Split screen: Microsoft’s 3-D screen can project multiple images simultaneously. Here it is projecting a block of red and a block of blue onto a screen two meters away.
Microsoft
A new type of display from Microsoft produces multiple images and tracks the viewers' eyes.
Today's 3-D movies are far more spectacular than the first ones screened more than 50 years ago, but watching them--both at the movie theater and at home--still means donning a pair of dorky, oversized glasses. Now a new type of lens developed by researchers in Microsoft's Applied Sciences Group could help make glasses-free 3-D displays more practical.
The new lens, which is thinner at the bottom than at the top, steers light to a viewer's eyes by switching light-emitting diodes along its bottom edge on and off. Combined with a backlight, this makes it possible to show different images to different viewers, or to create a stereoscopic (3-D) effect by presenting different images to a person's left and right eye. "What's so special about this lens is that it allows us to control where the light goes," says Steven Bathiche, director of Microsoft's Applied Sciences Group.
3-D technology has seen a renaissance recently. Thanks to the success of movies like Coraline, Up, and Avatar, Hollywood is spending more money than ever to give audiences a stereoscopic experience. And electronics manufacturers are racing to replicate the 3-D theater experience in the home. The market for 3-D-capable televisions is expected to grow from 2.5 million sets shipped in 2010 to 27 million in 2013, according to the research firm DisplaySearch. However, the glasses required to watch 3-D video is a turnoff for many would-be early adopters.
At the Society for Information Display International Symposium in Seattle last month, companies showed off 3-D displays that don't require glasses. These sets often use lenticular lenses, which are integrated into the display and project different images in two fixed directions. But a viewer needs to stand in designated zones to experience a 3-D effect; otherwise the screen becomes an out-of-focus blur.
Microsoft's prototype display can deliver 3-D video to two viewers at the same time (one video for each individual eye), regardless of where they are positioned. It can also shows ordinary 2-D video to up to four people simultaneously (one video for each person). The 3-D display uses a camera to track viewers so that it knows where to steer light toward them. The lens is also thin, which means it could be incorporated into a standard liquid crystal display, says Bathiche.
The idea of tracking viewers to make the glasses-free 3-D easier has been around for decades. One of the big challenges, explains Ken Perlin, professor of computer science at New York University, is that the computers used for eye-tracking were too expensive and too slow to make such a system practical. As computers have become faster and cheaper, viewer-tracking systems have gotten up to speed; other components, particularly those needed to target viewers, have remained bulky and impractical to manufacture on a large scale.
Microsoft's wedge lens is about 11 millimeters thick at its top, tapering down to about six millimeters at the bottom. A traditional lens, found in a projector, sits between a point of light and its focal point--the spot where the light is focused. This is the reason why viewer-tracking 3-D systems are often so bulky. The design of the wedge lens bypasses this problem, explains Bathiche. "Instead of having light travel in air, it travels within the lens," he says. "It allows us to compress the distance between the projector and the screen."
Microsoft's Craig Mundie describes how the company's vision of 3-D gaming could extend to all computer interactions.
All we need to add is sound spotlight
It needs to beam the sound to the different users too or we'll simply replace dorky glasses for dorky earphones.
I wonder about the community aspects though, if the whole family is sitting around the same box watching different stuff what do we have in common any more!
Although this would work brilliantly for on one Screen multiplayer gaming, no more postage stamp size screens and peeking to get advantage ;-)
Re: All we need to add is sound spotlight
I was thinking the same thing. This would do wonders for one-screen multiplayer. I hope this is obvious to the development team at Microsoft. I suppose this would require a new console as well as the TV, but for that capability I would be sorely tempted.
But for 3D movies? Having a limited number of viewers is a downer. I can't see anything less than a 4-viewer screen being marketable.
Hmmm... Eye tracking... I guess that means the room needs to be bright enough for the system to recognize the viewers eyes. No watching in the dark, unless... IR camera, perhaps?
Re: All we need to add is sound spotlight
It is easier to track eyes in the dark room, due to better contrast between eyeballs reflecting light from the display and dark background.
Re: All we need to add is sound spotlight
A couple of years ago I read about a technique using ultrasonics in which it beams sound to individuals. The interference patterns created by the inaudible sound make a unique zone of audible sound for that person - No special headphones required.
Another person 2 feet away can't hear them seemingly. So both people can get their own sound.
But don't ask if it's stereo or not. ;-)
Samuel Fuller, once said that, "It's the story, that's important."
OK, so perhaps I am a neoludite... but I still ascribe by that statement.
I did spend 8 bucks to see AVATAR, and was bored out of my mind with hack writing, a confusion of the premise, lack of empathy for characters...a stale plot, but I have to say, the flowers were super. The only thing I liked.
I will take the black and white, "Shindler's List" any day over a 3-D movie.
Like Sam said, "IT'S THE STORY!!!!"
