Types of 3D Display Technology

We have discussed how depth perception is due to the separation of the eyes and how images can be blocked with polarizers. With this knowledge, it is possible to understand how 3DTV works at a conceptual level.

[Image of Panasonic AG-3DA1 3D video camera, distinct from standard video cameras by having two lenses to capture two images.]
Preliminary Panasonic Twin-lens 3D Camera Recorder AG-3DA1.[1]

Most cameras used for 3D film look much like the model in the image above. The key difference between these cameras and standard video cameras is the second lens, with the left and right lenses acting much like our left and right eyes. The camera obtains two images with slightly different viewpoints. If the images are projected in such a way that the image from the left lens only reaches the left eye and the image from the right lens only reaches the right eye, our brain interprets the images as having depth due to stereopsis. The different methods of 3D display are all based on this concept, and mostly differ in how the images are blocked from being seen by the wrong eye. Four main types of 3D display technologies are discussed:

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Parallax &larr Types of 3D Technology &rarr Anaglyph 3D

[1] Image retrieved from pro-av.panasonic.net on July 20, 2010. Used under fair use.
© Copyright 2010, Jeffery Dech, John Donohue, and Ryan Woodman