Whoops! Looks like we shouldn’t have funded that university study on the effects of looking at 3DTVs, probably says some guy at Samsung right now. Probably, because the study found that 3DTVs cause eye strain and fatigue, Ars reports.
This is a) unsurprising news, and b) another disturbing instance of commercial interests intermingling with scientific ones. Ideally, the two would be kept, far, far apart, like an angry dog and a feisty cat. The two should never even gaze upon one another! But Samsung dumped some cash into the UC Berkeley study, published in the Journal of Vision, probably hoping they’d be able to parade around a finding like 3DTVS ARE GREAT AND CAUSE NO EYE PROBLEMS AT ALL, but instead, the opposite has happened. Oh Samsung. Please stick to what you are good at, which is making great TVs, and please don’t fund academic research. It’s clearly bad for both parties! [Ars Technica]
Update: A mea culpa is in order: the study was not on the matter of whether or not 3DTVs cause eye strain, but how they do, and how to mitigate the effect. The point about corporate influence on academic research stands, but it should be noted that Samsung was in fact trying to better understand the mechanisms of its displays, not evaluate whether or not they cause eye strain. My apologies for the confusion.
Image: Shutterstock/SerrNovik
TSH
Tuesday, July 26, 2011 at 11:29 AMTBH I don’t see how this is bad. It means that Samsung can change their strategy *now* rather than *later*, thereby avoiding or minimising any oncoming “my eyes hurt Q_Q” lawsuits.
Active-shutter 3D is stupid anyway. One day somebody will wake up and put screen-polarising in their 3DTVs, and we can all use the half-dozen 3D glasses we’ve collected from the cinemas at home.
Allan
Tuesday, July 26, 2011 at 11:35 AMMy eyes! The goggles do nothing!… sorry but I couldn’t resist.
attila
Tuesday, July 26, 2011 at 12:01 PMShouldn’t we be applauding them for funding research into the effects of their products, rather than doing nothing, or only doing “internal” testing?
Jason
Tuesday, July 26, 2011 at 12:47 PMI would have thought you guys here would at least read Engadget. I like that their story tells the truth and has actual reporting in it.
http://www.engadget.com/2011/07/22/samsung-studies-3d-viewing-discomfort-finds-out-bloggers-dont/
Craig
Tuesday, July 26, 2011 at 1:48 PMWhat a god awful write up. Big business have been funding research studies for decades, and you could make allegations of the results being skewed 1 way or another when performed by someone unreputable, but that’s why you make sure it is by someone reputable and has been peer reviewed.
Samsung may have been hopeful that the result was of a positive nature, but they wouldnt have been shocked of this result and hopefully it will mean that they can improve their product and make it a safer one. This is evidence of a case where commercial interests intermingling with scientific ones has meant that further studies have been performed into an area of technology we are all interested in – not evidence of treachory.
In the summary it is insinuating that the damage to your eyes is eye strain and fatigue? Was that extremely exagerated image really necessary? Non-3d TV’s and computer monitors have also been found to cause eye strain and fatigue, as has reading, and various other activities and technology, so should I be worried that I’m essentially stabbing scissors into my eyes??
Aaron
Tuesday, July 26, 2011 at 2:27 PMThat is the most disgusting picture i have ever seen.
Franz
Tuesday, July 26, 2011 at 4:35 PMIt was taken at a justin beiber concert.