SORRY FOR BEING OF TRACK... but can't we have at least just a little art in this great magazine?
ron hansing
Perhaps you are among a small percentage of people that cannot visualize 3D. Plot (or lack of one) aside, Avitar's 3D technology is guite good. To really appreciate the value of 3D, get acquainted with your local endoscopic surgeon, and see if you can have a peak through the console of their da Vinci Robot. In a word: AMAZING!! Then ask your surgeon friend if he would be willing to attempt a robotic nerve-sparing prostatectomy WITHOUT 3D. I say 3D IS the story, when a real life viewing perspective is absolutely essential.
Sounds like they're using knowledge from their Project Natal (using face recognition) due out at the end of the year.
I imagine we'll see a lot of new and interesting features in TVs using this project.
Like:
Telling the TV or gesturing at the TV to switch, off change channel, etc.
The use of LCD technology limits the frequency, and therefore the number of viewers. The DLP aims the lasers at different parts of the lens accommodating different users. DLP with lasers would allow much higher frequency, and therefore, potentially many users.
An interesting side application. Since each viewer gets their own individual set of images, multiple viewers could be watching totally different things, or different viewers could see slightly different content. This would allow totally new and unique content opportunities.
I don't care that much about 3D either but being able to direct light to the viewer's eyes means that a cellphone display, for example, would appear extremely bright making it viewable in direct sunlight.
The typical LCD display scatters light widely for wide-angle viewing. 99% of that light misses the viewer's pupils so it's lost making the display look dim. Gathering that light and beaming it into the viewer's pupils makes it appear far brighter with much less power to run the display. The eye tracking would make it just as bright regardless of the viewing angle.
It seems that a two way communication (between the viewing screen and the viewers eyes)is definitely an interesting direction that the engineers should pursue...
The use of this technology for ATM cash machines or sensitive content on a computer screen are possible avenues to explore.
I can just imagine a future Tablet or computer display device in which the material being displayed is only visible if the computer recognises your face. :-)
Cost and temperature stability
MS bought this technology. Word has it (direct from the horse's mouth) that the prismatic surfaces have to be flat within about 1 nm. So one wonders about: (a) the cost and (b) temperature stability.
Re: Cost and temperature stability
What about addressing holographic properties?
Given the references to NATAL, re face detection schemes, I suspect that this whole process breaks down if your face presents at an angle significantly "off" from the vertical (couch potatoes, give it up).
I.e., the "splitter" works by dividing left/right imagery at the (detected) bridge of your nose. (predicted: a problem for some types of eyewear and/or halloween masks, eh)...
The "splitter" probably doesn't allow for a "top/bottom" split -- but then the video data isn't designed for that anyway, so that becomes moot.
I am a creative 3D specialist..i thought about this 3D TV stuff 18 years ago using lenticular lenses...but i have limited resources...now i have a new 3D invention idea iam working on...that will drastically enhance the 3D effect like no other...but i am not sharing, unless someone is willing to back me, or bring me on their team...I am an innovator with no resource.
Hi; As a Xerox Alumni & owner of the Zenith LCD that displays 3-D w/out glassies, I'm amazed that it's taking Sony & Toshiba 10 yrs to finally take their R&D to Production..
PS, my Polaroid 3-D lens over my camcorder works well, to playback on the discontinued Zenith.
I'm interested in joining a team, to pursue 3 or 4 key arenas of special or public services.
A 1st prototype would be to start local Tvl/ Interest venues, using local hosts to add both
3-D media + local food/ specialties, & Service Ads to assist visiting clients +++. It only will take focused hosts, with little funding required.
Likewise it would link to WWW clients!
Thanks Bill Sullivan dba/Tesla Inc Zip 91423
Hi maybe i can help you, i make custom made lenses/prism. I have a few idea's for a perfect 3d
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mattgroom
290 Comments
Its Not 3d
Isnt this two and a half d? The term adopted for almost being 3d and appearing to be like a 3d environment but not actually 3d.
A 3d environment is one where anyone can stand anywhere and view the observable object from that perspective. And all perspectives could be viewed simultaneously if required.
This is not 3d, but 2.5d. Maybe even 2.6d...lol.
But its nice nonetheless.
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Gurthang
52 Comments
Re: Its Not 3d
If I was to take your definition then the only thing that comes close is holographic 3D, as all stereoscopic 3D systems are either limited to one viewer or the perspective does not shift when viewed from other angles. This system if working with real 3D data could do it because it is tracking the viewer so it could simulate the perspective shift. Though as mentioned in the article it would still have problems when the number of viewers exceeded the refresh limit of the display. But you could still fall back on perspective shifting in 2D which is actully pretty good at faking 3D and thus allow a 240Hz display to still handle up to 4 people as 60Hz.
Personally I see this more as a good console gaming and PC gaming/visualization tech more than a home theatre thing. Combine that with their Natal tech and it could make for a nice gesture based 3D display. Though they would have to improve Natal to handle hand gestures with persicion in the near field. It could be quite fun.
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