3D Will Melt Eyeballs While Blowing Mind, Declares Samsung

Nope, this is not an Onion article, though the headline might have you thinking otherwise…

Samsung Corp. has released a warning regarding its 3D televisions… you know the ones you don’t yet own due to the technology being in the early adopter phase.  On its 3D TV page, a link directs potential and actual consumers to an advisory that is a reminder of what many of our parents used to tell us… Kids! Don’t sit to close to that TV set, you’ll ruin your eyes!!And apparently it can fiddle with your brain, causing things like epilepsy or stroke along with a list of other mind-altering sensations such as light-headedness, confusion and disorientation (especially severe when watching anime, J-horror and kung-fu klassics… haw haw).  But wait, there’s more! You might also feel such physical affects as nausea, motion sickness, cramps and convulsions(!) along with other involuntary eye and muscle movements.

Might as well go ahead and buy that living room rollercoaster while you’re at it.

While it’s not as if IMAX and 3D theatrical films don’t issue the same types of warnings, for the hi-def home theater this poses a question as to just how often one should be viewing 3D content once it is available beyond a single Masters tournament broadcast.  With the future of 3D coming fast upon us, the very real possibility of living room lifestyle change is becoming apparent, with a need for greater viewing space to appreciate the 3DHD image and so as to not cause damage to oneself.  We’ve seen this happen with the advent of the Wii, which caused people to shun feng shui and wii-arrange their living rooms for enough space to swing a virtual golf club or smash onscreen tennis balls with a wicked backhand.  It’s becoming apparent that big screen 3DTVs will need a bit more viewing distance to truly enjoy the experience… but now there’s also these health reasons.  Though this might not affect sales significantly (or at all), it may lead to a rise in liability claims for companies that manufacture 3D televisions, hence Samsung’s notice to consumers.

Samsung’s warning specifically points to children and teenagers (the likely market for most 3D TV movie and video game content) as particularly susceptible to the detrimental effects of 3D viewing, and noting that the big cause for the potential harm might come from the way the 3D glasses or screen images interact with fluorescent and direct sunlight.  This bodes poorly for RPG hermits and others who sit in front of screens all day and whose bodies cry out for any type of light, but drawing the shades and dimming the lights will make the viewing experience that much safer for gamers and movie lovers, according to Samsung.

The South Korean-based consumer electronics giant mentions some do and don’ts for safe n’ sane viewing such as not placing the devices near stairwells and balconies, as well as making sure one takes frequent viewing breaks (which should do wonders for following a movie’s narrative), and avoiding use of the Active 3D glasses for anything other than viewing the TV set unless you like courting severe eye damage and things like that.  Last, but certainly not least, 3D viewers should avoid watching in 3D mode if suffering from a lack of sleep or inebriation… seems like drinking booze and watching 3D flicks isn’t such a hot idea.  That probably goes for ‘shrooms, too, kiddies.

Always nice to get a warning from a major corporation before their big technological roll-out, and HD Report thanks Samsung for posting such a warning for home-theater consumers.  We’d also like to warn you about a few common sense things, so click HERE to learn more.