The Middle East television industry has invested heavily in the advent of 3D TV. But the process is in an early enough stage for the region to avoid being affected if any health concerns are associated with the new system, experts say.
Broadcasters including Abu Dhabi TV, Etisalat's E-Vision and Al Jazeera are planning to offer 3D TV soon. Al Jazeera has already announced special 3D packages for the FIFA World Cup in June.
But on the whole TV companies in the region still have a great deal of ground to make up.
"The Middle East has been very slow to adopt 3D," said Chris Forrester, the editorial director of Rapid TV News, a UK-based industry website that covers the Middle East.
"It has yet to even embrace high definition, let alone 3D. There are only a couple of test channels on air in high definition."
The global TV industry is banking on the rise of 3D, which became a global sensation with the release last year of the blockbuster Hollywood film Avatar.
According to a poll taken in February of filmmakers, engineers, broadcasters and technology vendors conducted by the UK-based equipment maker Hamlet, half of those surveyed said they expected to work in the production of 3D content this year.
And the hopes are not limited to the film industry. The US-based Consumer Electronic Association predicts that 4.3 million 3D TVs will be sold this year.
These expectations make the warning Samsung posted on its website a potential blow to the fledgling industry. In some ways, the health concerns about 3D are nothing new.
The Journal of Vision recently reported that the unnatural eye movements caused by watching 3D have the potential to cause headaches and nausea.
Mr Forrester said broadcasters in the UK, such as Sky, which started broadcasting football matches in 3D this month, were already taking these risks into account.
"Broadcasters are very, very aware of the health concerns," he said. "You will not find rapid panning of images.
"You will not find high-speed zooms, which are quite normal in soccer and sport events. You will not find rapid cuts in 3D transmissions. The camera is being left alone to take in the total view, which incidentally is quite spectacular."
In the Middle East, most broadcasters are still adopting a "wait and see" approach to the new technology, although some, such as Abu Dhabi TV, have been investing in infrastructure for 3D to be ready when the market is.
Abu Dhabi Media Company (ADMC), which owns Abu Dhabi TV and The National, has made a significant investment in production systems that will be able to handle 3D content one day.
"As a matter of the infrastructure, we are ready to turn 3D," said Ahmed al Menhali, the director of broadcast technology at ADMC.
While the company has been keeping an eye on the debate over the health concerns, it would want to have a definitive statement about safety from a global health body, not a TV maker, before making a policy decision, Mr al Menhali said.
"We need something certain from an international health centre, an official organisation," he said. "We don't want the competitors to use this to go after each other."
@Email:khagey@thenational.ae
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THE SIXTH SENSE
Starring: Bruce Willis, Toni Collette, Hayley Joel Osment
Director: M. Night Shyamalan
Rating: 5/5
First-round leaderbaord
-5 C Conners (Can)
-3 B Koepka (US), K Bradley (US), V Hovland (Nor), A Wise (US), S Horsfield (Eng), C Davis (Aus);
-2 C Morikawa (US), M Laird (Sco), C Tringale (US)
Selected others: -1 P Casey (Eng), R Fowler (US), T Hatton (Eng)
Level B DeChambeau (US), J Rose (Eng)
1 L Westwood (Eng), J Spieth (US)
3 R McIlroy (NI)
4 D Johnson (US)
The specs: 2018 Ducati SuperSport S
Price, base / as tested: Dh74,900 / Dh85,900
Engine: 937cc
Transmission: Six-speed gearbox
Power: 110hp @ 9,000rpm
Torque: 93Nm @ 6,500rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 5.9L / 100km
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SPECS
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Hales' batting career
Tests 11; Runs 573; 100s 0; 50s 5; Avg 27.38; Best 94
ODIs 58; Runs 1,957; 100s 5; 50s 11; Avg 36.24; Best 171
T20s 52; Runs 1,456; 100s 1; 50s 7; Avg 31.65; Best 116 not out
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Green ambitions
- Trees: 1,500 to be planted, replacing 300 felled ones, with veteran oaks protected
- Lake: Brown's centrepiece to be cleaned of silt that makes it as shallow as 2.5cm
- Biodiversity: Bat cave to be added and habitats designed for kingfishers and little grebes
- Flood risk: Longer grass, deeper lake, restored ponds and absorbent paths all meant to siphon off water
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SHAITTAN
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The bio
Favourite book: Peter Rabbit. I used to read it to my three children and still read it myself. If I am feeling down it brings back good memories.
Best thing about your job: Getting to help people. My mum always told me never to pass up an opportunity to do a good deed.
Best part of life in the UAE: The weather. The constant sunshine is amazing and there is always something to do, you have so many options when it comes to how to spend your day.
Favourite holiday destination: Malaysia. I went there for my honeymoon and ended up volunteering to teach local children for a few hours each day. It is such a special place and I plan to retire there one day.
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The specs
Engine: Long-range single or dual motor with 200kW or 400kW battery
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Max touring range: 620km / 590km
Price: From Dh250,000 (estimated)
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The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre 4-cylinder petrol
Power: 154bhp
Torque: 250Nm
Transmission: 7-speed automatic with 8-speed sports option
Price: From Dh79,600
On sale: Now
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How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
TRAP
Starring: Josh Hartnett, Saleka Shyamalan, Ariel Donaghue
Director: M Night Shyamalan
Rating: 3/5
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What is graphene?
Graphene is extracted from graphite and is made up of pure carbon.
It is 200 times more resistant than steel and five times lighter than aluminum.
It conducts electricity better than any other material at room temperature.
It is thought that graphene could boost the useful life of batteries by 10 per cent.
Graphene can also detect cancer cells in the early stages of the disease.
The material was first discovered when Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov were 'playing' with graphite at the University of Manchester in 2004.
MATCH INFO
World Cup qualifier
Thailand 2 (Dangda 26', Panya 51')
UAE 1 (Mabkhout 45 2')