Glasses-free 3D

Samsung says that glasses-free 3D technologies aren't ready yet - we're still a long way from being able to actually use those technologies in 3D TVs. One of the issues is that you have to watch it without moving.

Toshiba is actually planning to release such displays in 2010 - and even small (20" or so) displays will cost a few thousand dollars. Several companies (including Samsung, by the way) are developing glasses-free 3D panels.

Researchers from Japan's NHK (the Japanese Broadcasting Corporation) and from JVC Kenwood are working towards integral 3D TV system. This is actually a 100-year-old technique that uses a large (400x250) lens array to create glasses-free 3D images.

To record images, a large array of many convex lenses is placed in front of a Super Hi-Vision camera, which records the direction and intensity of light as viewed from slightly different directions. To display the images to a viewer, a Super Hi-Vision projector projects the images onto a diffusion screen, in front of which is an identical convex lens array. This set-up can recreate the direction and intensity of the light that was originally recorded. Since each lens looks slightly different at different viewing angles, the images look slightly different from different directions, giving a 3D impression.

Sony says that they're also working on glasses-free 3D TVs. They admit that this technology is expensive, so they won't commercialize it before they can bring the cost down. A lot of companies are working on glasses-free 3D TVs: Toshiba, Samsung, TCL, Intel and others.

via TGDaily

China's Rockchip is working on a new tablet called the Supenova X1 which will have a glasses-free 3D display. That's about all we know currently, there's a video of the tablet in action:

Nokia and Intel will jointly research mobile handset interfaces over the next three years, targeting 3D projects and virtual reality, based on the MeeGo open-source mobile operating system. The two companies will fund about two dozen researchers, working in the University of Oulu at Finland.

The first project will be glasses-free 3D display, but don't expect immediate practical results - the objective is to establish a long-term process that will 'eventually' result in real products.

via MobileDev&Design

There are reports that Toshiba plans to release 3 models of glasses-free 3D displays in 2010. These will be expensive devices - "several thousand dollars each". Back in April, Toshiba showed us a 21" glasses-free 3D display that supports WXGA resolution (1280 x 800), ±15 degrees horizontal viewing zone and 480 cd/m2 brightness. This display is pictured below:

In June, Toshiba unveiled a new 12" LCD panel that can display 2D and 3D images at the same time. The panel's resolution is 1400x1050 for 2D and 466x350 for 3D images.

Sunny Ocean has unveiled a 84" 3D video-wall system, that does not require glasses. Back in February, the company showed a 27" version that had 64 point-of-views, so we assume that the current system has at least the same number.

via Slashgear