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2. Toshiba’s ‘Naked Eye’ 3D TV – Playing hide- and-seek
Last year Toshiba unveiled a 140cm (55-inch) glasses-free 3D TV, model Regza 55X3. The TV employs integral imaging—a technique that uses a two-dimensional array of many small lenses or holes to create 3D effects. According to the company, the integral imaging technology applied to this model uses lenticular lenslets to generate nine parallax images in 3D mode, which create multiple wide-angle viewing zones in front of the television. The model runs on Toshiba’s Cevo-Engine.
The television includes face tracking technology to automatically make adjustments and ensure optimal experience at suitable 3D viewing positions. Apparently, up to nine users can comfortably enjoy glasses-free 3D. However, reviews suggest that moving from the sweet spot can cause the 3D effects to collapse.
Users can easily switch between 2D and 3D. In 2D mode, they can enjoy a resolution four times that of a normal full high-definition (HD) television, making the 55X3 the world’s first quad full HD model. Despite its grand entrance, the model is still available only sparsely and at a scary price point of above $7000!
[stextbox id=”info” caption=”Glasses-free auto-stereoscopic options”]
Auto-stereoscopic 3D technology does not require any special glasses. There are two well-known ways to achieve this, and there are several prototype and demo models based on these—not to forget a few commercial ones as well. However, it is not yet in the mainstream and most companies are still working on making this technology practicable.
Lenticular. The first technique involves the use of special LCD screens, the display surface of which is pasted with an array of tiny cylindrical plastic lenses called lenticules. These lenticules magnify the image shown to the viewer, and provide an effect similar to what you get when you view a cylindrical image—that is, your left eye and right eye would see two different 2D images. The brain combines these to form one 3D image. However, lenticular lenses are dependent on where you sit, and even budging a little from the sweet spot would result in distorted images. A television would generally have more than one such spot, so that multiple people can view the show.
Parallax barrier. Companies like Sharp, LG and Nintendo are, however, pursuing the parallax barrier method, as it is more viewer-friendly, and allows for both 3D and regular 2D viewing. Devices that use this method have a fine layer of liquid crystals placed in front of the screen. This layer, known as the parallax barrier, has slits in appropriate positions to enable the transmission of alternating images to each eye of the viewer when a slight voltage is applied to it. These images are slightly different from each other, and can be combined by the brain to form a 3D image. However, this method also requires the viewers to sit at preferred spots. This parallax barrier can be easily switched on or off using the television’s controls, thereby enabling the TV to juggle between 3D and 2D viewing.[/stextbox]
3. Korean Research: 3D using ‘Venetian Blinds’ on screen
A team of researchers led by Byoungho Lee, professor at the School of Electrical Engineering, Seoul National University, has developed a new technology for watching 3D movies in theatres without wearing clumsy goggles. Apparently, this technology will also be much cheaper than options like parallax barrier and even the goggle-based technology currently being used in theatres. According to press reports, the researchers wish to take 3D viewing to the next level with a method that, if validated by further research, might constitute a simple, compact and cost-effective approach to producing widely-available 3D cinema, while also eliminating the need for wearing polarising glasses.
In layman terms, the team is trying to produce a 3D effect by using something like Venetian blinds—because the slats in such blinds generally create a 3D effect by limiting the image that each eye sees.
The team’s setup uses a single front projector against the screen. Polarisers are attached in strips to the screen to stop the passage of light after it reflects off the screen, giving a Venetian Blinds slat effect. To block the necessary portion of light, the researchers have added a specialised coating known as a quarter-wave retarding film to the screen. This film changes the polarisation state of light so it can no longer pass through the polarisers. As the light passes back either through or between the polarising slates, the offset effect is created, producing the depth cues that give a convincing 3D effect to the viewer, without the need for glasses.
