April 06, 2006

3D TV Prototypes: Part 1
High-definition equipment filled the halls... However some European innovators are beavering away at next generation technology -- 3D TV.

From Philip Gallagher, European Research Director, Guidewire Group

High-definition equipment filled the halls at CeBIT 06 (Germany, March 9-15). However some European innovators are beavering away at next generation technology -- 3D TV.

Germany’s Fraunhofer Institute, comprising 59 research labs and which developed the MP3 spec, showed 3D display technology. The display produced 3D effects without the viewer needing special glasses. Though the viewer did need to stand at a precise spot.
Viewer location matters because the display achieves its effects partly by tracking the viewer’s eye movements.

We believe that eye-tracking technology will play an important role in enabling displays to become much smarter.

Two technologies are being used to create the 3D images. The simpler one uses two cameras. One camera takes a conventional image. The other takes an image in greyscale which captures the depth of the scene.

The more complex solution uses seven cameras. Eye-tracking tells the screen which angle from its repertoire of images to serve up.
This project, 3D Visualisation, is headed by Dr. Peter Eisert of the Fraunhofer-Institut für Nachrichtentechnik.
peter.eisert@hhi.fraunhofer.de

Another Fraunhofer project from the same lab involves a 3D kiosk screen. This technology enables the viewer to move by gesture recognition 3D images seeming to float in front of the screen. The project is headed by Klaus Hopf.
klaus.hopf@hhi.fraunhofer.de

Posted by Julie LC at April 6, 2006 12:58 PM