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Sharp's Double-View LCD TV

HaloPhreak writes "Sharp has released that they will soon release products that will "allow viewers sitting to the right and left of a screen to watch different channels." This is a new breakthrough in LCD technology my the industry-leading LCD manufacturer. In the article by Reuters, more than just television use is anticipated for this new technology. According to the article, laptops, ATM's, PDA's, cellphones, and even billboards you see in malls could use this technology."

233 comments

  1. Sound? by samtihen · · Score: 5, Interesting

    What about sound?

    1. Re:Sound? by winkydink · · Score: 4, Funny

      Rumor has it that it comes equipped with sound-producing devices.

      --

      "I'd rather be a lightning rod than a seismometer." -Ken Kesey

    2. Re:Sound? by Gulthek · · Score: 1

      For each channel? At the same time? Do you see an inherent problem?

    3. Re:Sound? by Shads · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Headphones are the answer.

      Although, I don't know that it will be a popular solution for the most part in television setups.... and would it really be good in the long run anyways? At least when watching tv we have some chat time with the family... with head phones on that'll go away... and that doesnt seem like a good thing to me... people for the most part are isolated enough.

      --
      Shadus
    4. Re:Sound? by bobcat7677 · · Score: 2, Informative

      Simple, install focused speakers in each viewing area. This outfit has some solutions and there are others: http://www.holosonics.com/

    5. Re:Sound? by Neil+Blender · · Score: 5, Funny

      What about sound?

      Holy SHIT!!! We didn't think of that. Better come up with a solution quick. How about headphones? Yeah, that will work.

      Sincerely,
      Sharp R&D

    6. Re:Sound? by vinohradska · · Score: 1

      No, use headphones.

    7. Re:Sound? by winkydink · · Score: 1

      Does the term "belaboring the obvious" mean anything to you?

      --

      "I'd rather be a lightning rod than a seismometer." -Ken Kesey

    8. Re:Sound? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

      How about headphones?

      So there's two sets of people, one on either side of the screen. All wearing headphones, seeing different things, hearing different things, and not speaking?

      If this sounds appealing to you, if this is something you think you would want, then seek help. I'm not trying to insult you and I'm not kidding. Seek help. Now.

    9. Re:Sound? by Neil+Blender · · Score: 1

      So there's two sets of people, one on either side of the screen. All wearing headphones, seeing different things, hearing different things, and not speaking?

      If this sounds appealing to you, if this is something you think you would want, then seek help. I'm not trying to insult you and I'm not kidding. Seek help. Now.


      I turn the TV off when I want to socialize.

    10. Re:Sound? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Hey are you neo-amish, by any chance?

    11. Re:Sound? by iminplaya · · Score: 4, Funny

      Each viewer sits under a "cone of silence". I'm sure they'll get the bugs worked in time.

      --
      What?
    12. Re:Sound? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      better not talking than fighting for the TV shows... :)

    13. Re:Sound? by Winkhorst · · Score: 1

      Yeah, the whole idea does seem to be a l-i-t-t-l-e.......NUTS!

      --
      "Is this Winkhorst a nova criminal?" "No just a technical sergeant wanted for interrogation."
    14. Re:Sound? by Edward+Teach · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Personally, I slap anyone who talks while I am trying to watch a movie.

      --

      Setting his threshold to 5, Sparky eliminated most of the trolls on /.

    15. Re:Sound? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      Sucks to be you. I'll bet if the phone rings you rip the goddamned thing out of the wall?

      I imagine Mystery Science Theater 3000 really chaps your hide, too.

    16. Re:Sound? by kavau · · Score: 1
    17. Re:Sound? by switcha · · Score: 2, Funny

      Initially, the signal that these TV's will require will only be broadcast for the Charlie Chaplin Channel.

      --
      You know what? ... A little club soda *did* get that out!
    18. Re:Sound? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      No problem

    19. Re:Sound? by sharkey · · Score: 1

      Well, aren't you the uppity bitch!

      --

      --
      "Outlook not so good." That magic 8-ball knows everything! I'll ask about Exchange Server next.
    20. Re:Sound? by tmortn · · Score: 1

      Blue Tooth headphones or headsets (for higher quality). INterleaved with your cell phone you could have it drop out the show sound and automatically pause/DVR while you take a call and resume when end. Or any number of other possibilities. The directional speakers others have mentioned from Norris are allso very interesting.

      --
      I don't ask you to be me. I only ask you not expect me to be you.
    21. Re:Sound? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      no, it's a BREAKTHROUGH IN LCD TECHNOLOGY. Ok, I might sound a little bit cynical, cos in fact I just came home from a bar and technically had like 70% chance of getting laid. w00t!!

    22. Re:Sound? by JohanAA · · Score: 1

      What does the guy in the middle see?

    23. Re:Sound? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Ever boot up a linux distro and have "no sound", and have to fish around for a new card, install it and try to get that going?
      Need a suggested distro to try this experiment on?
      Knoppix.
      It appears to me that "sound" is not terribly important to some people, so it gets the short end of the stick.

      /

    24. Re:Sound? by syrinx · · Score: 0

      So there's two sets of people, one on either side of the screen. All wearing headphones, seeing different things, hearing different things, and not speaking?

      If this sounds appealing to you, if this is something you think you would want, then seek help. I'm not trying to insult you and I'm not kidding. Seek help. Now.


      Translation: "I'm an asshole that talks while other people are watching things. I probably don't mind taking calls in a movie theater either."

      --
      Quidquid latine dictum sit, altum sonatur.
    25. Re:Sound? by That's+Unpossible! · · Score: 1

      Although, I don't know that it will be a popular solution for the most part in television setups

      Watching NBA with wireless headphones while my girlfriend watches Desperate Housewives with or without headphones would definitely be a cool way to go, if you only have one room.

      However, if you can afford this technology, I am guessing you can afford a place with more than one room, and since the TV is probably as much as 2 regular TVs, I am guessing you'd be better off going that route.

      Or are they going to tell me this device WON'T be as expensive as 2 TVs? I'll believe it when I see it.

      At least when watching tv we have some chat time with the family

      Well, this device isn't meant to be used when everyone wants to watch the same thing, so I think this point is moot. If you and the wife are watching two separate programs, I doubt you want to try and chat at the same time anyway.

      people for the most part are isolated enough

      I am not sure what your point is (last I checked the internet has been bringing many isolated people into new communities), but I seriously doubt the invention of a fancy picture-in-picture is really going to devastate society.

      --
      Ironically, the word ironically is often used incorrectly.
    26. Re:Sound? by notthe9 · · Score: 1

      They aren't suggesting use for TVs, where it is not practical.

    27. Re:Sound? by JLF65 · · Score: 1

      Our sister always wanted to talk during the TV shows. We found that at about 9 on the volume, you could no longer hear her. I imagine the neighbors wished we had headphones instead. :)

      People like that never get it - they come in while you're trying to enjoy and just start talking like you give a damn. So you grab the remote and turn the volume up... so they start talking louder. So you turn it up some more.

      Fortunately, our sister couldn't yell loud enough to drown out the TV at or past 9... not that she didn't try.

    28. Re:Sound? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I am a homosexual. I didn't want to admit this publicly, so I am going to do it anonymously, here, on slashdot. Thank you for your time.

    29. Re:Sound? by GCP · · Score: 2, Insightful

      All wearing headphones, seeing different things, hearing different things, and not speaking?

      If this sounds appealing to you...seek help.


      Clearly, you don't have children.

      --
      "Those who have never entered upon scientific pursuits know not a tithe of the poetry by which they are surrounded."
    30. Re:Sound? by stry_cat · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Let me guess, you're one of those annoying people who walk into the TV room and start babbling when I'm trying to listen to my favorite show.

      You're the one who needs to seek help. Such rude behavior is usually indicative of a more serious problem.

    31. Re:Sound? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      By the right hand or left hand?

    32. Re:Sound? by miruku · · Score: 1

      i think that if someone is going to splash out for that monitor they will be able to afford two soundcards ;)

      --
      MilkMiruku
  2. Taco must have one of these... by nokilli · · Score: 0

    Cause when I read the story it doesn't talk about this at all.

