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The mainstream media reports an amazing amount of incorrect, misleading and false 3D information, almost every day, or so it seems. Here, in no particularly order, is our list of the most common reporting errors.
Note: Part 2 appears on our HDGURU.com website, to be followed by Part 3 later this week.
1-Samsung warns US Model 3D TVs may be hazardous to your health.
Explanation - This week hundreds of US websites and newspapers reported a disclaimer from a Samsung website regarding potential health risks of its 3D TVs (click here for the health warning).
No website disclosed that in reality, the disclaimer is just an almost verbatim copy of a 2006 Icuiti (pictured above) owner's manual for a totally different product: a stereo microdisplay (glasses with built tiny LCD screen for each eye). Here's the link.
This is hardly a new warning or new information. A few of the many similarities between the two issued guidelines can be seen below.
Many reporters also failed to disclose the Samsung disclaimer appears on its Australian 3D TV website. Australian 3D TVs operate on a different TV system and frequency than US 3D models!
While for some individuals, 3D can cause eyestrain for a number of reasons including uncorrected vision problems, little research has been done to determine the physiological effects of 3D viewing. Thus at NAB Panasonic announced the funding of 3D research by the University of Southern California's Entertainment Technology Center.
According to its NAB press release "Panasonic's sponsorship will contribute significantly to the Center's 3D initiatives, including its Consumer 3D Experience Lab and a number of research and industry education efforts. Among these, Panasonic's participation will help ETC undertake research studies that further explore human factors issues related to viewing 3DTV and the impact of stereoscopic technologies as they relate to the human visual system. The results of this work will be shared with the content creation community to provide insights and guidelines as it continues to produce immersive and visually comfortable 3D content."
2- All 3D HDTVs work properly out of the box
Every model 2010 3D TV examined to date requires a firmware update. The Samsungs 3D HDTVs in particular are multiple updates behind when unpacked. We observed display models at two regional chains and at a Best Buy demo using the earliest firmware version. Updating the Samsungs frees up a number of user controls including contrast and gamma, which, when adjusted, can provide a brighter picture for higher ambient room lighting in stores or homes. You can update by Ethernet (internet connected) cable directly to the TV, by downloading the latest Samsung firmware to a USB drive or do it wirelessly from your home router by purchasing the Samsung wireless USB dongle. All Samsung 3D TV owners and retailers should immediately install the latest firmware to optimize the 3D picture to your viewing environment.
3- 3D Capable Blu-ray players work properly out of the box.
The two 3D Blu-ray players currently on the market need firmware updates to maximize performance. All "out of the box" Samsung BD-C6900s will not provide the 3D effect that one sees after an update. We performed viewing comparisons pre and post update and the results were quite dramatic, with in-front of the screen (called negative Z axis) content only present after the revisions. All BD-C6900 and/or Blu-ray theater HT-C6930 purchasers and demonstrating retailers should immediately install the latest firmware update to maximize the 3D image quality.
4-3D User Controls Are Set Automatically
Except for 3D Blu-ray content, you must tell the TV that you want to view in 3D and format the TV for Side-By-Side or Top-Bottom configuration. 3D cablecasts began this month and ESPN and other 3D channels launch this June. Currently all require manual 3D settings for viewing.
At the NAB convention this week Motorola announced a firmware download to its legacy HD set top boxes to automate 3D set up. Motorola would not provide a firmware download delivery date. A Cisco (Scientific Atlanta) booth representative at NAB gave HD Guru a similar HD cable set top box update assurance.
Edited by Michael Fremer
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