This week, I spent some fun time with Panasonic’s new line of 3D TVs. Resplendent in its 3D glory was the 50- and 55-inch VIERA VT25 Full HD 3D Plasma. It was a crowd pleaser, but it also made me all too aware about how little we know about optimal 3D viewing. Start asking a few questions about the effect of 3D viewing on our bodies and brains, and you discover how little anyone knows—especially when it concerns the bodies and brains belonging to children.

The www Eye Test

3D TV may turn out to be the de facto screening test for certain vision impairments. It turns out that not everyone can experience 3D. According to research, between 5% and 10% of Americans suffer from stereo blindness. They cannot see the depth dimension of 3D programming. Some can still view the 3D as 2D. Others find that watching can lead to headache, eye fatigue, or motion sickness.

In a recent press release, The College of Optometrists in Vision Development (COVD) suggested that 3D content could be used as a sort of nationwide screening system for visual problems. “Research has shown that up to 56% of those 18 to 38 years-of-age have one or more problems with binocular vision and therefore could have difficulty seeing 3-D,” said COVD President Dr. Carol Scott, optometrist from Springfield, MO, “and about 5 to 7% of children have amblyopia and cannot see 3-D at all.”

A Kid’s Eye View

For the foreseeable future, watching 3D TV or movies will require special glasses, and everyone in the family needs a pair in order to watch. Most TV sets at retail are demonstrated with adult-sized glasses. These fall right off a kid’s head, making movie watching a pain and 3D game playing downright impossible (as kids are constantly pushing their glasses back into place). Plus, kids’ eyes are closer together than adults, so they really need to have kid-sized glasses.

Most of what’s available for 3D-viewing kids are those chintzy blue and red cellophane-like inserts into cardboard frames—the kind that come in cereal boxes or in the 3D of yesteryear. A few vendors like Samsung design kid-sized 3D glasses with active shutter LCDs, just like mom and dad’s. Active shutter glasses—the current state of the art—are battery operated and the lenses are coordinated to lighten and darken in synch with the 3D content. While adults have enough visual experience to understand and compensate for depth of field and spatial representations, who knows what kids are seeing when they look through 3D glasses and what effect it will have when the glasses come off.

Despite the unanswered questions, the majority of 3D content being created is family content.  Movies from Disney, Fox, and Pixar, nature shows from National Geographic, cartoons, and blockbusters like Avatar were made for family viewing, yet, it’s hard for a parent to know whether the glasses are comfortable and the image appears as it should for the child.

Best Practices

Most researchers believe that there will be a set of best practices involved with watching 3D. For one thing, you’ll want to sit a bit closer to the TV than you would in a 2D world. You might also want a slightly brighter TV, since part of what the glasses do to create the image is lighten and darken the glasses’ screen.

Whether 3D turns out to be the norm for viewing or whether it will be the cause of one big worldwide headache remains to be seen. In gauging reactions from 3D viewers who comment on forums, it’s clear that for some 3D is enthralling, for others just nauseating. The more research we do, the more pleasant the experience will be, and for parents that means understanding the effects of watching 3D on kids’ visual development.

This year’s show feels a little recession strapped in that the toy manufacturers are packing volumes of value into their packages and not designing big expensive toys.

There was a time when plush animals costing thousands were plentiful on the floor.  Today’s show was a bit more austere but amazingly creative, which goes to show you that having less can sometimes be more.

Here are a few of the highlights:

Lego: Lego introduced a new breed of  board games at Toy Fair. Your job is to build the game out of Legos (and decide the rules of engagement) before you play.  It’s a brilliant idea–a twist on the family board game, capturing the love of Legos. What a mashup!  The digerati are awaiting Lego Universe, the company’s huge online world. Most of the games, like Pyramid (pictured here), are priced between $10 and $20.  At the high end, Creationary costs $24.

Mattel: Mattel’s star of the show was a dog collar aptly named Puppy Tweets. Once the collar is placed on the pup, he can send a tweet (or is it a woof directly to Twitter).  The USB collar uses Bluetooth to communicate with Twitter so proximity is important. For $30 it’s pure unadulterated fun–a mashup of pets/gadgets and social media. You can follow your dog and have them make other doggie friends on Twitter. 

