Wednesday, May 4, 2011

New 3D TVs




Researchers at MIT's Media Lab announced on Wednesday that they have developed a new approach to glasses-free 3D technology.

The team said they could double the battery life of devices like Nintendo's 3DS portable gaming system without compromising screen brightness or resolution.

The researchers also said that their technique would expand the viewing angle of a 3D screen.

According to Doug Lanman, a postdoc in Associate Professor Ramesh Raskar's Camera Culture Group at the Media Lab, Nintendo's 3DS relies on an older technology known as parallax barrier. This requires two versions of the same image, both of which are sliced into vertical segments and interleaved on a single surface.

The team's HR3D system uses two layers of liquid-crystal displays. The top LCD displays a pattern customized to the image beneath it.

This top layer consists of thousands of tiny slits, whose orientations follow the contours of the objects in the image. The slits are oriented in so many different directions that the 3D illusion is consistent no matter whether the image is upright or rotated 90 degrees. Lanman said in a statement that if a device like the 3DS used HR3D then its battery life would be longer because the parallax barrier would block less light. The 3D image would also be consistent no matter the viewing angle.

“The great thing about Ramesh’s group is that they think of things that no one else has thought of and then demonstrate that they can actually be done,” Neil Dodgson, professor of graphics and imaging at the University of Cambridge in England, said in a statement.

"It’s quite a clever idea they’ve got here.”

However, Dodgson said that HR3D is very computationally intensive.

“If you’re saving battery power because you’ve got this extra brightness, but you’re actually using all that battery power to do the computation, then you’re not saving anything,” he says.

I will be waiting for 4D, now.

38 comments:

Gorodot said...

That sounds cool. But what is the fourth dimension in 4d ? smell ?

R.C said...

Aw man, reminds me that I still need to pick up a game for my 3DS. Would like to see more done with this technology for sure.

Nom de Plume said...

Sounds interesting... I'd like to see it!

Eknan said...

4D is pretty much existence. The actual space in which we live and its curve. I'll have to do a post on it...

J T said...

I knew 3D wouldn't go anywhere unless they got rid of the glasses.

Spartan094 said...

I don't care how cool all this is, the price needs to come down before it will ever get big. Just like the radio and the television and the faxes had to!

Spidey_Sense said...

I'm happy with my 52" samsung. it's not 3d or led, but it does the job. Although I think I would like led a little bit better.

Mike said...

4D - Lol.

Very interesting development - 3D immersion is the future, will be excited to see what comes of this.

1HipHopBlog said...

My friend has a 3D tv, never uses the 3D though. Also 4D lol

Luis said...

A giant 3DS :D

Sean said...

Crazy how quick technology is developing. Next up: 4D TV?

Eknan said...

I think there's a colleghumor video about 4D movies. Try and find it on Youtube.

Unknown said...

sickkkkkkk, the future looks promising. I will follow :)

Pony said...

Too cool. Love stuff like this.

mindph said...

Wow cool I am big time into science of all kinds, loads of information for me here, thanks!

Bob said...

I also have a 3D TV and only use it sparingly. When I do, its cool for a lil while but can get annoying really fast on the wrong games.

DubbaDeeDoo said...

Will the new approach be more expensive? That's my main concern. Either way, why does everything have to be 3D nowadays? I guess I really can't speak about it, since I've never seen a 3DS or 3D TV in person.

Xenototh said...

Ya know, I barely know anything about these things, that they even exist, and they are already upgrading the technology? Stuff moves too fast these days, lol.

flashhy said...

I think 3D is coming in the future - but I think that the current technology is nowhere near what it will be ten or twenty years from now,

kxxthanxx said...

as long as you dont have to wear daft glasses..

Brandon Sample said...

I like 2D, I don't really see the point in 3D but whatever works I guess.

Cpt Pownzor said...

sounds pretty neato would be nice to do away with the glasses and have convincing images.

AllenTesch said...

Sounds really cool.

Xzib1t said...

I would like to get a 3D TV.

Cinder_Str said...

Yeah I've heard about this. The thing is they've had problems with viewers complaining about headaches and dizziness.

Unknown said...

I'm like that bitter old man, who doesn't like change.

Ponderer said...

I'm honestly not such a fan of 3D. It doesn't look that great in my opinion.

Eknan said...

Once it looks like something out of Star Wars, it'll be worth buying I think.

Mike said...

I can't comprehend what kind of technology will exist in 20 years from now!

The Wired said...

awesome, I love how, if we put our minds to something, we can solve almost any problem.. if it will make money..

Anonymous said...

Bring on the 4D

Spidey_Sense said...

1080p is good enough for me.

Anonymous said...

4D Yeeeeee.

goat-on-a-stik said...

these look so amazing, but I'll have to wait till they get much, much cheaper

CDHilarities said...

sounds awesome!
followed

Daniel said...

Incredible, I was always dreaming that this technology was developed. I think I'll go to mourn for the excitement now.

ThirtySeven said...

A clever idea, indeed! Good stuff!

Amitash said...

In 4D, the fourth dimension in "Real Time" and is very difficult to measure.
Amitash