polarization
Latest
Super-sharp 3D cameras may come to your smartphone
Many 3D cameras and scanners produce rough images, especially as they get smaller and cheaper. You often need a big laser scanner just to get reasonably accurate results. If MIT researchers have their way, though, even your smartphone could capture 3D images you'd be proud of. They've developed a technique that uses polarized light (like what you see in sunglasses) to increase the resolution of 3D imaging by up to 1,000 times. Their approach combines Microsoft's Kinect (or a similar depth camera), a polarized camera lens and algorithms to create images based on the light intensity from multiple shots. The result is an imager that spots details just hundreds of micrometers across -- you'd be hard-pressed to notice any imperfections.
Nokia reveals polarizing secrets of ClearBlack display
Nokia's revealing the secrets behind ClearBlack: its display technology that, even under the brightest sunlight, renders black as black as blackest night during a dark spell. Wedged above the E7, Lumia 800 and 900 displays are three thin layers, a linear polarizer, a quarter-wave retardation film and a reflecting surface. When light enters the first layer, it vertically aligns the "wave vibration" of the light so when it hits the retardation layer, it begins to rotate towards the right. Hitting the reflecting surface causes it to reverse, becoming left-circularly polarized before passing through the retardation later again, where it polarizes horizontally. This enables the polarizing filter up top to screen out horizontally polarized light, meaning it doesn't reflect back in your face. Why (we hear you ask) then doesn't it happen with the light from the display itself? Because it only passes through the second half of the process, it doesn't become horizontally aligned, leading to that beautifully dark display reaching your peepers. It's a clever and elegant solution that we can't help but be impressed at, even if we've used up the world's supply of the word 'polarize' in order to explain to you.
Zeon display filter ameliorates backlight bleed, improves LCD contrast and viewing angles
Is your LCD TV not fulfilling your primordial need for contrast, more contrast? If so, you could do worse than to check out these so-called polarizer plates from Zeon, which promise up to ten times better contrast ratios than current LCD tech. The Japanese company's latest wares are compatible with IPS panels (yay!) and it even has a version for OLEDs on tap, though we hardly think weak contrast is the problem with OLED displays right now. Still, the expansion of viewing angles is always welcome, so let's hope the projected mass production by the middle of this year materializes, so that we can all be talking about awesome new displays come CES 2011. Onwards and upwards. [Warning: source link requires paid subscription.]
Sony 280-inch 3D LED display headed to Mr. Lee's Greater Hong Kong
Look, we get the whole drive behind this 3D thing. For some, there's no better way to experience sports, films, or console game play and consumer electronics companies are desperate for a source of new revenue. But creating a 280-inch 3D LED display meant for public areas doesn't make a lot of sense long-term unless we're expected to carry those swank, polarized glasses everywhere we go. Nevertheless, Sony was demonstrating the 6.4 x 3.4-meter behemoth at the International Broadcast Equipment Exhibition 2009 in Japan. The panel combines 70 LED displays into a single monstrosity of overlapping images. If nothing else this "3D LED Wall" demonstrates Sony's rabid commitment to 3D for 2010 and an ominous future for our friends working in Times Square. See it in action after the break if you care.
New PH-DVD technology triples the space of blue and red laser DVD's?
Just when you thought there weren't enough disc formats (HD-DVD, Blu-ray, VMD, EVD, HVD, and you might have missed VCDHD yesterday), here comes one more, PH-DVD. Apparently, by "exploiting the polarization element contained in all current DVD formats", Dr. Oron Zachar, founder of Polarizonics Corp believes he can triple the capacity of DVDs, HD-DVDs and Blu-ray discs, without changing the disc structure, replacing mass reproduction equipment and providing a new layer of protection against piracy.We have no idea what any of that means, but apparently it adds up to disc capacities of over 100GB, which we do understand because it adds up to a-whole-freaking-lot of high definition content. Of course the real question is whether this technology exists, is feasible and will ever be relevant to HDTV owning consumers, but it seems way too early to tell. Information on Mr Zachar and Polarizonics Corp is pretty limited, although he apparently is or was a professor at UCLA and they are hiring. Still, this sounds a lot like polaronics (yes, that is a /. article from 1999 and no, no such product exists).Any HD Beat tipsters willing to take a job as an optical engineer and get us the inside information?
