As 3D entertainment makes its move from the theater to the living room, there is still some hesitation from the general population to fully embrace the new technology. There has always been complaints about 3D. A common gripe is having to wear those ridiculous glasses in order to see the image. Some companies have put their efforts into creating more stylish 3D glasses, while others have created outrageously expensive, proprietary shutter glasses. While these "advancements" are welcomed by most, we still dream of the day when glasses are no longer required. Fortunately, the wait may be shorter than we thought.
Microsoft's Applied Sciences Group recently developed a new way of watching 3D video that doesn't require the viewer to wear any glasses. Unlike other prototypes, which required the viewer to stay in a fixed location in order to view the image, Microsoft's prototype uses a camera to track the viewer's position. The tracking information then allows the display to project a 3D video at each person (up to two people). The display emits one video for each individual eye, which creates a 3D image that can be seen without the aid of glasses.
According to an article in Technology Review, "the image quality is affected by screen's refresh rate. A normal 240 Hertz LCD can accommodate two 3D views, meaning that each viewer's eye receives a video that refreshes at a rate of 60 Hertz. Any slower, and the frames [of] the video would be jerky." Since this new technology is somewhat limited to what the current LCD panels will allow, Microsoft's Applied Sciences Group is currently trying to push manufacturers to improve their displays by making faster LCDs.
The good news is we're headed in the right direction. One day, hopefully soon, we'll be able to watch 3D movies without the inconvenience of wearing silly glasses. However, until then, we'll have to settle with being "3-D Four-eyes".
June 18th, 2010
