It is official!  A new study funded by Samsung and performed by researchers at the University of California-Berkeley discovered that viewing a 3D image can cause headache and eyestrain in some people.  If you are a glutton for punishment you can wade through the original paper here, or you can read about it here or here or here.

Yes, there are a few articles out there about this research.  Some of the writers actually read the paper while others merely read the article about the paper to write their article.  Most of them missed the point of the paper completely.

Long paper short – the focus of the study was not to discover that 3D causes headaches and eyestrain (which we already knew) but to figure out why it caused them.  We can now blame “vergence–accommodation conflicts” for the problem.  When we watch a 3D image on a screen our eyes do not resolve on a single focal point like in normal viewing but have at least two focal points  – the screen and the image that appears either behind or in front of the screen.  These two focal points are at different distances and therein lies the problem.  

They also discovered that  there is a relation bewteen the viewing distance from the screen and headaches, eye strain and dizziness.  If you are watching a 3D movie at a theater and get a headache or dizzy, move closer to the screen.  That will reduce the problem.

The hope is now that there is hard data on why some people get headaches and dizzy watching 3d content, film makers, theater designers and engineers will figure out a way to reduce or even solve that problem.

It is not just Blu-ray DVD players that have internet content. The 2011 TV models are here and they are loaded with internet features from content streaming services like Pandora and Netflix to Apps like accuweather and APnews to an actual web browser.

Check out the features of LG’s new line up of Smart TVs.

And take a look at the Smart Hub from Samsung!

This stuff is so cool it will make you giddy. All the more reason to make sure you have a good IP and a powerful home network.

This retrofit installation was rather unique.  The room was large, open, and awkward making the TV placement difficult.  After a couple of designs involving a large custom cabinet to the right of the fireplace to house the TV, it was finally decided that the best place for the TV was over the mantle above the fireplace.   The cabinet idea was kept but redesigned to become bookshelves with cabinets underneath to hold the AV gear.  The builder removed stones creating a pathway for power and AV cabling.  Once the cabling was in place the custom bookshelfcabinet was installed.  The TV was mounted with a tilt mount bracket to provide a better viewing angle.  A receiver, Blu-ray player, DSS receiver and Klipsch subwoofer were installed inside the cabinet.

The client wanted better sound than the TV provided so along with the subwoofer a pair of KEF 6000 ACE speakers were mounted to either side of a 55″ LED TV.  This provided big sound to match a big picture.  An RTI universal remote controls this system and the house wide audio system.  No matter how difficult the installation there is always a solution.

Our client loves sports, and he wanted to be able to watch 3 different games at the same time.  He already had 3 Panasonic 50″ Plasmas and a surround system.  What he needed from us was an installation plan, mounting system and a control system.  We used a Chief flat panel mounting system that allowed us to place all the TVs side by side with no gap in between them.      

  The first step was to run cabling and power to all three TVs and then layout the bracket pattern.   

Once all three TVs were hung and the speakers mounted, we installed the AV gear: a surround receiver, a Blu-ray DVD player and 3 Direct TV satellite boxes.  We used a RTI T3V and a ZRP6 to control the system.  With the T3V, the client can change the channel on any of the TVs and switch the audio to any of the TVs without any crosstalk or inteference.    

The final result - command central for the ultimate sports fan!

Sony recently announced the development of a next generation laser and storge disk device.  The new laser, described as a “blu-violet ultra-fast semi-conductor laser”, along with the next gen disc will increase the storage capacity of a single disc by more than 20 times that of a Blu-ray Disc.  To put that in perspective a single layer DVD disc holds 4.7 GB of information and a dual layer holds 8.5 GB.  A single layer Blu-ray holds 25 GB and a dual layer 50 GB.  The implications for data storage and back up in the business industry are enourmous.   Being able to back up terra bytes of information on a single disc for long term storage will be quite appealing to some. 

What does this mean for the home theater industry?  Well, a Blu-ray Disc can hold 2 HD movies while the new Blue-Violet laser will hold over 50.  A  single disc can hold the extended versions of the “Lord of the Rings” Trilogy or all 6 of the “Star Wars” movies or entire seasons of HD TV shows like “24″ or “Lost.”   I also imagine this having quite an effect on the gaming industry.  Games have become so huge that some require 2 discs to play, like Mass Effect 2.  The next generation gaming platforms might use this technology to provide a larger and more immersive gaming experience.   

I don’t think we have to worry about another format war or Blu-ray suddenly becoming obsolete.  No announcement has been made as to when this would be commercially available, and it usually takes years before tech like this is ready for the mass market.

Brian Mitchell at eCoustics.com wrote an article titled “Ten Reasons why 3-d TV May Fail“ about the problems with 3-D technology in the home.  Are people really going to want to put on 3-D glasses every time they watch TV?  Are existing systems compatible with 3-D or are we going to have change every component?   What about the lack of content?  While he is not saying that it will fail, he makes several valid points as to why it could. 

Stephen Hopkins over at CEPro.com feels that Mitchell is blaspheming and counters with the article “Ten Reasons Why 3d Will Succeed.”  He argues each of Mitchell’s points such as stating that 3-D glasses are temporary until auto-stereoscopic technologies develop, but he does not really say why  3-D will succeed.  Hopkins subtitled his article “Why 3D will find an important niche in the home theater experience” but fails to address this at all.

Take a moment to read through the articles.  Both Mitchell and Hopkins make good arguments, but they missed a few.  Here are my top 5 reasons why 3d could go either way.

1.  Avatar looked amazing in 3-D on a giant screen. It was very realistic and totally immersive.  At times I had physical reactions like motion sickness and vertigo because of what was happening on the big screen.  I do not think the move is going to look the same or even come close to achieving the same effect on my 47″ TV.  So how big a TV do you need to have until a 3-D movie or program gives you the same feeling it did in the theater – 50″, 65″, 80″, 100″? 

2.  I already wear glasses to watch TV as do millions of people.  I hate having to put on a second pair to watch a movie in the theater.   Doing that at home just to watch TV?  No way!  If I only had to wear one pair?  Maybe. 

3.  Right now content is limited but that will change.  The bigger question is will 3-D strive to be the standard format or is it going to become a feature used for special events and movies?  Is everything I watch like the local news eventually going to be in 3-D or will only programs like the Super Bowl or the Olympics be broadcast in 3-D?  I think 3-D will be adopted more quickly if only certain programs are in 3-D.   

4.  Gamers will be among the earliest adopters and will become the biggest proponents for 3-D technology.  Gaming, even more so than movies, is all about achieving an immersive experience.  Gamers want to lose themselves in the Game and that is what 3-D does the best. 

5.  The novelty might wear off quickly.  3-D movies have come and gone for decades.  We stand at the cusp where 3-D moves from being a gimmick to a legitimate story telling tool, but for every “Avatar” there will be a dozen “Clash of the Titans.”  Home technology fads come and go – it is too early to tell if 3-D will work in the home.

One of the coolest new technologies going today is Netflix movie streaming service. There are many devices one can use to stream Netflix movies, but the simplest device to use has to be a Samsung Blu-Ray player. Simply hook it up to your home internet network, connect it to your new flat panel with an HDMI cable and WHAM…100′s of movies at your finger tips. Our clients have really loved it when we have set this up in thier homes. Thier reaction is priceless…they forget that we are even working in thier house becasue they are just mezmorized by the selection of movie title. It’s really fun!

Some people question if it is “worth it” to upgrade from their current DVD only system to a DVD + Blu Ray system. The answer is, “It is absolutly worth it.” The picture quality of a good blu ray movie far surpasses that of the same movie in the DVD format.