Is Your 3D TV a Health Risk?

There is a lot of discussion around the health risks of active 3D TVs vs. passive 3D TVs. Incidentally; LG 3D TV  and Toshiba are the only leading brands in India that uses passive 3D technology (Onida also uses passive 3D tech, but it is a very marginal player in the 3D TV market). The other major player – Samsung, Panasonic, Sony etc – all use the active 3D technology.

Most of the prospective 3D TV buyers do not appreciate the fact that even an innocuous activity as watching a TV can probably pose a health risk. But what is the association of 3D TV technology to health – you may ask? Let me explain.

Active 3D Glasses - Heavy and Uncomfortable

The inherent issues arise from the way the two technologies work. While the passive 3D glasses are like simple sunglasses, except that the glasses are polarized to get 3D stereoscopic vision. On the other hand, the active 3d glasses are a bit more complicated in build and operation. They are actually small LCD screens, which open and close (alternatively) at high speeds, in sync with left and right aligned images shown by the active 3D TV screen at very high speeds.

The most common problems associated with the way active glasses operate are two – flicker and crosstalk. While flicker results from the very rapid opening and closing of LCD shutters, crosstalk results when this opening and closing goes out of sync with main TV – so that the left eye receives the right image, and vice versa. Both are very uncomfortable situations for the viewer. While individual responses to flicker may vary – some people feel it more, some less – crosstalk is uniformly irritating to everyone that experiences it.

Can Your Active 3D TV Pose a Health Risk?

While the flicker is irritating and uncomfortable in itself, even a few minutes of watching 3D over it may produce significant eye strain among those who are sensitive to it. Many people, who otherwise would like to buy a 3D TV, simply balk at the prospect of getting persistent headaches after watching 3D using active shutter glasses.

Latest research findings on the effect of flicker reveal that long exposures to flicker may even lead to epileptic seizures. Perhaps more focused research is needed into this aspect, yet the fact remains that optical epilepsy is indeed caused by photosensitivity, which may be exacerbated by flicker effect of active 3D TVs.

Another possible health hazard associated with active 3D TV is that of electromagnetic radiations (EMR). This again is the result of the way active glasses work. First, they need batteries to power the shutters. Second, they connect with TV using infrared or radio waves. Any viewer using active 3D glasses will be definitely exposed to EMR that emanates from the batteries, and the TV itself.

LG Cinema Screen 3D TV

Thank God for Passive 3D Flicker Free glasses!

In view of the above, the prospective 3D TV buyers would do well to explore passive 3D TV and passive flicker free 3D glasses. I, for one, certainly took this into account while buying my first 3D TV. No wonder then, that my current TV is the LG 47LM6400. Another reason that I like my LG 3D TV is its iconic Cinema Screen design, which really makes for an immersive TV viewing experience.