E-readers: I wondered when the first e-readers for kids would appear and they have. Systems like Leapfrog’s Tag Reader have been serving the function of e-readers for a long time. Fisher Price announced a super-duper 5-in-1 product called the iXL. It’s a 3- to 6-year-old’s rendering of My First iPod, combining a photo album, e-reader, notebook, game machine, and music player into one crash-proof device.  Price: $80.

TRAKR: One much buzzed about fave on the show floor was Wild Planet’s new Sky Video TRAKR.  At the upper end of the price range ($129), this packed-with-technology gizmo is a toy that looks like a tank/robot.  You control it with a gameplayer-like remote control that has a small LCD VGA-quality screen, joystick, and buttons.  Using simple downloadable programs or even creating your own programs, the TRAKR transmits color video and audio and data.  It can memorize a path to your kitchen or be trained to scare the pants of your mom when she enters your room.  It’ll even have night vision just to make things interesting.

Talkatoo: Of course some of the coolest products are found in the recesses of the Javits Center, usually start-up companies with some very passionate owners.  For instance, there’s talkatoo–a small, colorful pendant that allows for a 30-second voice recording.   For $16 bucks, you can carry your kids’ voices everywhere with you.

TV Hat: Now here’s one that’ll have you laughing and shaking your head in amazement. But no one will be able to see you because you’ll be under the TV Hat.  This sub-$30 hat (or visor) has a tiny pouch for you to insert your iPhone or other video player. Underneath the hood, a prism brings the image into focus and built-in earphones create your own private studio.  As long as you’re comfortable looking like a cross between a Klu-Klux Klan’er and a HAZMAT worker, you will fall in love with the TV Hat–a poor man’s solution to TV glasses.  (Imagine each kid in your car wearing these in the back seat! You might get pulled over for kidnapping!)  Of course it made the worst of show list over at http.bored.com, but it’ll either be the next pet rock or not.

Geocaching: For the family that likes finding its way together, GeoMates Jr. from Apisshere is an entry-level $70 GPS.  It’s filled with 25,000 geocache locations from all over the country. Geocaches are markers or hidden boxes or anything you want that you place somewhere and mark its coordinates on a GPS map.

My Ami: Finally there’s My Ami–created by a mom after giving her kid an iPod and watching it tossed from the shopping cart one too many times. My Ami is a bear that conveniently holds the iPod or iTouch securely and out of harm’s way.  There’s the suction cup version for strollers or car seats and the clamp-on for shopping carts. Advocates of less screen-time for little ones will go apoplectic over this one, but hey, for many moms, it’s whatever it takes to get you through the day.

More research into what kids watch and how we might tap into their screen time for learning is required, but congrats to Vicky Rideout (who previewed the results at our Kids@Play Summit in Las Vegas.

The TVs came to CES in a dizzying display of shapes and sizes. Mobs of people wearing special 3D glasses made it feel like you were walking into the cast of Mission Impossible. All were staring at cathedral-sized walls of 3D piled upon 3D. Those of us old enough to remember the red/blue cardboard glasses we got at the movies remember that the only decent part about the 3D experience was faking those “scary moments” as an excuse to grab the hand of a dates.

After three decades of hibernation, 3D is back to stay. The buzz on the street was that the Samsung quality was unbeatable. One of the features that people really loved, called proximity sensing, turns on the TV for you automatically when you pop into view. Most of the TVs on the show floor were LCD TVs that use special active shutter glasses. The glasses provide the illusion of 3D by switching quickly between your two eyes.

Panasonic, unlike the others, will stick to plasma and will be first to market a reasonable TV. And LG’s Infinia line of 3D-ready TVs has just the hint of an edge. Mostly it is just a beautifully designed thin piece of glass.
It wasn’t only 3D TVs–the Acer Aspire 3D is the world’s first 3D notebook. And since it starts at $799 it’s a great way to get your feet wet with 3D without drowning in expensive 3D televisions. The Sony PlayStation demonstrated future 3D qualities as well.

Bottom line: 3D glasses, though much improved, are still kinda creepy to watch TV in. Viewing from a side angle blurs the picture, and there’s still very little content to choose from.

Right now it’s a tough sell. You need to witness 3D in the flesh or you’ll be disappointed with what you buy. Animations look more natural than sports or nature photographically, probably because you’re willing to believe animation can have little butterflies flying around your head.

To my eye, real images like landscape footage seem either to be jumping at you in multiple steps, or sometimes recessed into a background that sprints out at you. Sony and Nvidia’s 3D both looked incredible, but it could have just been better footage. As of now, 3D filmmaking requires a special, very expensive film camera made by just a few manufacturers like Mitsubishi and Sony.