    But assuming it did...

    What does this accomplish? LCD's are cheap. Need to show different images to the person next to you? Get another LCD!

    Moreover, I'm not at all pleased with the idea that I can be working on my laptop, and the person next to me can see something on there that I can't see. What happens if my pr0n collection for whatever reason decides to make an appearance on this separate channel? Or a file containing sensitive information?

    If anything is needed, it's an LCD that restricts wide-angle viewing so that only the person actually using the laptop gets to see anything.

    Ditto for ATM's, PDA's and cellphones.

    Want to impress me with your feats of LCD derring-do? Get migraine-free 3D working. Now THAT would totally rock.

    1. Re:Taco must have one of these... by ZephyrXero · · Score: 1

      The technology behind it is pretty similar to their 3D screen technology. The front of the panel is ribbed so that certain pixels are directed in different angles...I saw an article about this a few months ago. The one problem many forget to think about is it cuts your verticle resolution in half ;)

      I really don't think it's a practical solution to anything...

      --
      "A truly wise man realizes he knows nothing."
    2. Re:Taco must have one of these... by CorporateWhoremone · · Score: 0

      It is called a polorizer, every LCD has them, some just are thicker to prevent wide angle viewing.

      --
      You make fun of France once and your Karma is never the same...
    3. Re:Taco must have one of these... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      LCD TVs are cheap? Damn, I got the wrong job! Again!

    4. Re:Taco must have one of these... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      "The front of the panel is ribbed so that certain pixels are directed in different angles...I saw an article about this a few months ago. The one problem many forget to think about is it cuts your verticle resolution in half"

      Sorry to be pedantic, but the ribs are vertical (to direct the images to the side) so it cuts the horizontal resolution.

    5. Re:Taco must have one of these... by ZephyrXero · · Score: 1

      oops...

      --
      "A truly wise man realizes he knows nothing."
    6. Re:Taco must have one of these... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      nope. the synthagram does that(with 9 images). The sharp tech is 2 lcd panels, one in front of the other, and a moving mask passing each image to a different viewing angle. sort of like interlacing vertically. Look for DTI for a more detailed explanation.

  3. Finally! by casings · · Score: 4, Funny

    Two different pornos at the same time.

    this is a great day for technology.

    1. Re:Finally! by tktk · · Score: 2, Funny
      Someone's going to end up hurting himself.

      Too many body parts going left-right left-right...

    2. Re:Finally! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      meh, I've been watching 9 at once for almost a year now.

      In spurts.

    3. Re:Finally! by Profane+MuthaFucka · · Score: 5, Funny

      That's what I was thinking. Me and my wife could each watch our own porn. Me, AssMasters 9. The wife, Food Channel.

      --
      Fascism trolls keeping me up every night. When I starts a preachin', he HITS ME WITH HIS REICH!
    4. Re:Finally! by Shut+the+fuck+up! · · Score: 0, Funny

      That's what I was thinking. Me and my wife could each watch our own porn. Me, AssMasters 9. The wife, Food Channel.

      She masturbates to Rachel Ray too?

    5. Re:Finally! by idiotdevel · · Score: 1

      actually thanks to my gentoo optimizations (CFLAGS) and amazing software (mplayer), I can already watch many different pornos at the same time... and I frequently do

    6. Re:Finally! by Profane+MuthaFucka · · Score: 0
      --
      Fascism trolls keeping me up every night. When I starts a preachin', he HITS ME WITH HIS REICH!
    7. Re:Finally! by SDMX · · Score: 0

      You wouldn't even have to seperate sound channels since generic funk tracks and orgasmic moans sync up so naturally.

    8. Re:Finally! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Pretty much everything you said after the word "Gentoo" was redundant.

    9. Re:Finally! by DrStrange66 · · Score: 1

      That's what I was thinking. Me and my wife could each watch our own porn. Me, AssMasters 9. The wife, Food Channel.

      Ahh your wife must watch The Naked Chef! Though its not quite what you think it might be.

    10. Re:Finally! by Council · · Score: 1

      . . . "interesting?"

      --
      xkcd.com - a webcomic of mathematics, love, and language.
    11. Re:Finally! by Pollardito · · Score: 1

      or how about i see Worlds of Warcraft and my boss sees a spreadsheet being updated

    12. Re:Finally! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

      Of course, for you, this double-sound issue wouldn't be a problem. Both channels have the same audio. "Oh yeah, pound it, just like that!"

    13. Re:Finally! by geekboy642 · · Score: 1

      Strangely enough, both my stock WinXP and Debian computers play multiple videos simultaneously with no problems.

      In other news, CFLAGS is usually set by the programmer with the best set of flags for his application. Messing with that just causes problems, Mr. -funrollallmidgets.

      --
      Just another "DOJ fascist authoritarian totalitarian bootlicker" -- Zeio
  4. Sweet! by jacen_sunstrider · · Score: 1

    So while at work, I could sneak one of these babies in, and have something 'questionable' going on at the side view, and when they storm up, I'll just be working. It will freak them all out!

    1. Re:Sweet! by ghukov · · Score: 1, Insightful

      I can hear it now... "what, there are a whole lot of W's, S's, A's, and D's in the program I am writing."

      --
      ...because Plutonians are teh suck
    2. Re:Sweet! by balor1eye · · Score: 1

      Or I could have something that looks like work on the publicly viewable angle and something other on mine!

  5. I for one... by soft_guy · · Score: 1, Funny

    I, for one, welcome our new dual channel television overlords!

    --
    Avoid Missing Ball for High Score
    1. Re:I for one... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Imagine a BeoWulf cluster of these... we'll be able to see into, like, the 111th dimension!

      Or, in Soviet Russia, dual channel television watches you!

    2. Re:I for one... by w00master · · Score: 1

      You know even though this joke has been overused on Slashdot (and other sites). I still think it's hilarious.

  6. Thats Awesome! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    So you can be watching a solid, intelligent news program, while your friend can be watching some reactionary, right wing Nazi propaganda show. Wait, my TV already does that.

    1. Re:Thats Awesome! by John+Seminal · · Score: 0, Offtopic
      So you can be watching a solid, intelligent news program, while your friend can be watching some reactionary, right wing Nazi propaganda show. Wait, my TV already does that.

      Fox News?

      LOL!!!

      This reminds me of something Rush Limbaugh did when he had his TV program in the late 80's, early 90's. One day Rush announced "I did not realize this, but there is a large audiance that can not understand me, people who we wish to turn to, to embrace. From now on, at the bottom 1/9th of the screen, the home viewer will be able to watch a translator, who will translate my show into ebonics". The bottom 1/9th of the screen, for the rest of that show had a black man, dressed like an African hunter, jumping up and down, turning in circles, and making a clicking noise with his mouth.

      What Rush was really missing was the translator who would take the other 1/9th of the screen, and have a bottle of Lous III in a $1000 crystal glass, while he mumbles in a british accent "you will never be as rich as me, no matter how you smash the unions, you will never have old money. your corvette, i laugh at your corvette, you could not even afford an entry level ferarri, not that those are any better. *british laugh* dare i say, i believe the janitor is forcing you to pay him $5 an hour. you'll never be rich enough. never!!".

      --

      Rosco: "If brains were gunpowder, Enos couldn't blow his nose."

    2. Re:Thats Awesome! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Gee, somebody has been reading fark...

      Try to be more original

    3. Re:Thats Awesome! by Eric_Cartman_South_P · · Score: 1
      Oh, I get it, both displays are set to Fox News.

    4. Re:Thats Awesome! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Wow, proof by idiotic made-up anecdote!

    5. Re:Thats Awesome! by psycobrat · · Score: 0

      i really do not understand the link of "right winged" and the nazi. the nazi were more like our moder democracts, that is, government controled everything and police state. but this is the liberal /. so anything bashing bush/consevitism/"right winged"/the constitution is great and the american way. it saddens me that people can be so evil.

