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Researchers hack Kinect for glasses-free 3D teleconferencing (video)
Since the dawn of Kinect hacking, we've seen cameras strung together (or rotated) to create 3D, video game-like environments, while others have tweaked it for headtracking. Others, still, have used it for teleconferencing (albeit, the flat, two-dimensional variety). Now, a team of researchers have gone and thrown it all together to achieve 3D video chats, and if we do say so, the result is greater than a sum of its parts. The group, based out of UNC-Chapel Hill, uses 3D mapping (and at least four Kinects) to render the video, and then employs headtracking on the receiving end so that people tuning in will actually see the live video in 3D, even without wearing 3D glasses. The result: a tableau that follows you as you move your head and spin around restlessly in your desk chair waiting for the meeting to end. That's mighty impressive, but we can't help but wonder: do you really want to see your colleagues in such lifelike detail? Have a gander at the video and decide for yourself.
Nissho starts selling 52-inch, glasses-free 3D TV with Full HD resolution in Japan
Remember Dimenco? A four-man splinter group of former Philips employees, the company has been hard at work refining its glasses-free 3D display tech and today some of the earliest fruit of its labor is going on sale. Nissho Electronics in Japan is beginning sales of a 52-inch LCD panel that can pump out full 1080p of 3D vision without requiring any headgear from the viewer. Initially, this big lenticular display will target businesses, who'll be among the few to be able to afford the ¥1.7 million ($20,820) asking price. Other specs include a 2,000:1 contrast ratio, 8ms response time, 700 nits of brightness, and a 60Hz refresh rate. The 3D on this TV is actually described as a unique "2D + depth" implementation, which can also be used to convert 2D images in real time. Great, now take a zero out of that price, ship it westwards, and watch the sales really take off.
Sony unveils flexible color e-paper, new glasses-free 3D LCD displays at SID 2011
We saw some fancy panels and flashy lights on the show floor at SID this week, but Sony decided to keep its latest display offerings tucked away in an academic meeting. We're getting word today from Tech-On! that the outfit unveiled a 13.3-inch sheet of flexible color e-paper as well as two new glasses-free 3D panels in a separate session at the conference. New e-paper solutions loomed large at SID, but we were surprised by the lack of flexible screens. Sony's managed to deliver both on a display that weighs only 20 grams and measures a mere 150-microns thick, a feat made possible by the use of a plastic substrate. The sheet boasts a 13-percent color gamut, 10:1 contrast ratio, and 150dpi resolution. As for the 3D LCD displays, Sony joined a slew of other manufacturers in showing off its special brand of the panels. These new displays, ranging from 10-inches to 23-inches, apparently employ a new method for delivering 3D to the naked eye. This particular method uses a backlight positioned between an LCD panel and another backlight for 2D images, and can be easily be switched off for 2D viewing. Of course we would have liked to see these screens in the flesh, but alas, Sony decided to play coy. Hop on past the break for a shot of the new 3D panel.
Toshiba's tablet-ready, glasses-free 3D display debuts at SID 2011 (video)
The T-Mobile G-Slate may have a jump on the (red and cyan) 3D tablet market, but we can do better, and while strolling past Toshiba's SID 2011 setup, we may have found the slate of the future's killer component: an 8-inch, glasses-free 3D display. Tablet sized? Yes, indeed. We couldn't get a Toshiba representative to admit the depth perceptive display was destined for any upcoming devices, but we were told that the screen certainly "made sense" for a tablet device. The technology seems to be designed with a smaller form factor in mind, as the firm warned that larger versions of the screen, while possible, would suffer a drop in image quality. At 8-inches however, it looks mighty fine -- although you'll still need to look on from a centered sweet-spot to catch the 3D effect, a plague it shares with its glasses-free brethren. Check out our hands-on video (sans 3D, of course) after the break. %Gallery-123861%
MIT Media Lab develops glasses-free HR3D, supports broad viewing angles (video)
We've already seen plenty of glasses-free 3D HDTVs and portable devices, but a promising new technology called HR3D (High-Rank 3D) has hit the prototype phase. Engineers from MIT's Media Lab, who developed the new solution, say that it avoids compromising on screen brightness, resolution, viewing angle, and battery life, and doesn't require those pesky (and pricey) 3D glasses. HR3D uses a pair of layered LCDs to give the illusion of depth, with the top layer (or mask) displaying a variable pattern based on the image below it, so each eye sees a slightly different picture. Nintendo's 3DS uses a similar technique, but with a parallax barrier instead of a second display. The designers constructed the prototype from two Viewsonic VX2265wm displays, removing the LCDs from their housings and pulling off polarizing filters and films. We've yet to go eyes-on with HR3D, so we're a mite skeptical, but tech this promising is worth watching closely, and from every angle.
