Content display

A vital component of a 3D TV system is a display which can be viewed in a natural manner - no need for glasses, head-tracking systems, or confined viewing zones. Furthermore, the display should produce true 'virtual' images in space, so that eye convergence and focusing are matched. A display technology which meets these needs is Integral Imaging. First developed in 1908 by Lippman, this technology is being brought into the 21st Century by the 3D Imaging Group at De Montfort University. The PROMETHEUS project will look at how to render 3D images produced by an MPEG-4 3D 'browser' onto such a display.

In essence, an Integral Image display consists of a high-resolution image with an array of microlenses positioned on top of it. Each microlens behaves as a 'directional pixel', reproducing the light that would pass through its point in space if the 3D image being displayed was physically present. A useful analogy is to think of viewing the world through a sheet of card into which has been punched a dense array of pinholes. Rather than focusing on the pinholes themselves, the viewer can look 'through' the sheet to see the world beyond - rather like looking through the gaps in the blinds on a window.