Watch 2D and 3D simultaneously with backward compatible tech
24 July 2012
Photo credit: Piotr Didyk, Max Planck Institute for Informatics
Content that can be watched in 3D, wearing glasses, and 2D, without glasses, at the same time is possible with recently developed Backward-compatible Stereo 3D technology. Max Planck Innovation, the technology transfer organisation of the Max Planck Society together with the Patent Marketing Agency of Saarland Universities have licensed the new method for processing digital stereo image content to Canadian company TandemLaunch Technologies.
Traditional 3D technologies only convey a 3D effect when the viewer is wearing anaglyph or shutter glasses. Without glasses, spectators can only see a blur of two images.
This can be frustrating if some viewers do no want to wear glasses or if they experience discomfort or headaches when watching 3D.
The Backward-compatible Stereo 3D technology provides a method and a device for processing digital stereo image content predicting the perceived disparity from stereo images. This makes it possible to get high-quality 3D impressions when wearing glasses and high quality 2D impressions without seeing so called artefacts without glasses when sharing a screen.
TandemLaunch has licensed the invention and is about to develop it into a product.
Dr. Helge Seetzen, CEO of TandemLaunch Technologies, said: "Backward-compatible Stereo 3D will allow us to produce content that appears ordinary to a viewer without stereo equipment and conveys 3D impression when such equipment is used. The technology will change television as we know it."
Dr. Bernd Ctortecka, licensing manager at Max Planck innovation, added: "We are glad to have identified a partner such as TandemLaunch which has the capability of transferring a promising early-stage technology into a market ready product, which can then be applied by industry."