  7. released that they will soon release by bedroll · · Score: 2, Funny

    I'm just posting to say that I'll soon be posting about this article

    1. Re:released that they will soon release by bedroll · · Score: 1
      And now onto the commentary...

      Wow. That article has nothing to do with introduction. This is such a fun /. posting! Redundant wording about a multi-display technology linked to an article about cross-licensing. Pardon me while my head explodes.

      The only thing missing is a dupe!

    2. Re:released that they will soon release by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      After the submitter had realized and revealed that Sharp had released a press release displaying that they would soon release the display, I'll bet he had not posited that you would deposit a post for display that displayed your tentative intention to post a post about the display, if not in hastily, then post hastily (hey, hey, hey).

  8. This is nothing new by museumpeace · · Score: 4, Funny

    I have had many a strained discussion of a TV show that I just watched with my wife...we obviously were watching two different shows on the same set.

    --
    SLASHDOT: news for people who can't concentrate on work or have no life at all and got tired of yelling back at the TV.
  9. Too bad they can't settle it civilized the old way by WarmNoodles · · Score: 1

    With dueling Samauri swords at 2 feet. sigh

  10. Didn't some student do this? by bitfoo · · Score: 2, Interesting

    I could have sworn I had seen this before on slashdot, yet not on such a commercial level. If I recall correctly, some student posted about viewing different pictures at different angles, and even had set up a demo. He hadn't managed to perfect two streaming television channels, if I recall correctly. Hmm...can anyone find/remember this?

    1. Re:Didn't some student do this? by daenris · · Score: 3, Informative

      http://hardware.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=05/06/ 13/2352215&tid=196&tid=188&tid=129&tid=137 I remembered it too... just took a few minutes to actually find it.

    2. Re:Didn't some student do this? by eluusive · · Score: 1

      Maybe if slashdot's search engine wasn't a peice of flippin' crap it wouldn't have taken so long!

  11. The article by onion2k · · Score: 4, Informative
    1. Re:The article by evilviper · · Score: 1

      Nice. It's a shame slashdot doesn't have editors.

      --
      Slashdot gets worse every day... Pipedot: News for nerds, without the corporate slant
  12. Stereoscopic TV? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

    I wonder if the two channels could be split so that one eye would see a different picture than the other eye. I guess you would have to have the TV aimed directly at you, but it still would be pretty cool and you wouldn't have to wear some geeky looking glasses/helmet.

    1. Re:Stereoscopic TV? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative

      Same idea, I bet. There are already "holographic" LCDs, which show perspectives which correspond to the different viewing directions. This just shows two entirely different pictures in two more diverse directions. The principle is similar to lenticular images.

    2. Re:Stereoscopic TV? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative

      sharp have already done that, as well as stereographics(synthagram) and DTI.
      They are all crap.

  13. Kids will be Kids by CorporateWhoremone · · Score: 0

    This will keep the kids from fighting over the TV, my house will be eerily silent...besides two TV channels sound at full blast.

    --
    You make fun of France once and your Karma is never the same...
  14. Grammer Check!!! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    "This is a new breakthrough in LCD technology my the industry-leading LCD manufacturer"

    Doesn't anyone check these articles anymore???

    1. Re:Grammer Check!!! by Colourspace · · Score: 1

      Fsck the grammer, what about the blatant advertising?!

    2. Re:Grammer Check!!! by Xerxus · · Score: 1

      Yeah, to hell with grammar and spelling check!

  15. Yes, but... by Gherald · · Score: 1

    The real question is: Can I use mirrors to watch two channels at once? :)

    1. Re:Yes, but... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Here is a link to a somewhat better article. It says some of the uses and yes a mirror will work (at least from the picture)

      http://digitalcamera.101reviews.com/news/dual-view -lcd-display

  16. Sounds like a use-of-opportunity for a 3D screen. by Ungrounded+Lightning · · Score: 1

    allow viewers sitting to the right and left of a screen to watch different channels.

    Sounds like they made the glassesless 3D laptop screen, noticed that from a distance it gave two separate 2D images, and decided to try marketing that, too.

    --
    Bantam Dominique roosters crow a four-note song. Once you've heard it as "Happy BIRTHday" you can't NOT hear it that way
  17. From TFA... by Otto · · Score: 5, Informative

    From TFA:

    Katayama acknowledged that sound would be an issue. He said directional speakers were one possibility in the future but earphones would be the most likely option at present.

    --
    - Give a man a fire and he's warm for a day, but set him on fire and he's warm for the rest of his life.
    1. Re:From TFA... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Um, great.

      Maybe it is such a HUGE problem that it is worthy of discussion?

      I mean, you want people to use HEADPHONES to watch TV? Oh, I'm really sure that is going to catch on.

      Let's face it, as far as television goes this is an incredibly stupid idea. It will probably cost 20k, and you will have to use headphones.

      Great. Where can I get one?

      There are probably uses for this, but any use that requires sound is going to fail faster than it took me to write this post.

    2. Re:From TFA... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Directional speakers?

    3. Re:From TFA... by BlueCode · · Score: 1

      i can see evryone walking by a big ass billboard with headphones on.....not really. if its gonna be used for anything other that home movies, they will need a solution quick

      --
      Ass is Ass, quit being so picky!
    4. Re:From TFA... by bill_mcgonigle · · Score: 1

      I mean, you want people to use HEADPHONES to watch TV? Oh, I'm really sure that is going to catch on.

      This way I can sit on the couch with my family yet be guaranteed I won't have to interact with them at all.

      The only thing that could be better would be Back To The Future II -style visors so there's no chance of a peripheral vision sighting.

      --
      My God, it's Full of Source!
      OUTSIDE_IP=$(dig +short my.ip @outsideip.net)
    5. Re:From TFA... by Ctrl-Z · · Score: 1

      Uh, billboards have gotten along just fine for years being a visual-only medium. Why should this technology change that?

      --
      www.timcoleman.com is a total waste of your time. Never go there.
    6. Re:From TFA... by wik · · Score: 1

      Why do they even need video (aside from distracting drivers and causing accidents)?

      --
      / \
      \ / ASCII ribbon campaign for peace
      x
      / \
    7. Re:From TFA... by Baricom · · Score: 1

      From the point of view of the advertisers, distractions are a feature, not a bug.

    8. Re:From TFA... by mattspammail · · Score: 1

      Think about this though. Sound is only an issue for the home user. Rhetorical question: how many home users do you think will be able to afford a TV with multi-angle views? More likely, this will be useful for larger, commercial settings. Think advertising, sports bars, etc. Sound will most likely not be an issue there.

      --
      Now accepting PayPal donations!
  18. More on-topic article by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

    The reuters article seems to be more about patents than anything.

    As for the sound question, thats one of the catches mentioned in the following:

    Here is a better article.

  19. I understand some but not all of this... by garcia · · Score: 1, Flamebait

    Sharp did not disclose what products would use the new panel, but said it could eventually find uses in mobile phones, personal computers, car navigation systems and in various commercial applications.

    Personal computers, TVs, and various commercial applications (whatever those might be) seem to make sense for this technology but I'm at a loss for what mobile phones and car navigation systems need it for...

    Mobile phone screens are tiny, need to remain tiny, and shouldn't be attempting to distract drivers any more than they already are. Why do people need to see two things at once on a phone?

    Car navigation systems are "small" in order to not completely take over the entire dash and leave room for other shit. Why would a car's navigation screen need to be smaller, making it more difficult to navigate with, while increasing distraction?

    1. Re:I understand some but not all of this... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

      It wouldn't change the size of the navigation screen... it would allow the passenger to watch a movie on the navigation screen while not creating a distraction for the driver. And leaving room for all the other shit.

    2. Re:I understand some but not all of this... by Hope+Thelps · · Score: 1

      but I'm at a loss for what mobile phones and car navigation systems need it for...

      Okay, imagine that you've replaced the driver who's supposed to be collecting James Bond. Don't you think that a navigation display that looks to him as if you're driving towards the British embassy but actually shows you taking him towards his death would be pretty useful?