Toshiba Qosmio T851 can do simultaneous 2D and glasses-free 3D, arriving in Japan this July
Glasses-free 3D on your laptop is now just a couple of brief months away. Toshiba has set loose details of its new 15.6-inch Qosmio T851, and this fella promises to not only dispense with the unstylish glasses, but to also give you 2D and 3D imagery at the same time. You'll be able to view content in differing dimensions in neighboring windows (as illustrated above), thanks to the familiar parallax technique -- sending a different image to each eye -- which is here aided by the integrated webcam to track the position of your face in order to deliver the most fittingly angled visuals. There's also integrated 2D to 3D conversion, powered by a dedicated SpursEngine image processor, with Face3D technology automatically recognizing faces and applies a "human depth template" to their features. Aside from Toshi's obsession with faces, there's a GeForce GT540M churning out the graphics, a Core i5-2410M processing processes, up to 8GB of RAM, and a BDXL-reading Blu-ray player. Shipping begins in July, just as soon as the kitchen sink has been fully attached.
Nintendo teases next gaming console, says it probably won't be 3D
Nintendo's been denying rumors of a new home console for nearly as long as we can remember, but every so often those crafty execs slip -- accidentally or intentionally letting us know that exciting things are in the works. Well, last we heard from Nintendo president Satoru Iwata, a stereoscopic 3D console was on the table, but Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime just swept that notion under the rug. "We've not said publicly what the next thing for us will be in the home console space, but based on what we've learned on 3-D, likely, that won't be it," he told CNN, prompting a legion of 3DTV owners to imagine that their favorite Nintendo characters cried out in terror and were suddenly silenced. Why would Nintendo dismiss 3D for home gaming on the very same day that its 3D handheld set a sales record? Simply put, the company doesn't think the glasses-free 3DTV market is ready for such applications. Ah well -- guess we'll just have to settle for a Wii HD, then.
AT&T launches HTC HD7S with WP7 and LG's 3D-enabled Thrill 4G Android phone
Who says CTIA is going to be overshadowed by news that actually broke prior to the event starting? Okay, so it's entirely possible that the AT&T / T-Mobile buzz will be impossible to ignore here in Orlando, but that's not stopping Ma Bell from rolling out two new (er, rebadged) handsets for those looking for iPhone alternatives. First up is the LG Thrill 4G (available in the "coming months"), an unpriced 4.3-inch superphone that features a glasses-free 3D display, dual 5-megapixel stereoscopic camera, 16GB of preloaded memory (8GB onboard, 8GB microSD card), access to Google's Android Market and a special 3D marketplace coined LG 3D Space. The camera's capable to snagging video clips at 1080p when shooting 2D, or 720p when opting for 3D. You'll also get a dual-core 1GHz processor, HDMI output, DLNA streaming support and pretty much anything else you'd expect to find in a run-of-the-mill Optimus 3D -- you know, considering this is that very phone, albeit with an AT&T logo on it. Moving on, there's the HTC HD7S, which is essentially an AT&Tified version of the HD7 that has been on T-Mobile USA for quite some time now. In other words, you'll get a 4.3-inch WVGA Super LCD, 1GHz CPU, 5-megapixel camera, Windows Phone 7 (with copy and paste functionality baked right in) and a preloaded U-Verse Mobile application that enables "qualifying AT&T U-verse customers to download and watch TV shows" so long as they pony up an extra $9.99 per month. AT&T claims that its version of the HD7 will be the first in the US with an "improved Super LCD display," but as with the Thrill 4G above, no specific pricing is mentioned. That said, it should be popping up online and in retail locations "within the coming weeks," so you shouldn't have to wait too terribly long for those details to emerge.
Nintendo posts first 3DS advert for the US, whets growing appetites (video)
For the last few remaining souls in North America not aware that the Nintendo 3DS is coming later this month, the Japanese company has rolled out its first US commercial. Shockingly enough, it doesn't display anything not already announced, but now would be kind of late to be springing surprises on us anyhow, right? It's a portable console with glasses-free 3D -- that works reasonably well -- and it's made by Nintendo, which means half the people on your street will probably own one by this time next month. Jump past the break to see the American commercial and its earlier-released UK sibling -- you'll find a fun juxtaposition of presentation styles when comparing the two.
