Researchers in Germany claim to have developed a new technology that might just have brought us that bit closer to glasses free 3D TV viewing. The novel technology developed by researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Telecommunications at Heinrich-Hertz Institute (HHI) coverts the 3D display from existing Blu Ray content so that they could be shown on autostereoscopic displays. This in turn will enable viewers from experiencing the 3D effect from just about any place in front of the TV and not just specific zones as autostereoscopic displays rely on 5 -10 views of the same scene. The number would surely go up further in future.

“We take the existing two images and generate a depth map… a map that assigns a specific distance from the camera to each object,” says Christian Riechert, research fellow at HHI.

Right now, the technique 3D Blu Ray movies are based on is to generate two images for the same scene, one meant for each eye.

Also, the new system promises generation of depth maps at a much faster pace, which is almost instantaneous. In fact, its so fast that the viewer won’t even be aware of what is going on behind the scene to render superior all round glasses fee 3D viewing.

Researchers claim they have already put together the software behind it all though the next big thing they have to get around is to incorporate the technology in a real hardware product. However, that is not expected to be over before a years time though the technology will be demonstrated during the IFA event in Berlin that gets underway from Aug Aug 31 to Sep 5.

Sovan Mandal (725 Posts)

Sovan Mandal is the senior tablet and tech corespondent for goodereader.com and 3D Specialist. He brings a international approach to news that is not just applicable to the North American market, but also Asia, India, Europe and others. Sovy brings his own writing flavor to the website and is interested in Science Fiction, Technology and Writing. Any questions, send an email