      --
      To summarise the summary of the summary: people are a problem. ~ h2g2
    3. Re:I understand some but not all of this... by LiquidCoooled · · Score: 3, Insightful

      I can actually see a very practical use for putting a screen like this in car.

      During the trip, the driver should only have access to nav displays, directions etc.
      At the same time, the passenger can be watching a movie or tv etc.

      When you stop the car, you can switch it back to single channel and both enjoy the movie.

      This is especially practical since the positions of the people in the car are quite fixed.

      A agree about mobile phones however, just give us a larger screen rather than fudging a use where none is required.

      --
      liqbase :: faster than paper
    4. Re:I understand some but not all of this... by jcnnghm · · Score: 1

      Car navigation sets with the two channel display technology make a lot of sense. The driver could still use the GPS, while the front seat passenger watches a movie.

      --
      You don't make the poor richer by making the rich poorer. - Winston Churchill
    5. Re:I understand some but not all of this... by bedroll · · Score: 1
      Car navigation systems are "small" in order to not completely take over the entire dash and leave room for other shit. Why would a car's navigation screen need to be smaller, making it more difficult to navigate with, while increasing distraction?

      I didn't read where it said that the panels would be smaller. However, I can see it being benefitial to some extent in car nav. It could display secondary information to the passenger while the driver sees more important info, like where to turn. Perhaps the same technology that blocks light from one side could also be applied to help stop glare from making the screen unreadible, instead of just recessing it into the dash where it's a bit harder to see.

      Maybe it could be used to keep my mother-in-law from watching my speedometer like a hawk.

    6. Re:I understand some but not all of this... by briankoenig · · Score: 1

      The two-view screen would be perfect for in-car screens becuase the driver would see a GPS/navigation app, while the passenger could be watching a DVD. As it is now (at least in CA), in-dash DVD screens are crippled so that they can't play unless the car is in park, keeping the driver's eyes on the road but also robbing the passenger of entertainment. This type of screen would solve that issue.

    7. Re:I understand some but not all of this... by garcia · · Score: 1

      Soon to be a thing of the past.

    8. Re:I understand some but not all of this... by slantyyz · · Score: 1

      I actually saw a prototype of this technology by Fujitsu last year, and they indeed had a map facing the driver and a movie facing the passenger, and it worked quite well.

      It was pretty seamless and when you were in the correct viewing position, you would have no idea that the person beside you saw something completely different.

  20. Reuters article by WTBF · · Score: 1

    Is it just me or does the article linked to have nothing to do with two people being able to watch two channels? The article, to me, seems to say that Sharp and AU Optronics have agreed to share patents, nothing about sharing one screen with two people.

  21. er... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful
    This is a new breakthrough in LCD technology my the industry-leading LCD manufacturer
    er, maybe not such a breakthrough?...
  22. So by hackstraw · · Score: 1

    The article doesn't say anything, but am I missing something, or is this an advertorial?

    My Sony TV does this already. I have a widescreen TV and I can watch 2 4:3 TV shows side by side. I forgot the exact measurements, but on my TV I can get something like 2 25" screens side by side.

    The thing that sucks is that the "active" screen has the sound. Before I got a DVR and a program guide, it would have been really cool to have the sound on the inactive screen so that I could flip between channels while looking for something new to watch. However, my DVR does this now.

    1. Re:So by snooo53 · · Score: 1

      What model is your Sony?

      --
      The sending of this message pretty much inconveniences everyone involved.
    2. Re:So by bonk · · Score: 1

      When I read it, the impression I got was that you would see a different picture depending on your viewing angle to the screen, not that they would just slap 2 different channels side by side.

      --
      I hope to die peacefully in my sleep like grandpa, not screaming like his passengers.
  23. Yeah, this is bullshit. by Corngood · · Score: 3, Insightful

    As soon as you put on headphones, you are no longer doing something with other people; you may as well just have a handheld device. The only possible use I can think of for this is a replacement for split-screen in games.

    1. Re:Yeah, this is bullshit. by KylePflug · · Score: 1

      Wow. A moment ago I was mocking this, but as a replacement for split-screen, this has REAL potential. Oh wait, I forgot, consoles suck. Yeah. And Microsoft too. Long live the PC! Or Mac! Or whatever we're long-living today!

    2. Re:Yeah, this is bullshit. by coopex · · Score: 1

      I didn't realize that watching TV was supposed to be a bonding experience, so I tried it. Me and Chirac put on The Joy Luck Club, and after crying our hearts out, agreed that the whole US/France feud was stupid and that we'd work together in the future

      Sincerely, George W. Bush

      --
      The road to hell is paved with good intentions.
  24. And the relevant material is where? by DanielMarkham · · Score: 1, Insightful

    I emailed the editor -- I can't find a reference to the story anywhere in the post.
    Perhaps over on this side of the room it's screwed up, if we all stood somewhere over to the left, we might see how this makes sense.


    Chicken Mind-Reading Study Concludes

  25. What about sound? by DamienMcKenna · · Score: 1, Redundant

    I see one problem with this: how is the audio transmitted to have each person listening to two different things?

    Damien

    1. Re:What about sound? by pe1chl · · Score: 1

      That is a very good question. My TV allows side-by-side display of two independent programmes, and you can select which of the two provides the sound (and output the other sound channel on the headphones), but still it is impractical to watch two programmes.

  26. Sound is no problem guys... by sargosis · · Score: 1

    i seem to remember that there was an article up about a year ago regarding directional sound using hyper-sonic waves. the waves traveled almost totally straight and cancelled each other out to form a beat that was audible as sound to us. Why not slap a couple of those puppies on this LCD and you now have directional sound and image? if someone could do this...they'd probably make a lot of money.

    --
    for free wallpapers, visit Sargosis.com
  27. The Only Use I Can See For This... by Nom+du+Keyboard · · Score: 1
    The only use I can foresee for this is when your two kids want to play Goldeneye -- or some other FPS game -- and each only wants their view.

    Watching two different programs sounds cute, until you start trying to divide up who gets the soundtrack.

    --
    "It's the height of ridiculousness to say for those 9 lines you get hundreds of millions."
  28. There doing this.. by Sweetdelight · · Score: 1

    There doing this for stuff like Airplanes and stop people from peaking at what your looking at, etc, More of a privacy issue then a "Cool i can watch 2 different pr0ns at the same time"

  29. old technology by Anubis333 · · Score: 1, Informative

    This is basically a lenticular lens with an LCD back, lenticular tech has been around for years, and even lenticular lenses with LCD backs have been around for years... nothing new to see here.. move along.

    1. Re:old technology by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Why do people constantly feel the need to point out that the technology's old, and that I should "move along"? I haven't seen it in my living room yet, and I haven't seen a big-name consumer electronics manufacturer issuing press releases about it as if it might actually work. Plus, aren't these types of lenticular lens arrangements generally geared towards trying to create a 3d image? Seems like this has a much wider separation as its objective than the distance between your eyes. Just be happy the story's not a dupe.

  30. Games by JVert · · Score: 1

    The only possible benefit this could bring is console gaming for multiplayer on the same console. But its way to expensive for this and pointless for any other uses.

  31. I must be by sochdot · · Score: 1

    standing on the wrong side of the article, cuz I see something different. That said, I already have one LCD. Wouldn't it be cheaper to just buy another plain one and have two rather than scrapping this one for a fancy new double model?

    --
    If at first you don't succeed, destroy all evidence that you tried.
  32. New breakthrough? by slashdot.org · · Score: 2, Informative

    This is a new breakthrough in LCD technology

    Yeah, or is it a slightly re-engineered version of their 3D technology

    I have one of those sitting here, and I can totally see how this 'new breakthrough' would be possible using the same technique, just different mechanical layout.

    FYI: the 3D monitor is not that great, you have to position your head in the _exact_ right position.

    1. Re:New breakthrough? by Yaotzin · · Score: 1

      Drugs might help.

      --
      Error: No error occurred
    2. Re:New breakthrough? by zerocool^ · · Score: 1


      Hell, most of my monitors in college were capable of this double-vision thing. We called it "drunk".

