Hype cycle: Enter the third dimension

How 3D works

Three-dimensional, stereoscopic or depth displays work because each of our eyes perceives the same object slightly differently.

This illusion of depth turns a flat, two-dimensional display into an apparently solid image.

The concept that has been employed since 1840 was restricted to gimmicks because of the difficulty of crafting content and viewing fatigue.

The most common way to watch 3D content was with glasses that had alternating red and cyan filters over each eye, refracting the
hue that tinged the image and providing a slightly different view.

Glasses now use LCD shutters that flicker in synch with the displayed image or polarising filters.

Smaller displays with limited viewing angle can have the polarising film applied to the screen but such filters are impractical with wider viewing angles on big screens.

CRN View

Three-dimensional displays have come a long way from the red and blue cellophane glasses that lovers of shlock films donned while sitting in their FJ Holdens at suburban drive-ins in the ‘50s.

The glasses are still there at least for big screens for now, the coloured filters replaced by polarising or LCD-shutter filters, but they will soon be in the channel at retail for home and business users to enjoy in private. Smaller displays, such as on notebooks and mobile phones, can make do with a more limited viewing angle so they work well without glasses.

It will take more than Avatar to grow a content ecosystem and proponents hope sports will fill that role. And as was shown in the transition to digital and colour TV it will take a long time for 3D to hit critical mass. Its success rests on content to lure buyers to part with more money for what could be perceived as a limited added benefit.

But as high-end features such as FullHD and insanely high claimed-contrast ratios filter into value brands, premium brands will look to 3D.

On-the-fly conversion has the broadest reach of content options, including that in libraries and interactive. And it works best with legacy business intelligence systems, geospatial systems and anywhere complex datasets are visualised. Imagine how useful 3D would be in visualising demographic or regional sales data overlaid on Google Earth.

This year is for the early adopters, with screens trickling to market from about the middle of the year. Specialised mainstream content outside of niche outlets such as Yabazam will lag for at least another 18 months or so and although many screens may technically display 3D content, there won't be much call for it outside of niches, audiovisual aficionados and early adopters.

Timeline:

1994 Dynamic Digital Depth founded as TrueVision

1997 Group lists on Canadian exchange

1998 Imax partnership.

1999 Santa Monica office opened; Chris Yewdall joins the business as sales vice president; thrill rides converted to 3D.

2000 Perth software team moves to Technology Park, Bentley.

2001 DDD stereo plugin licensed by Apple for Quicktime 5.

2002 Disney Imagineering buys DDD's first glasses-free display.

2003 DDD raises $10m on London's alternative invesment market.

2004 Sharp licence agreement with DDD; European patent.

2005 Arisawa invests $US2m in DDD; TriDef movie encoding software for Sharp.

2006 Mobile phone licensee; Sharp extended its agreement.

2007 TriDef set-top box demonstrated at Adult Entertainment Expo.

2008 Samsung phones and TVs have DDD 3D technology.

2010 Hyundai IT a licensee; Samsung makes low-cost 3D chips using DDD technology. At CES, DDD powers 3D visual display technology from Intel, Samsung, Acer and Hyundai.

Source: DDD

Where will you find DDD technology:

• In third-party chip vendors' products
• PC software
• mobile phones
• Samsung Series 7000, 8000, 9000 TVs
• Acer Aspire 5738
• Hyundai IT 46-inch, 32-inch LCD TV "Vuon"
• Hyundai 24-inch and 20-inch PC monitor
• Major customers include Samsung, Acer, Sharp