But it will only take 1 child having a seizure who wasn't prior prone to seizures to kill this thing off for good.
Like someone said earlier in this thread, just die.....3D. How the public latches onto a obvious marketing gimmic, let alone something that isn't even remotely close to 3D, let alone something that looks so hokie. Hilarious!
Looks like half of the people posting in this thread have serious health problems. I know at least 50 people who watched Avatar in 3D in NONE of them got any headache. In fact some of them even watch the show twice in the same day without a single issue.
I think the people who complain about headaches after watching 3D should consider seeing a doctor. What you experience is not normal.
Stand by for mind control... 3D gives me a headache... Wonder how many liberal messages will be encoded in 3D movies? The headaches must come from fighting the subliminal liberal messages....
Wow, I don't want to buy something that relatives are going to be shipped to an emergency room from watching it. No alcohol while watching it. There goes any potential parties.
(sigh), Hollywood is filled with idiots. In Recent years ticket sales at the cinema hve been in rapid decline, because home theater has surpassed the movie going experience in every way. Then, finally, 3D comes along and begins to plant asses in the seats again, generating enormous profits, and giving people another reason to go to a commercial theater again. And what does hollywood do? They try and shove it down your throat and into your living room, and then if it catches on, (which I highly doubt), they will complain about low ticket sales again! Morons!?!
I just dont understand the attraction of this phoney looking 3D gimmick.... every few years they try to flog it and I cant believe people are actually falling for it this time.
I agree that the manufacturers are trying to cover all the bases in regards to lawsuits, but also agree with earlier comments that we'll still see lawsuits over 3D in the home (especially here in the lawsuit crazy USA). And I think it will be the eventual 3D GAMES that will be the big problem ... you may not watch 8 straight hours of 3D movies at home, but don't you think some kids/teenagers will play 8 straight hours of 3D 'Gears Of Whore' at home?
"Children and teenagers may be more susceptible to health issues associated with viewing in 3D and should be closely supervised when viewing these images."
"Children and teenagers may be more likely than adults to experience these symptoms. Parents should monitor their children and ask whether they are experiencing these symptoms. "
How many parents are going to have the free time to sit and observe their kids whenever they're watching 3D movies/playing 3D video games? How many teenagers WANT their parents watching them do anything? If the kids have bad reactions to 3D, some parent will sue, the company lawyers will say we warned you, the parents lawyer will prove that asking parents to observe their kids constantly is an impossible task that is unreasonable in modern society.
And as far as no alcohol while watching 3D TV ... I guess all future 3D Superbowl parties will have to be alcohol free (yeah, right).
Here's what Marc Pesce found, the virtual reality expert who helped Sega to develop a 3D headset in the '90s:
"He discovered that 'binocular dysphoria' is the price you pay for cheating the brain into imagining it sees depth cues on a flat surface. 'When the movie's over, and you take your glasses off, your brain is still ignoring all those depth perception cues' says Pesce; 'It'll come back to normal, eventually. Some people will snap right back. In others, it might take a few hours... this doesn't matter too much if you're going to see a movie in the theatre - though it could lead to a few prangs in the parking lot afterward - but it does matter hugely if it's something you'll be exposed to for hours a day, every day, via your television set.'
Pesce's shocking conclusion is that 3DTV will either 'die a quiet death', or manufacturers will 'see the biggest class-action lawsuit in the planet's history, as millions of children around the world realize that their televisions permanently ruined their depth perception'"
I guess my only conclusion from reading this and the above-referenced Samsung warning is have any of you heard of the company called TOYOTA! Some of you might think that Samsung is just protecting themselves in advance legally but clearly these WARNINGS should be taken seriously! Just MHO!
I also get headaches for the last 2 3D movies I saw and I NEVER get headaches either. So that really ended up turning me off now into wanting to buy a 3D TV for home unfortunately. I just hope that somehow, after perhaps 5-10 movies, my headaches will no longer develop....
I guess they are just preparing themselves for eventual complaints (like anything in life) from people who are stressed by the glasses/3D eventually.
3D Blu-ray could possibly take off, but I don't like the fact that you would need to wear 3d goggles. Remember the 3d glasses made of paper and thin sheets of colored transparent plastic sheets of paper? Many people don't know this, but these were made cheaply so that they could be discarded. People with eye infections who wear a set of 3d goggles and then share these goggles with someone else could potentially spread an eye disease! I've gone to a few movies in theaters that require goggles like Avatar and the recent Jim Carrey Scrooge and I did not see a single theater worker cleaning the goggles. Maybe it will take ignorance and someone to get an eye infection for people to take this more seriously.
Nowhere above does it even mention this. 3d sets need to be made in such a way that you don't need goggles. Only then will it be truly safe from spreading an eye infection.
Does this 3d news include the new "real d " glasses that the lenses are not red and blue? Since i have just pre-ordered the new television that plays real d format.
Can anyone send me a message or just let me know....
Thanks.
Noahk13
Anyone else see the irony in the first couple 3D movies being cartoons that were marketed for kids and this being the group most cautioned against wearing 3D glasses?
We already know there will be idiots doing any kind of drugs while watching 3D-films.
So I'm pretty sure there will be really sick people from using 3D in combination with other stuff.
I mean, OK, I can handle quite a lot, you know, rollercoasters, spinning rides and high speeds and all kinds of crazy motions and light-effects.
But I'm pretty positive that 3D would freak out my mind, cause it's so deceptive you know.
I already had that with plain video-games, after many hours, but still, eventually I saw and heard things from the games in real life.
I really became unwell for a while.
Now of course you won't be fed 3D-images constantly, but yeah, it still makes it more risky to the mind and thus body.
Also: "OK, I'm gunna get a drink. *gets up* Anyone else wanna have-*falls on face*..."
Probably best to pause it rather than getting up with 3D in motion. lol
I've been to almost every 3D movie done in the last 30+ years [theme park and regular 3D theaters and probably 20 plus movies], and I've never had a single problem with any of them. I saw a demo of Monster's VS. Aliens at the local Best Buy store and also had no issues there.
The only reason I won't do 3DTV in the home right now myself is that my HDTV is only a few years old, and I'm not willing to spend the cash right now. I might get a new Blu-ray player with 3D playability only because I'd like a 2nd player.
I do want to point out that I have a friend who's wife is subject to epileptic seizures and can't play video games due to that. However, she recently saw Avatar in 3D at the theater and had no issues from it. As yet, she hasn't tried to watch the BB 3D demo yet, so the jury is still out on that issue for her.
The new 