      --
      sig?
  33. What will this do to the work-place? by RamboIII · · Score: 3, Funny

    I mean, now we have to invent the 2-man cubicle!

    --
    Time is comparison of movement to other movement.
  34. Closer to stereo? by sklib · · Score: 1

    If this technology is refined, it might work to allow a person to see a different thing with each of his eyes. This is what makes a stereo screen work without goggles. Of course it would only work for 1 person with everyone else getting just one side of the picture, unless you can have bands of left vs right eye, so there were several angles at which one could position his head relative to the screen, and still see different images.

    Oh, and twice the porn. *yay*

    --
    -S
  35. Even better by ad0gg · · Score: 1

    I can be watching porn, and when my girlfriend/wife walks in she'll see the discovery channel instead.

    --

    Have you ever been to a turkish prison?

    1. Re:Even better by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

      That's perfect, you have your pants around your ankle sitting there naked and she thinks your wanting Animal planet...that's not going to cause any concern!!!

    2. Re:Even better by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Discovery Channel is not Animal Planet.

      And, wait, you actually masturbate to porn? What the hell is wrong with you?

    3. Re:Even better by doppe1 · · Score: 1
      I can be watching porn, and when my girlfriend/wife walks in she'll see the discovery channel instead.

      Then you have to figure out how to explain to her why you were masturbating to Rhino's humping.

  36. Where are LCD's cheap, are you talking 15-17" by John+Seminal · · Score: 1
    LCD's are cheap. Need to show different images to the person next to you? Get another LCD!

    There is alot going on here. Cheap 15" LCD's are out there. But they don't look that great and they are small.

    What if I want to run High Definition content? What does the resolution max out at?

    What happens if my pr0n collection for whatever reason decides to make an appearance on this separate channel?

    Face turns red? Everyone laughs?

    But in all honestly, have you ever veiwed porn if someone was in the same room with you, even if they were at a computer facing the opposite direction? Who would do that, it is about as dumb as thinking you have privacy at work in your cubicle and want to check out playboy.

    Someone should send you the video of the fat boy in the college dorm room who forgot to lock his door. Meanwhile, a buddy cracked the door open, saw the kid masturbating, ran back to his room, grabbed his camcorder, and recorded the kid beating off. The kid turns around and there are 10 people who start laughing, and the one doing the recording.

    If anything is needed, it's an LCD that restricts wide-angle viewing so that only the person actually using the laptop gets to see anything.

    I think these are out. I believe I saw advertising for it. But I could not tell you what manufacturer, because I try and block out advertising.

    Okay, here is my wishlist. A good, inexpensive, 1600 by 1200 23" widescreen LCD for under $300. If you can make that, I will be a buyer.

    And for a HDTV, how about a 48" widescreen 1024*768 LCD for under $900?? That will do DVD 480p and ESPN satelite 720p without downscaling. Baseball would look so awesome on that!!! Hopefully it will be someone in the USA who can make it, and not China, I would like to support USA workers.

    BTW, can someone explain to me why a normal tv with 480i looks better than something of the same size on my computer monitor? Does higher resolution ability make a lower resolution picture look worse?

    --

    Rosco: "If brains were gunpowder, Enos couldn't blow his nose."

    1. Re:Where are LCD's cheap, are you talking 15-17" by kryptx · · Score: 1

      you can't do 720p on 1024x768 without downscaling. The resolution of 720p is 1280x720. You just don't have enough pixels.

      --
      Mods: Do you disagree with me? Go ahead and mod me down. Meta-mods will sort it out. Good luck!
    2. Re:Where are LCD's cheap, are you talking 15-17" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Normal TV looks better because 480i (interlaced) was meant for normal TV. Slightly shifted consecutive images are displayed alternatively on odd and even lines, which on normal TV works out fine because of the phosphor afterglow. On LCD screens you see the odd lines of half a frame ago exactly as bright as the current even frame, and this even frame will be slightly shifted compared to the odd frame (especially in fast moving scenes).

      This is assuming your computer monitor is either an LCD or a progressive CRT trying to display interlaced. If the monitor is actually a CRT displaying 480i, the reason it still looks bad might be that the screen's afterglow is shorter than that of a normal TV, as the computer monitor is meant to have a higher vertical refresh rate.

  37. DIY by TheUnknownCoder · · Score: 1
    DIY articles are a dime a dozend these days at /. so I figured I'd ride the gravy train:
    • By duct tape and 2 LCD monitors
    • Wrap them up together.
      This is the trickiest part. Years of study has shown that the best way is if they're back-to-back. Avoid taping the screen itself.
    Viewers must be 180 degrees apart.
    --
    Uncopyrightable: The longest word you can write without repeating a letter.
  38. Great for cubicle packing by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Now you get two workers to each screen and cut down on the need for deskspace.

  39. Useful for privacy, too. by Myself · · Score: 1

    Since the dawn of LCD technology, viewing angle has been intimately tied to contrast. I've always been surprised that people still sell "privacy filters" for laptop screens when all that's needed is a settings tweak to make the viewing angle very narrow.

    This promises to go one better... feed a "Nice try, asshole" message to potential shoulder surfers!

  40. Monitors and Desktops by Volvogga · · Score: 1

    What are they going to do when they bring this to Monitors? Are they expecting me to grab the screen and turn my monitor 45 degrees (or whatever it ends up being) to show a new desktop?

    Motorize it and link it to a keyboard button, and maybe then well talk (probably not though, as this thing will probably cost more than two monitors anyway). Untill then, I'm sticking to Ctrl-Tab.

    --
    Vol~
    1. Re:Monitors and Desktops by jonored · · Score: 1

      Alternately, you know, run linux, and then you've generally got an arbitrary number of virtual desktops on each X server, the option of running a semi-arbitrary number of X servers, all on one machine and swappable between with key combinations... then you've gone cheaper by not buying as much software, and you've got the same effect of multiple desktops, except for the matter of having many, many more of them. Or just use litestep, but you don't get the multiple X servers (not that they're useful save for having multiple simultaneous different user sessions), and it's more of a headache.

    2. Re:Monitors and Desktops by jonored · · Score: 1

      erm... should have read the comment; standard windowsiness would have been alt-tab - but then, ctrl-tab is generally tab-switch.. *shrug*.

    3. Re:Monitors and Desktops by Volvogga · · Score: 1

      Glad you caught it. I was refering to Linux desktop swiching with Ctrl-Tab. Also, you can run multiple X services on the same computer? Is that like starting X in one of the Virtual terminals (Ctrl-Alt-F* on my comp)? How is the resource use if that's possible? I'm kind of pushing my 500Mhz PIII as it is.

      --
      Vol~
    4. Re:Monitors and Desktops by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      This could come in handy at work. The boss comes in and sees the "spreadsheet" I am working on while I continue to play Frozen Bubble. If Mr. Stevenson is reading this then this was just a joke and I assure you that I would never think of doing anything not work related while in the office.

    5. Re:Monitors and Desktops by jonored · · Score: 1

      Yeah, you can - but it's exactly the virtual terminals bit. My girlfriend and I both use her shuttle rather extensively, and so we have three X servers start by default - one for her, one for me, and one for a guest :) it's exactly putting them on different virtual terminals. I think how we did it there was by editing the configuration file for xdm... just telling it to run a server on :0 (which goes to VT7), and another on :1, and a third on :2. (8 and 9, respectively). On Gleep (the shuttle), resources tend to not be a problem... she's got a relatively new AMD processor, and a full gigabyte of RAM... but I've done similarly on my little PII laptop - if you think about it, the inactive server won't be doing all that much in the way of I/O (no user interaction tends to imply not much display activity either way), and so a lot of the memory taken up can be swapped to disk. Yeah, thinking about it, I've had one X server local on my laptop, and one doing an XDMCP session to the campus' shell servers, without much of a problem... but I'm somewhat adapted to my laptop; something about the way I interact, apart from things like this, is nicer on the resources - other people go twitchy with how slow it becomes when they try.

