3D and “motion sickness”

I got an invitation to attend a public demo of 3D TV put on Wed.-Fri. this week at Washington’s Union Station by Panasonic and NVIDIA.  Since I’m not attending either CES or the NAB Show this year, I went over there as a poor-man’s substitute for a trip to Las Vegas.

They had a small home theater set up featuring Panasonic’s Viera® 3D HDTV.  CNET awarded it the best product of CES award this year.  I put on the special glasses and stood about ten feet away and, for most of the demo, about 45° off to the side.  I watched first some flamenco dancers and then a Japanese cartoon that had been created for 3D.

I must say, it was a spectacular viewing experience with real depth.  The plasma screen provided no visual difference that I could tell in a wide viewing arc.  I must say, though, that it wasn’t 100% natural -- maybe 95% so.  Not sure exactly how to describe it, but the dancers at different “distances” from my eye looked a bit like they were 2D-ish but positioned on layers that provided the 3D depth.  The cartoon added to that effect because the “characters” were themselves intended to be 2D paper figures.  Interesting, but not off-putting.  I suspect an extending viewing period (mine was only about ten minutes) would enable the viewer to completely forget the 5% “flattening.”

That is, for those who could stick it out for an extended viewing period.

In leaving the room, I noticed a familiar feeling that I get when reading daylight in a car or on a train, or when I’ve scrolled through spools of microfilm on a viewer.  And it’s not a pleasant feeling – slight nausea, headache and dizziness.  It’s kinetosis, more commonly but less accurately known as motion sickness.  There’s a special class of it called simulation sickness that’s probably what is going on with projected 3D (perhaps giving new meaning to projectile v----).  Today’s episode was mild and I was fine after a half hour.  It’s possible I could get used to it with time (I can now stand on the Metro while it’s jostling and read my iPhone, at least when below ground).

TV receiver manufacturers and retailers are hoping this is the Next Big Thing, so I hope they and their retailers will encourage customers to try it out for some extended period with all family members before taking it home.  Or perhaps families should just keep an empty popcorn tub around for you know what.

--Dennis

Comments

[3D TV]

3D TV and cinema can cause "motion sickness" in a percentage of viewers. Its effects lessen as your eyes and brain get used to seeing and processing the artifical 3D images

[Burnie Clark]

Thanks for the report on 3D, Dennis. I followed the development of 3D pretty closely while servings as a Leadership Fellow for the U.S. Japan Society in the late 80's. The early work by such companies as NHK Labs and Sony in Atsuki were much cruder than you describe. But it was clear this technology would develop in a couple of decades. We spent a day with one of the earlier developers and his wife. He had both a 3D video camera and a still camera that he used to document our activities. I still have the slides that he took. He did not give me a copy of the video, but then I wouldn't have had a VCR to play it back anyway!
My thought at the time was that 3D television would come along after HDTV was well established. I was right, but the timing took longer than I would have hoped. Then I was thinking 3D would be in regular household useage by the turn of the Century.
Is there any developmental work taking place on reviving "Smellovision?"

Burnie Clark