3D Displays, Continued
DLP 3D Television
Texas Instruments licenses Digital Light Processing (DLP) technology to both Mitsubishi and Samsung, and both manufacturers offer 3D televisions and projectors based on rear-projection DLP technology. These TVs are designed to accept a 3D video signal where the picture for the left and right eyes is downsampled in a grid pattern known as “checkerboard.” This allows a 3D signal to be delivered to the TV in a standard (non-3D) video signal format through a standard HDMI 1.3 connection (though the real resolution of each video frame is half of the original signal resolution).
The DLP TV decodes the incoming checkerboard-encoded frames, separating the correct pixels for the left and right video frames, then upsampling each frame to the full TV resolution. As with other compressed 3D formats, half of the original picture resolution is lost in this process.
DLP 3D televisions use active shutter glasses to display 3D programs as 120 Hz sequential frames.
Note that while DLP televisions and projectors may be advertised as “3D-Ready,” until models are available that support a full–resolution, dual-stream 3D video signal through HDMI 1.4, consumers should check to see if their chosen set-top Blu-ray 3D player can support their DLP TV by outputting a checkboard video signal. If not, the consumer will need to purchase a 3D-to-checkboard adapter (Mitsubishi offers a 3DC-1000 adapter).
Autostereoscopic Displays
Autostereoscopic displays are capable of displaying a 3D image without the use of 3D glasses. These displays use lenses that are designed to assure that each eye sees the video signal meant for that eye. There are several manufacturers working to produce and market autostereoscopic displays. While autostereoscopic displays promise 3D video without the need for glasses, consumers should consider both the 2D and 3D video quality compared with other display solutions before selecting a display.
Head-Mounted Displays
A head-mounted display is like a pair of glasses containing small displays in place of the lenses. With a head mounted display, a separate display is used for each image.
Unfortunately, consumer-grade head mounted displays today are not capable of displaying a high-definition video signal.