    6. Re:Monitors and Desktops by Volvogga · · Score: 1

      Thanks for the reply. That is an interesting little piece of info that may be worth looking into. Appreciate it.

      --
      Vol~
  41. direct viewing? by bobcat7677 · · Score: 1

    So what happens when you look at the screen centered? Do you see parts of both images like some of those cheap toys out of a cracker jack box that change the image when you move it side to side? Or do you see nothing at all?

    Would seem kinda silly unless you have the specific situation of three people on the couch with lefty wanting to watch CNN, righty wanting to watch "Survivor: Anarctica", and the middle person wanting to read a book. And the same three people always sit in the same spot and want the same thing.

  42. Simple Solution... by GFLPraxis · · Score: 4, Informative

    A simple solution to that. I was watching the former TechTV a while back (rest in peace :( ) and I remember seeing in "Invent This!" a rich guy who ran a small company who had developed a directional speaker. You could only hear it if it was directly pointed towards you.

    Combine this directional TV with these speakers and bam, each person sees AND hears different things.

    1. Re:Simple Solution... by Mahou · · Score: 4, Informative

      are you talking about something similar to this popular science article?

      --
      if i'm not immortal, what's the point of living?
      ...te?
    2. Re:Simple Solution... by dancpsu · · Score: 1

      At nearly $1000, it's a little expensive though.

      --
      "Scientists don't change their minds, they just die." -- Max Planck
    3. Re:Simple Solution... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      What if you were watching a comedy and the person next to you was watching a drama?

      Show on the Right: "My wife died of cancer last fall.."
      Person on the Left: "Hahahaha! That's AWESOME!"

    4. Re:Simple Solution... by davidescott · · Score: 1

      I saw one of those demonstrated and they are really cool. The problem is that they don't have a strong bass range, and the sound bounces off the walls. While its great for open areas where you want to put ads or chirping birds in particular locations, you probably would have a hard time convincing someone who just bought an uberexpensive TV that he should spend that much again on underperforming speakers. I think one pair of noise canceling wireless headphones are probably the ideal solution.

    5. Re:Simple Solution... by GFLPraxis · · Score: 1

      Yup, that's it exactly. Even the same guy I saw on TechTV.

      Of course, adding this multi-view TV + multiple of these speakers for different directions will result in one dang expensive, but also dang cool, TV.

    6. Re:Simple Solution... by KylePflug · · Score: 1

      Except that you have to sit in a certain place, you won't have GOOD sound, let alone surround sound, and you're still wasting your time in front of a TV. Anyway, for the likely price, you could buy three or four LCDs yourself, position them at angles, and marvel at your problem-solving.

    7. Re:Simple Solution... by binarybum · · Score: 1

      eh, if you could convince someone to buy this uberannoying, anti-social, 3 way TV, I bet you'd also be skilled enough to sway them into buying some crappy sounding speakers.

      --
      ôó
  43. This reminds me of- by Captain+Jammer · · Score: 1

    D.A.R.Y.L. where he is playing pole position and watching a bunch of other stuff. But seriously isn't it great how we can be bombarded with advertising in a whole new way? I don't see this being used for anything but advertising. Booo Hisss. I want smell-a-vision.. you can keep your double in- double out LCD screen

  44. Errr by Reality+Master+101 · · Score: 1
    Pardon a dumb question, but what about people in the middle? Wouldn't it kind of suck? So, I have to sit either to the left, or the right, but not in the middle? Even if you tune both screens to the same channel, it has to be fuzzy in the middle to eliminate cross-over.

    Sounds fine for advertising, but sucky for home entertainment.

    --
    Sometimes it's best to just let stupid people be stupid.
  45. Parametric Loudspeakers - 2 sounds at once by davidwr · · Score: 1

    http://www.livesoundint.com/archives/2002/novdec/p arametric.php

    Basically this lets you hear one thing and the guy next to you hear something completely different.

    "Oh wait, my wife and I do that already."

    --
    Knowledge is how to play a game, intelligence is how to win, wisdom is knowing what game to play.
  46. native stereo 3DTV by oringo · · Score: 2, Interesting

    I'm interested to see whether this technology can be tweaked to display slightly different images on narrow angles, which can trick our eyes to believe the flat images are 3-D.

    1. Re:native stereo 3DTV by zappepcs · · Score: 0, Redundant

      Great, that is just what the pr0n industry needs, a screen where the viewer can see things poking out from the screen!! NOT

    2. Re:native stereo 3DTV by cliffjumper222 · · Score: 2, Informative

      You mean, like this? http://www.sharp3d.com/
      Sharp put 3D screens onto a lot of cellphones in Japan a few years ago. Apparently some of the most popular content was porn.

  47. Awesome for Madden 2009 by JoelMC · · Score: 2, Interesting

    This would be great for video games. Imagine instead of split screen, having dual screen on the same TV. You'd no longer cheat and see the other person picking there plays, and two player Halo would be taken to a new level.

    I don't see it being that difficult for the console makers because the power in these things is already rediculous, so why not put dual component outputs one labeled left and the other right. That would also eliminate people's questions of "what about the sound."

  48. Sweet! I can save $$$ by dougnaka · · Score: 1
    For only the cost of two similar LCD monitors I can get one so I don't have to waste money on 2!

    Plus I don't have to deal with that annoying looking straight at the monitor addiction I've been unable to shake on my own..

    --
    My Linux Command of the Day site : LCOD
  49. Discovery channel porn! by QX-Mat · · Score: 2, Funny

    At last, a working reason to be up late!

    "Uh, mom! I didnt see you there! Uh yes, I'm watching a documentary about cold fusion"

    Matt

  50. "...even billboards" by iminplaya · · Score: 1

    It's been done before. All without a fancy-schmanzty computer or el-cee-dees. How many of you remember those old billboards with rotating triangular louvres? Some didn't rotate. The picture would change as a different side of the louvre came into view as you drove by. I bet they're still cheaper than a giant LCD monitor.

    --
    What?
  51. What about the middle? by jpsowin · · Score: 1

    So if you sit in the middle, do you see half of both?

  52. Sounds perfect for work by kpang · · Score: 2, Funny

    Now I won't even have to alt-tab from Slashdot when my boss walks by.

  53. so Here's the REAL link by startleman · · Score: 1

    The poster must have linked incorrectly. Here is the good link. . .

    http://yahoo.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type= topNews&storyID=9066875

  54. Pictures! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative
  55. That would smoke for video games by timcorbo · · Score: 1

    I can just see my kids peaking around the "virtual corner" to see where the other one is hiding!

    --
    Tim
  56. Games, and more by bugnuts · · Score: 1

    As some have noted, TFA talks mostly about patents, so I'm just going on the idea of a split lcd.

    Obviously, console games would greatly benefit from this, as you could have multiplayers on one screen and one console.

    One other application might be stereo vision for goggles.

    A silly possibility is to prevent shoulder-surfing, and display fake screens to the sides of the laptop (looks like boring work) and the real picture to the center viewer (boobies).

    1. Re:Games, and more by cliffjumper222 · · Score: 1

      The "veil view" version is exactly that. Expect it soon on laptops and mobile phones. It's switchable too so you don't have to have it on all the time.

  57. Bubba's Daily Spam #4 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Subject: Mum loves being under her horny son

    You are welcome

    Teen sucking on backseat Mom gets fucked by teenguys

    http://www.jikex.info/group-video.html?82731371163 6740474

    Star wars porno toons Maid giving extra service
    Teen fucked in all holes Cute babe show her pussy
    Big tits babe porn comics Mature woman seducing boy
    Babes sharing a man

  58. Typos in the small editorial summary by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    This is a new breakthrough in LCD technology my the industry-leading LCD manufacturer

    Shouldnt that be: This is a new breakthrough in LCD technology by the industry-leading LCD manufacturer.....Someone sure is sleepy today.....

