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No Glasses Needed For TI's New 3D Display

adeelarshad82 writes "At the MWC, TI showed off a tablet-sized device with a 3D display that doesn't require glasses, running on an existing TI OMAP3 chipset. The 3D demo showed images and video in 3D by using a standard 120-Hz LCD with a special overlay film from 3M that can direct images either towards your left or right eye. By flickering two images very quickly, running at 60 frames per second rather than the usual 30, the display transmits a different picture to each eye, creating a simulated 3D image. The 3D picture can be created using a handheld with dual 3-megapixel cameras and an 800-MHz TI OMAP 3630 chipset."

13 of 165 comments (clear)

  1. No glasses? by Mashdar · · Score: 4, Funny

    Great, now if only they could find a way to require no glasses on the person watching it.

  2. Re:Forgive me by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    For those that didn't RTFA, it uses that technique where you have to move your head from left to right at 60-Hz

  3. A: Crap. Lenticular 3D. by Animaether · · Score: 5, Informative

    The viewing angle isn't 5 degrees, though.. it's a good bit larger than that.

    The major problem is that the overlay (lenticular lenses) don't direct individual images -to your eyes- - such systems would be vastly more expensive and have whole other issues - they simply direct underlying pixels into different directions. If your left eye happens to be in the area where the left image is being directed, and your right eye in the area where the right image is being directed.. congratulations!
    Now move your head an inch to the left/right. Now your right eye is seeing the left image and your left eye is seeing the right image. ouch.
    Try half an inch.. each eye gets a portion of both images. ungh.
    In other words.. there's sweet spots to sit in, and if you don't sit in one of those sweet spots, you're going to get conflicting sensory input.

    So 1 user at a time isn't strictly true - if the person next to you sits in one of the other sweet spots, they'll be fine as well.

    Half your resolution lost, however (they have to either alternate rows or columns.. 1920x1080 becoming 1920x540 or 960x1080). The human visual system can fill in the blanks from the other eye's perception, but that's just literally plugging holes.

    There's far more disadvantages, including 2D quality (another display handles that partially by activating a liquid much like an LCD liquid in order to somewhat destroy the lenticular effect), but basically... Lenticular 3D is still crap.

    Those who don't want to 'look ridiculous with one of those stupid glasses' on, though, should get Lenticular systems; it's their best bet for viewing stereographic 3D without glasses *right now* until we can perfect the whole realtime holographic plate thing and get some decent color reproduction off of those as well... -and- have it be affordable.
    ( barring any even more zany systems such as helical 3D displays which are more intended for volumetric displays than stereographic 3D etc. etc. )

  4. Been there..done that. by EasyTarget · · Score: 4, Interesting

    There were 5 reasonably large (22''?) screens using this tech, or similar, in the metro station in Amsterdam CS over the holiday period. Just showing adverts, but rather impressive despite that.
    There were definite 'sweet spots' for the 3d effect, and the whole image jumped if you changed the viewing angle by more than a few degrees; but it cheered me up because I saw the future of the flat-panel monitor being demo'd ;-), just add compiz.

    --
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  5. Re:Viewing angle?? by gd2shoe · · Score: 4, Insightful

    It can't - unless that "film" is capable of more than 2 angles and a webcam is tracking the position of your head. You'd have to position your head such that the cutoff point between images is between your eyes. (There's some indication in the article that it might just be crummy 3D which opens up possibilities for slightly wider viewing angles.)

    Anybody with greater insight (or "in the know")?

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  6. Re:Effective viewing angle? by RESPAWN · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Now, how about something for the 5% of us with Amblyopia?

    You're 5% of the population. Where's the profit in catering to you?

    --

    If Murphy's Law can go wrong, it will.

  7. What no pirate comments? by carl0ski · · Score: 3, Funny

    I'll say it. This is what the movie industry needs to deal with those pesky pirates. What wooden legged, one eyed pirate is going to steal a 3d film that requires two good eyes :)

  8. Been done...like years ago by Itninja · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I used to play a PC game called Magic Carpet. It had a mode where all the game graphics were rendered in a 'magic eye' type mode. Once you got your eyes tweaked just right, it was all 3D and no glasses were required. Of course, it also looked like a box of crayons exploded.....

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  9. Re:Effective viewing angle? by A+nonymous+Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

    Isn't Braille already 3d? Isn't that enough?

  10. Re:Effective viewing angle? by Rathum · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Almost every movie I've watched in the last few years has had a terrible range. Why must all dialogue be whispered nowadays?

    whisperwhisperwhispeBOOMEXPLOSIONwhisperwhisperOPEwhisperRAMUSIwhisperC

    Watching movies with any sort of sound going in the room with me gives me the choice between ramping up the volume and making my ears bleed, missing half the dialogue, or having to constantly adjust the volume.

  11. Re:Effective viewing angle? by tool462 · · Score: 3, Funny

    Apple.

  12. Re:Forgive me by reboot246 · · Score: 3, Funny

    >>I'm going to be really impressed when I'll be able to turn my 2D girlfriend to 3D!

    If you keep doing that, you'll need glasses anyway! :)

  13. Better than the previous models by Chuck+Chunder · · Score: 3, Funny

    I just couldn't do the alternate winking fast enough to make them work.

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