After 30 years of watching CES cycles of product introductions, I’ve got a rule about this. Three years from CES to mass market, so watch out, they’re coming at you–in 3D.

But just you wait. Already ESPN, Sony, Discovery, and IMAX have announced 3D networks. (Ouch about that hockey stick in my face!) As they say in CES Land: It’s not a matter of why, it’s a matter of when.

Held in NYC this week, CEALineShows/Digital Downtown a June preview event focused on innovation and a sneak peak at the holiday season drew its share of news. Here’s what some attendees had to say.

The Geek in Chief Addresses the Crowd

Does it take to long to renew your driver’s liscense?  Is high speed bandwidth a problem in your neighborhood? Do you want to feel more secure about your privacy?  You’ve got a friend in The Whitehouse in  Chief Technology Officer Aneesh Chopra.  He addressed the gadget-loving crowd at CEALineshows by stressing that “digitalness” of the Obama admininistration and his focus on innovation and efficiency in government.

Chopra drew accolodades from the crowd as he described technology as pivotal to much of our policy and job creation in the coming years. He covered the success of the DTV transition, the need for public/private partnerships and the proliferation of applications for a mobile world.

The nation’s first Chief Technology Officer, the audiencec reaction was something approaching the geek equivalent of American Idol.

To find out more about Mr. Chopra.

To lend your voice to the discussion of why America is falling behind in the technology infrastructure race.

While the consumers were slowly waking up to the fact that their TVs would go dark, the TV stations were chomping at the bit to pull the switch. The stations have been investing in new digital towers, in educating their viewers, and in advertising and preparing for the switch for years. That’s the reason that over 400 stations have ignored the delay and have already transitioned to a digital-only signal. The bill that was passed, which specified the delay, offered stations that wanted to go digital a chance to do it earlier if they had FCC permission. As of this week, about 25% of the nation’s broadcast stations were granted permission and have launched their digital programming. Consumers who are waiting until the June cutoff date are going to have to catch up on the favorite programs they’ve missed. With some stations switching and some waiting, we’ve got digital TV anarchy.

One report says that four million customers are still waiting for their $40 government-funded coupons to help pay for their digital transition. A Nielson study found that five million Americans are not ready for the transition to digital. The highest number of unprepared live in the Albuquerque/Santa Fe area. Hawaii, on the other end of the spectrum, went ahead and managed a statewide switch well in advance of any national cutoff date. Maybe trying to change the entire country’s TV infrastructure on one day was silly idea from the onset? Perhaps a more regional rollout would have been more sensible? As it stands, we’ve got digital TV anarchy. Anarchy usually winds up costing us all in one way or another. We may need to start looking at a DTV bailout before we’re through.

Confused about which of your favorite stations jumped the deadline?

On the government-sponsored DTV Transition website the following notice appears:

Some of the TV stations in the US will transition from analog to digital broadcasting on Feb 17th. The remaining stations will transition from analog to digital broadcasting between Mar 14th and Jun 12th.

AARP (877-698-806) and the FCC (1-800-CALL-FCC) have both set up hotlines to get you through.

The site and its cable TV channel, Disney XD, is targeted at boys ages 6-14 and replaces the Toon Disney channel. The new channel combines a smorgasbord of content from Disney’s more testosterone-laden properties: Disney Channels Worldwide, ABC Cable Networks Group, Disney Online, and ESPN.

The XD network features sports and video games, live action games, and social networking. Theoretically, it aims to satisfy the “new boy” – one who’s a bit more sensitive and in touch than boys of yore. The company has already announced a live action game called Aaron Stone, an original series about a boy with a secret life as a crimefighter.

A few years ago I wrote a lament for boys, who’ve been marginalized into farting, burping goofballs by many media creators. Contrast them to girls from Legally Blonde to High School Musical, where they may be into shopping and frills but they’re also quite brainy.

It remains to be seen whether Disney is creating a place for the same old jerky guys or the new, sensitive 6-14 year-old. It also remains to be seen whether the opposite sex will cross the chasm and join them for a little competitive action as well.