  59. You are right by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Being able to watch different channels depending on where you sit sounds like a solution in search of a problem. It seems much more likely that they were trying for 3d. To see 3d, both eyes have to see a different image. Of course at any reasonable viewing distance the angle of the rays from a point on the image to each eye is quite small. It could be tricky.

    On the other hand, you could get one 3d effect. If you move your head, you could get a different image. This has frustrated me with movies since I was a small ( 8 yrs.) child. There was a movie about Lady Godiva. When I saw it, I remember moving around to try to see around her long hair that was hiding the interesting bits. That's when I realized that movies weren't quite like reality. Well, with this technology, maybe you could move to a different place to see around things. It could be useful for surgical imaging and stuff like that.

    1. Re:You are right by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Being able to watch different channels depending on where you sit sounds like a solution in search of a problem.

      Hmm.. I can organize my pr0n collection, while my boss only sees a screen with a spreadsheet.

      I'll bet they sell a billion of these screens!

  60. Cool by PunkOfLinux · · Score: 1

    It's like 3-d kinda... but not >.> but definitely VERY cool this could be used in the future in some great ways. Say, I'm on the internet; my parents want to watch a dvd... so they sit on one side and watch the movie... I can still surf (in a one computer family, which mine is not; we have 6 computers between 3 me and my parents; I own 5 of them)

  61. about the release... by L202 · · Score: 1

    ...was the release released by the release department?

  62. Here's what it looks like... by mcho · · Score: 3, Informative
    1. Re:Here's what it looks like... by Chriscim · · Score: 1

      That looks really expensive, yet really really cool!

  63. Re:No, this isn't bullshit. by PeterBrett · · Score: 2, Interesting

    I work over the corridor from these guys, and let me assure you that there are entire sectors of industry who are very interested in this technology. Very interested.

    It's not bullshit, and you'll be seeing them in the real world quite soon.

    Having seen the demonstrations and the low-down technical details of how they work, I'm pretty impressed by it -- in particular the solution for the problem of how to get touchscreen buttons to have one function for the left-hand person and another for the other.

    I'm sorry I can't go into more details, but it's more than my job's worth...

  64. But the big question is... by corngrower · · Score: 1

    will one person have to wear the red glasses while the other wears the blue ones?

  65. Wow! This is so cool by istartedi · · Score: 1

    Now I don't have to have two TVs and headphones in the room. It'll be so much easier to have the experience of being alone and not sharing anything with the other person, even though they are right there. This is the next best thing since giving people the silent treatment.

    Ummm, since this is the internet, you may not have realized I was being SARCASTIC. If this technology was really valuable, people would already be doing some form of substitute, such as the scenario I described. Historicly, when people want to do something with technology but can't, they do the next best thing as I described:

    No A/C? Run a fan. No sound? play a piano in the theatre and put subtitles on the screen.

    Insofar as this tech might be an intermediate step toward true holographic displays, it has value, but in its current form it's most likely just a curiosity that's not useful for a home viewer. It probably will have niches though, like the billboard suggestion; then again, they've had something like this for years with billboards; you can even do it so it with several frames so the image moves as you roll by. It isn't done very often of course, because it's more expensive. For small items it's not bad. I've seen little cartoons like that given away as Cracker Jack prizes when I was a kid, and that was well... way too long ago now.

    --
    For all intensive purposes, "whom" is no longer a word. That begs the question, "who cares"?
  66. This is the sillyest... by bearinboots · · Score: 1

    idea I've heard of since the Internet Refrigerator. How spending all those engineering cycles making things that are actually useful?

  67. left and right views: great for politics by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Now the Democrats and Republicans can have their conventions at the same time.

  68. Cost? by Dottie+Slash · · Score: 1

    If the cost of this thing is more than 2X the cost of a "normal" TV, then what is the point? (other than space conservation of course). Dottie slash

  69. Huh? by Locke2005 · · Score: 1

    And this is more usefull than simply having two different television displays because... uh, why?

    --
    I've abandoned my search for truth; now I'm just looking for some useful delusions.
  70. Airline seat use with your laptop by chiph · · Score: 1

    So that guy in the seat next to me won't have to crane his neck over to see what I'm doing anymore?

    Chip H.

  71. Does it cost less than twice as much as two TVs? by wsanders · · Score: 1

    Regular TV = $500

    Fancy-ass double-doodad TV = $3000

    Doh!

    Unless you live on a 22 foot boat of something.

    --
    Give a man a fish and you have fed him for today. Teach a man to fish, and he'll say "WHERE'S MY FISH, YOU IDIOT?"
  72. A better solution... by zanidor · · Score: 2, Informative

    From http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/business/aptech_stor y.asp?category=1700&slug=Japan%20Double%20Display: "The 'two-way viewing-angle LCD,' announced by the Japanese consumer electronics maker Thursday, will go into mass production this month and will cost roughly twice as much as a standard display."

    Why not just buy two seperate displays? That way, if two people wanted to do different things, they could just put the displays in two different places...

    Not that I don't think the technology is really cool.

  73. Only one explanation by Locke2005 · · Score: 1
    Obviously invented by someone who despised the Extreme Programming "Team Programming" concept...

    "I know, let's really fuck with the other member of my team by having him view different code than the stuff I'm editing!"

    --
    I've abandoned my search for truth; now I'm just looking for some useful delusions.
  74. same concept with demo by itilguy · · Score: 1

    I recalled an earlier /. story. see here.

  75. Split Screen by teratogenicbenzene · · Score: 1

    This would be absolutely excellent for games that use split screens. You effectively have double the real estate.

    --
    The Secret of Life: Proteins fold up and bind things.
  76. failed 3d monitor? by Khashishi · · Score: 2, Interesting

    I wonder if this was a failed attempt at engineering a 3D TV.

  77. Oh lovely... by mindpixel · · Score: 1

    Now if they can build a toilet like this, I would never have to interact with my spouse...oh, wait...I'm divorced. Three times. Something just wnet click.

  78. Re:old technology - This has been covered before. by Anubis333 · · Score: 1

    Actually, it is a dupe, thanks for asking..

  79. Who has the problem...? by cr0sh · · Score: 1
    Someone should send you the video of the fat boy in the college dorm room who forgot to lock his door. Meanwhile, a buddy cracked the door open, saw the kid masturbating, ran back to his room, grabbed his camcorder, and recorded the kid beating off. The kid turns around and there are 10 people who start laughing, and the one doing the recording.

    Yeah - this kind of thing makes me wonder who really has problems:

    • The fat college kid unable to get any for whatever reason(s) enjoying the next best thing in what he thinks is "in private"?
    • The "buddy" who catches the guy and decides to get a camcorder to tape the whole thing?
    • The 10 other people who gather and watch this whole affair?
    • The person who uploads the video to the internet?
    • The ones who sit there and download it, watch it, laugh at it, then reccommend it to a bunch of strangers?

    This much is clear: The kid masturbating has less of a problem than the rest. This isn't just catching someone in an embarassing moment, this kind of treatment of another human being is humiliating and degrading. At best it is harassment, at worst, exploitation.

    --
    Reason is the Path to God - Anon
  80. Japanese News Coverage by CaptainBogus · · Score: 1

    Seeing this covered on TV here in Japan this morning. Key application (pending regulatory OKs) is in cars, driver sees car navigation, passenger sees TV/DVD/etc.

  81. Fox News by gosand · · Score: 2, Funny

    I wonder if Fox News will only play out of the far right side?

    --

    My beliefs do not require that you agree with them.

    1. Re:Fox News by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      If that's true, then CNN would play on the far left...

    2. Re:Fox News by gosand · · Score: 1
      Hhahahaha hahaha hahahhah ahhahhhah hahahhahaha.

      Boy, you are clever.

      --

      My beliefs do not require that you agree with them.

  82. Re:No, this isn't bullshit. by Corngood · · Score: 1

    No bullshit in regards to it actually existing, I'm not doubting that. I'm sure it's cool technology and all, I just don't see it actually being useful. I don't want to watch TV from an angle, and I can't play games properly unless I am sitting pretty squarely in front of the display, it just doesn't feel right. I'm sure I'm not alone in that. Some TVs let you use headphones to listen to the PIP channel, so you can do a similar thing, albeit sharing screen space. That's pretty much a useless gimmick, and this is just the evolution of it, better in some ways, worse in others.

