When watching three-dimensional television, you should take a break of up to 15 minutes every hour, according to guidelines issued yesterday by the Korea Communications Commission.
This is the first time that the KCC has officially acknowledged the possibility of harmful effects from 3-D TV. The state-run regulator made the recommendation based on data from medical studies and advisers in the broadcasting and IT sectors.
Since the release of the 3-D Hollywood blockbuster “Avatar” late last year, electronics companies have been rushing to bring that experience into people’s living rooms.
Korea’s Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics, the two top global producers of flat-screen TVs, have been aggressively marketing their 3-D TVs as they look to grab an early lead in the market.
The KCC conducted a clinical study on 115 people between the ages of 18 and 55, examining their conditions after they watched 3-D TV for various periods.
Based on the study, the KCC advises people to take a 5- to 15-minute break after watching 3-D TV for an hour, saying that a majority of people experienced vision discomfort just 15 minutes after beginning to watch it.
The commission also advised people to watch 3-D TV at a distance that’s two to six times the vertical length of the TV panel and sit slightly to the side of the screen rather than directly in the center.
“The guidelines are a meaningful milestone in the area that pertains to the safe viewing of 3-D content,” said Oh Nam-seok, an official at the KCC’s electronic signals department. “The KCC plans to further improve the safety guidelines for viewing 3-D content in the future by expanding its studies.”
Last May, the KCC formed a committee on the safe viewing of 3-D content. The committee consists of industry experts as well as medical experts in ophthalmology, neurology and psychology.
The committee reviewed research done on the issue overseas, adopted a framework on future studies and conducted clinical studies.
The KCC notes that the guidelines released yesterday are different from existing ones in other countries because they are based on clinical studies and medical opinion. The guidelines can be viewed at www.3dtvkorea.or.kr.
Original post: http://joongangdaily.joins.com/article/view.asp?aid=2929915
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Additional Background Information
Korea Officially Admits 3D TV Health Risks; Issues Safety Guidelines
The state-run media regulator in Korea – where the world’s top two flat-screen TV manufacturers Samsung and LG Electronics are based – has publicly issued some safety guidelines for viewers when watching 3D TV displays, including specific advice on viewing duration, rest period, sitting distance and viewing angle. This marks the first time anywhere in the world that a national institution has officially recognised the potential health risks posed by 3D TVs.
Drawing upon results from a clinical study and input from medical experts, the Korea Communications Standards Commission (KCSC or KCC) recommended that 3DTV viewers take a short break (between 5 to 15 minutes) after each hour of 3D viewing, explaining that a large proportion of the participants in the said medical trial suffered from some visual discomfort after only a quarter of an hour into the 3D movie clips. 115 adults aged between 18 and 55 were recruited into the study, which looked at the subjects’ health status following exposure to 3D TV material for various periods of time.
The KCC advised consumers to adopt a viewing distance between two to six times the vertical height of the 3D TV panel, which translates to around 4 to 12 feet for a 50-inch screen with 16:9 aspect ratio. By comparison, we generally suggest that users sit approximately 6.5 feet away from a 50″ HDTV to gain optimal field of view and detail perception when watching 1920 x 1080 2D material.
Curiously, the commission also encouraged viewers to sit slightly off-centre from the 3D screen, presumably to offset the hyper-real 3D effects which may be responsible for unpleasant symptoms like altered vision, nausea, motion sickness, dizziness, disorientation and eye strain.
The safety guidelines released this week can be traced back to the setup of a committee comprising TV industry officials, neurologists, ophthalmologists and psychologists in May. Charged with investigating any possible harmful side effects of watching 3D TVs, the committee reviewed previous research conducted abroad, designed a framework, and carried out their own clinical studies to arrive at their current recommendations (published in Korean on the 3DTV Broadcasting Development Center website) for safe viewing of 3D content.
By Vincent Teoh • Wednesday, 22 December 2010, 1:00 am UTC
link to this story: http://www.hdtvtest.co.uk/news/korea-3d-tv-health-risks-20101222968.htm
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