Second, to make it equitable for those who couldn’t afford or wouldn’t buy a DTV to accommodate the switchover, the government offered a coupon worth $40. You sign up for the coupon, wait six to eight weeks for it to arrive, and then use your coupon at certain stores to buy a converter box. The converter box allows your analog TV to accept a digital signal. (Converter boxes cost about $80-$100.)

The takeaway: The government needs to make this happen because it’s both revenue generating and forward thinking. The broadcast spectrum, in addition to making money as it’s sold, will also help modernize our national alert systems.

The FCC is charge of administering the transition and it is not going particularly well. Original estimates of how many households would request coupons were wildly off. Now there are something like 6.5 million asking for coupons and there’s not enough money in the government budget to subsidize the project.

What kind of organization doles out free coupons without having some clue as to how many coupons it would need and at what cost? Any student of human nature knows that we are a nation of coupon clippers and deal scavengers. So when the government offers you a free “anything” you take it. My guess is that a good portion of the households that requested coupons (worth $40 each) were doing it for “a second home” or a third TV. It’s also human nature that only a small fraction of the people that ask for coupons for anything wind up actually using them. Every packaged goods company understands and plans for this.

As we wait for the final shoe to drop, consider the digital TV transition just one more mission not quite accomplished.

To stay up to date on the DTV transition shenanigans follow www.dtv.org.

But you never get to sit on your laurels very long in this business. So this fall you can look forward to body motion becoming a key ingredient in more games. I saw two little WiWi’s today at an industry preview of toys for the holiday season. They are both aimed at families with young kids who don’t really need the expense and complications that a $250 gaming system and $50 games would introduce.

The first is from Jakks Pacific and it’s called the Ulti-Motion. Ulti-Motion game systems were developed in conjunction with Disney Consumer Products. You plug the unit into the A/V jack on any standard TV. The games come with peripherals that let you role play. So, for example, a Disney Princess version of the game gives you the magic wand along with other props to control the action. The units are self-contained; they don’t require any additional cartridges. Disney Princess and Disney Fairies games will be introduced this fall along with a sports game: Jakks Ulti-Motion Swing Zone. Much like the Nintendo games included with purchase, there’s bowling, tennis, golf, baseball, and football. And you get a plastic racket, bowling ball, golf club, etc. to hold in your hand and control the game with your body movements.

The games don’t have the razzle-dazzle graphics of Nintendo, nor the precision control. That said, for $80 kids and their families can have a lovely experience with any one of these games.

VTech is introducing their V-Motion, the next generation of their popular V.Smile game but this time adding body movements and a motion-sensing handheld remote unit also. Unlike Jakks, where the kids get various input devices to use a props while they play, the V-Motion system has a single controller that can sense its tilt. Various games and activities (like getting a coin to fit in a circle or racing around a track with Mickey and his scooter).

Like Ulti-Motion, the unit plugs into the TV and has a wireless controller. Each game, called a SmartRidge, has a variety of games and activities. Titles include games timed with the upcoming movies KungFu Panda (DreamWorks) and Wall*e (Disney). The game sells for $69.

The motion controls on the V-Motion system are fairly rudimentary. You tilt the remote from side to side in order to play many of the games. Some of the games use a trigger button to grab or catch things. But unlike Ulti-Motion, the V-Motion lets you buy new cartridges with different games to extend the life of the system.

Both these little WiWis cost a fraction of what Nintendo does and they are squarely in the camp of the youngest players. For those looking to get their feet wet in this world where active minds and active bodies meet in front of the TV, the new Wii-alikes may be the ticket.

While I know that it’s disconcerting, I want to offer another way to think about it. Media is their constant companion, increasingly at their sides or in their pockets as they go through their daily lives. As they become intertwined, we should stop worrying as much about how much time they’re spending with media and worry more about what they’re doing with it and how to make the experience safer and better.

It’s going to get more and more difficult to separate the kid from the machine. Some experts have already coined the term lifelogging–continually electronically documenting (and viewing) life as it happens. Life becomes a media event, totally on the record. Always documented. Media hours and our life hours are one big mashup.

As parents, we probably fathered the life seen through the eyes of media the moment we started videotaping the birthday parties and ballet recitals at the expense of being there. Our view of our own children’s lives has been better documented than any other generation, until this one, that is.

My vote is to turn the discussion around from trying to segment “media time” to a discussion about how to creatively integrate media with the rest of life. Segmenting media time may soon be a moot point. Now that the electronic device is quickly becoming the electronic extension we’ve got to reframe the conversation.