Project description
Advanced displays
Broadening the horizon for 3-D displays
Do you think the latest generation of high-definition LCD and plasma TVs offer the best viewing experience around? Think again. A team of European researchers has developed a display that makes the image jump out of the screen at you.
Working in the Holovision project, the team has created a three-dimensional (3-D) display with unprecedented image resolution and clarity, as well as a much wider field of view than any holographic display previously developed. Best of all, you do not need to wear goofy-looking glasses to view it.
The project partners see 3-D displays as the next evolution in image technology after the high-definition displays that have recently come on to the market. However, they initially expect their technology to be used for professional rather than entertainment purposes.
Virtually boundless applications
Computer-aided design, scientific and architectural modelling and any industry that requires detailed simulations could benefit from the technology. Doctors, for example, could use it to plan for surgery by being able to see 3-D models of body organs. Pilots in training could use the technology to experience far more realistic flight simulations.
The key difference between the display developed in the Holovision project and others built to date is that it enables a large number of people to view it at the same time from different angles.
Most current 3-D display technologies are based on so-called auto-stereoscopic systems that rely on showing the viewer two slightly different two-dimensional images – one for the left eye and one for the right eye. The set up tricks the brain into fusing the images into a single 3-D one.
Such displays have a very limited field of view – about 20 degrees – that prevents the images from being seen by more than one person at a time.
Wider field of view
In contrast, the technology developed by Holovision offers a field of view of about 60 degrees – less than an LCD or plasma screen, but more than enough for group viewing.
To make this achievement, the team developed an innovative light-projection module fast enough to cope with the high frame rates required to produce 3-D images with a wide field of view.
To showcase their technology, the project built a prototype 50-inch, 16:9 aspect ratio screen with more than 125 million pixels capable of displaying 3-D images in high-colour and image resolution.
Ten-fold improvement on existing systems
The screen builds on previous 3-D displays developed by project partner Holografika, based in Hungary and a market leader in 3-D technology. The project partners say the new display is about ten times better than existing systems in almost every respect, including resolution, colour fidelity and update rate.
Another project partner, Britain’s BAE Systems, has developed an application for use with the Holovision display to depict terrain in 3-D.
In the project a focused consortia of four leading European organisations provide complementary competencies to develop a next generation holographic 3D display that overcomes the limitations of the current 3D visualisation. It will be able to present realistic 3D images to number of simultaneous viewers in a wide field of view, without any common restrictions. Moreover it will answer today's expectations with regard to resolution, brightness, colour, contrast, size (with a hologram screen over 50" diagonal), and will in fact satisfy end-user requirements in professional use.It will be based on the proven holographic principle enhanced with novel temporal multiplexing. Emerging technologies will be used, like FLCOS microdisplays with very fast switching speed in single panel configuration with unique polarization method, solid-state technology in the illumination based on high brightness LED-chips of six colours providing the highest possible colour-fidelity, special micro-optical components, plastic aspheric and diffractive optical elements, a redesigned holographic screen. High speed control electronics, backed by a render cluster with proper 3D software solutions and 3D formats based on 3D compression algorithms will provide the real-time dynamic feature allowing to integrate the 3D display to variety of IT systems.The project workplan includes continuous end-user involvement in the system definition, validation and demonstration activities. As one of the potential applications, a terrain visualisation prototype will be developed, which supports collaborative decision making for 3D environments. The appreciation and understanding of the terrain data will be compared with alternative visualisation using conventional and stereoscopic displays.The project will target not only challenging final deliverables, but decisive outcomes beyond the prototype phase, to enable this technology to be among the potential displaying solutions for the future 3DTV.
Fields of science
Not validated
Not validated
Topic(s)
Call for proposal
FP6-2003-IST-2
See other projects for this call
Funding Scheme
STREP - Specific Targeted Research ProjectCoordinator
1192 Budapest
Hungary