Could it be the future of 3D TV? - MIT Media Lab's glasses-free 3D

  

MIT has developed a new approach of glasses-free 3D which is way cheaper than Toshiba's glasses-free 3D TV released this year. After looking at the photos and the hand-on video by Engadget, I can't be more disappointed by its picture quality. They are all blurry and the picture details are terrible. The editor said it will surely be the replacement of active 3D technology but I don't think people would want to sacrifice 3D picture quality for a lower price and not having to wear 3D glasses. I believe glasses-free 3D will be the future of 3D display eventually but it still have a long way to go. For now, passive 3D TVs have overcome the shortcomings of active 3D sets such as bulky glasses which need to be charged every a couple of hours or flickering on the lenses and they are going mainstream.

Take a look at the full article below: 

Glasses-free 3D may be the next logical step in TV's evolution, but we have yet to see a convincing device make it to market that doesn't come along with a five-figure price tag. The sets that do come within range of tickling our home theater budgets won't blow you away, and it's not unreasonable to expect that trend to continue through the next few product cycles. A dramatic adjustment in our approach to glasses-free 3D may be just what the industry needs, so you'll want to pay close attention to the MIT Media Lab's latest brew. Tensor Displays combine layered low-cost panels with some clever software that assigns and alternates the image at a rapid pace, creating depth that actually looks fairly realistic. Gordon Wetzstein, one of the project creators, explained that the solution essentially "(takes) the complexity away from the optics and (puts) it in the computation," and since software solutions are far more easily scaled than their hardware equivalent, the Tensor Display concept could result in less expensive, yet superior 3D products.

We caught up with the project at SIGGRAPH, where the first demonstration included four fixed images, which employed a similar concept as the LCD version, but with backlit inkjet prints instead of motion-capable panels. Each displaying a slightly different static image, the transparencies were stacked to give the appearance of depth without the typical cost. The version that shows the most potential, however, consists of three stacked LCD panels, each displaying a sightly different pattern that flashes back and forth four times per frame of video, creating a three-dimensional effect that appears smooth and natural. The result was certainly more tolerable than the glasses-free 3D we're used to seeing, though it's surely a long way from being a viable replacement for active-glasses sets -- Wetzstein said that the solution could make its way to consumers within the next five years. Currently, the technology works best in a dark room, where it's able to present a consistent image. Unfortunately, this meant the light levels around the booth were a bit dimmer than what our camera required, resulting in the underexposed, yet very informative hands-on video you'll see after the break.

Source: Engadget

Posted in: 3D TV, active 3D, glasses-free 3D, MIT, passive 3D