  83. Not new by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    This is a thesis

  84. Spelling Check!!! by benna · · Score: 1

    "Grammer Check!!!"

    Does anyone check their comments anymore?

    (It's grammar.)

    --
    "It is not how things are in the world that is mystical, but that it exists." -Ludwig Wittgenstein
    1. Re:Spelling Check!!! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It was supposed to be spelled wrong

  85. Fullscreen multiplayer on consoles! by C0sm1c · · Score: 1

    The big win for me here would be full screen capability for consoles when playing coop. I've always wanted to have my own fullscreen view of a game and not get the cramped letterbox split screen view that you otherwise get. Even better when playing deathmatch you can't see the other person's screen.

    --
    --- C0sm1c
  86. Great for console gaming by Damana+Mathos · · Score: 1

    This would be great for multiplayer console games like Halo. You could sit on different sides of the room and each have a full screen to look at, rather than having half the screen.

    --
    MyLinkVault - online bookmarks with a fast drag-and-dr
  87. Dual-screen TFA? by DynaSoar · · Score: 1

    The link (now?) goes to an article entitled "UPDATE 1-Sharp to share PC LCD patents with AU Optronics" which is all about lawsuits between LCD makers. It says nothing about dual-screen anything.

    I remember when Zenith came out with the split/embedded screen TV. It sold as well as their TV with the built in color printer, ie. very poorly. Nobody bought them just for the capability. If they hadn't bundled them into their high end TVs, hardly anybody would have ever had it.

    But maybe the market has changed in 20+ years. Maybe now people will just buy goofy crap for its own sake.

    --
    "I may be synthetic, but I'm not stupid." -- Bishop 341-B
  88. Where I expect to see this first! by jerzee_devil · · Score: 1

    This is perfect for automotive use! Now every rice burner will not only have paint that changes color from every angle but will have two options of what to watch on their 5 lcd screens. I can see it now. If I don't like the program from the right lane I can just switch lanes and try the left.

  89. "clowns to the left of me, jokers to the right ... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    and here I am stuck in the middle with you

  90. PDA Usage by RyoShin · · Score: 1

    This technology would have GREAT potential in the PDA industry.

    You look at the PDA straight on, and it's your normal PDA. Games, daybook, accounting, whatever, it's the same.

    But a quick turn of the wrist and you instead see something you set as a 'permanent' screen. Perhaps the current day itinerary, or just your overall day planner. No more having to go to the main menu or remember quick buttons. Just turn the wrist.

    However, how they would work the touch screen would be interesting.

    Two possibilities I see:

    1) The "turn the wrist" screen is a read-only screen, perfect for, say, a photo of a loved one with day/time and the next three or four appointments/events, or the entire planned events for the upcoming week. Starting a program from the main view would allow you to edit the read-only view.

    2) A comfortable switch, put within easy reach of where the thumb generally would be, allows you to toggle which view is being affected by the stylus. However, I don't see this happening, as holding your PDA at an angle and trying to write would be rather akward and cumbersome.

  91. sorta kinda dupe but not really by utnow · · Score: 0

    Wasn't there a story a few weeks back about some guy in college who was working on a thesis that involved this technology? Basically just a hologram that shows two different images based on the direction you view the screen?

  92. Weeee! by Phyvo · · Score: 1

    Now me and that strange person right next to me can reach even lower levels of interaction! Now we don't have to share anything but our approximate positions in common! Science never ceases to amaze me.

  93. Wireless headphones by linzeal · · Score: 1

    Invest in some cheap wireless headphones and buy rechargable batteries. Do NOT buy one with built in battery and recharger as the batteries can cost more than 30 dollars to replace.

  94. remember this?: by t35t0r · · Score: 1

    Something very similar was posted to /. a while ago.

  95. double the size of your screen by gfody · · Score: 1

    The picture shows the lady holding up a mirror and you see a different channel in the reflection.

    What if the tv split the image for one channel so that if you use a mirror you see the entire channel on a screen twice its actual size.

    Only problem is that you couldn't look at it straight on. well, it's a better idea than what they're trying to sell it for.. watching two channels at once with ear phones wtf?

    --

    bite my glorious golden ass.
  96. Doomed to Fail? by tavilach · · Score: 1

    I can certainly understand that this is amazing technology, but new technological innovations only succeed if the higher price points deliver better experiences than do available products. Frankly, this technology seems only marginally better than that of two typical televisions, adjacent to one another. I don't understand the economics behind this planned release.

    --

    "Give me a lever long enough and a fulcrum on which to place it, and I shall move the world." -Archimedes
  97. Re:No, this isn't bullshit. by PeterBrett · · Score: 1

    Heh. You're not thinking far enough outside the box, I'm afraid.

    It's not TV or game manufacturers who are interested. There are lots of situations where two people need to have VDUs, but the area for mounting them is limited.

  98. The only problem is... by syusuf · · Score: 1

    It will probably cost four times the amount of just buying two television sets to begin with.

  99. 'Dual-view' TV by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Article (with pic) on this television - http://www.businessreport.co.za/index.php?fArticle Id=2626042

  100. Link to a video on the Sharp R&D site by JaF893 · · Score: 2, Informative
  101. You work in the same place I do! by radiotyler · · Score: 1

    Obviously, the "Department of redundency department". Obviously.

    --
    hi mom!
  102. Great, porn by ebvwfbw · · Score: 1

    Now my wife can watch her stupid Murder She Wrote (Hint, Angela Lansbury manages to blame someone else for all of those murders) and I can watch porn! Woo hoo! Now to manage to hide that fact. Yea honey, I'm watching MSW. How come your drooling honey! Don't think I could say Angela Lansbury looks hot. She wouldn't buy that.

  103. Last Post!! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    word

  104. what about a straight on view? by fracai · · Score: 1

    a blend of both?

    --
    -- i am jack's amusing sig file
  105. You're missing the point by smartalix · · Score: 1

    This technology is not about personal usage. It is for multi-user environments where different people have different needs. Sound is a secondary concern.

    For example, this technology would allow a sign at a train station or airport to simultaneously display departing and arriving flights, providing full-screen images to both viewers on one monitor.

    In a car, it is illegal for the driver to watch TV or a movie while driving, so the driver gets a navigation display while the passenger gets a movie. (We'll let the driver listen in).

    In a control or security panel, two operators can watch two different video feeds from a sngle montior, saving valuable panel space.

    In a store, the images can be pitched to the direction of pedestrian traffic. Those coming to the point of sale from different directions will see a different ad.

    The applications are only limited by the imagination of the designer.

    --
    Read a preview of my novel CYBERCHILD at www.smartalix.com/cyberchild
  106. Re:No, this isn't bullshit. by Corngood · · Score: 1

    No doubt, for example it would be great for the center console of an aircraft (or any vehicle), so that two pilots could have different displays. However, the article was clearly talking about two people two people watching different TV channels, and I just don't think it would be more than a gimmick for entertainment.

  107. Segregation during News? by DayBoyUSA · · Score: 1

    So now the conservatives will sit on the right to watch Fox & liberals will sit on the left to watch the ABC channels...

    When will they make a TV for independents?

  108. 3D parallax barriers by cmglee · · Score: 1

    If the viewer sits close enough to see each view with a different eye and the display shows a stereoscopic pair, you get an autostereoscopic 3D display. On the other hand, it uses parallax barriers, which generally causes loss of resolution -- the horizontal resolution is shared between the views.

  109. LCD tv keep getting cheaper by kallistiblue · · Score: 1

    One of the things that I like about LCD tv's is that they just keep coming up with new technology. Sharp is also working on a glasses free 3-d LCD tv. How cool will that be? There is also an American startup working on 3-d LCD tv's altough I can't recall their name right now. Read about new LCD technology at http://www.lcd-tv-reviews.com/

    --
    Laugh at my ignorance while I learn Rails - a Real ne