Video: Glasses-free 3D using iOS accelerometer and camera
Here's some speculation that definitely came from the House of Crackpot Theories, but since it's kind of a slow day with the holiday today, feel free to let your imagination run wild. This video suggests that the next iPod touch could use its internal gyroscope and the FaceTime camera for a sort of pseudo glasses-free 3D. Icons on the home screen could tilt and shift according to how you're looking at the phone, and games could bend and shift around as you move the phone and your own head in the camera. It's highly unlikely that we'll ever see this in the official iOS, however. Nintendo is set to release its glasses-free 3DS system in Japan this week, but Apple has never really shown an interest in the technology, outside of various random patents and some compatibility features for OS X. Still, it's definitely possible to create this kind of visual with an iOS device, and while I've never seen an app use the FaceTime camera for head-tracking, it certainly seems like it wouldn't be a tough thing for a talented developer to do. Maybe as the 3DS gains some popularity, we'll see some developers try more of this on Apple's iOS platform.
Man discovers glasses-free 3D tech in the blink of an eye (video)
Who's got two thumbs and needs glasses to see 3D? Not this guy! Francois Vogel's figured out a way to remove those pesky spectacles from the equation, and he's ready to revolutionize the stereoscopic industry forever. Sure, you'll need a monitor with a 120Hz refresh rate, but that's a prerequisite these days anyhow, and the rest is sweet, sticky gravy dished directly to your eyeballs. Get a sneak peek at the game-changing tech in the video above, and keep an eye out for unicorns (we're sure they're around here somewhere). You'll never look at 3D the same way again, we promise. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Stream TV Elocity 3T glasses-free TV eyes-on
There's been no shortage of glasses-free 3D at CES but we can't say we expected Stream TV, makers of those Elocity tablets, to be showing off wares of its own. While the company is promising lots of spectacle-free TVs with parallax screens in the next year, at its booth there was just a 42-inch 1080p 3T1 panel on the show floor. We've got mixed feelings about this one; as you can see in the gallery below, the display looks very grainy and the converted HD 2D-to-3D content, while it did look three dimensional (as much as you can say), it didn't appear to be high definition by any means. However, there was one nature clip that was apparently shot in 3D, which looked incredibly crisp. Yeah, it was almost like we were watching that waterfall from a helicopter overheard. We can't say the three-dee experience is as jaw-dropping as the one provided with active shutter glasses, but it is impressive to think you don't have to wear a piece of $100 technology on your face to get images jumping into your living room. Viewing angles were actually pretty impressive -- at least in comparison to the other glasses-free 3D displays we've seen -- and tilting our head slightly didn't throw off the 3D effect too much. Steam TV is planning to release the 3T1 in May along with a 52-inch version and then 56- and 60-inch versions in September -- that will have 'em beating Toshiba to market, but we're not quite sure in quality. %Gallery-113559%
LG 3D smartphone display eyes-on (video)
You can't have all this 3D stuff happening on the home entertainment front without it trickling down to smartphones, right? Sharp's already planning to bring its autostereoscopic wares to US shores at some point during 2011 and today LG's busy showing off a prototype of its own, right here at CES. It's a 4.3-inch panel, pumping out glasses-free 3D (using the parallax barrier method) and is presently embedded in an enormous demo box, but the ultimate goal is to have it in media-centric handsets. To be honest, yes, there's some glasses-free 3D effect going on, but for the most part we just noticed the two frames splitting and didn't find the video before us enhanced in any major way. The best parts might even have been the ones that didn't have any 3D-ification applied to them -- the display on show is certainly a lucid and bright one. Skip past the break to see what we're talking about. %Gallery-113320%
Toshiba to sell big-screen, glasses-free 3D HDTVs in 2011 / 2012
Toshiba made good on its word to sell glasses-free 3D TVs prior to the end of 2010, but it only managed to out 12- and 20-inch versions in Japan. Today at CES, executives have reportedly stated that the company will be kicking things into high gear for 2011. It'll be showcasing 56- and 65-inch prototypes here in the desert (and a 4K one at that), and according to Reuters, it'll "probably launch two models, one over 40-inches and another over 50-inches." Atsushi Murasawa, Toshiba's head of visual products, even cleared up the distribution question: "These will not only be for the Japanese market, but also America, Europe and China." Sadly, no details were given surrounding eventual prices and release dates, but we'll see if we can't coerce someone into spilling a few more beans here in a moment. Update: We were able to grab someone here at the show, and were told a more realistic date of "end of fiscal year," which could mean into early 2012 before consumers can bust out their credit cards.
Toshiba shows off glasses-free 3D Qosmio, says technology could hit laptops by the end of 2011
It's no secret that Toshiba's got a thing for glasses-free 3D displays and that it's been putting together 3D concept laptops based on the technology, but according to Toshiba's director of product marketing Phil Osako, the company could be ready to bring a 3D laptop sans spectacles to market by the end of the year. Sounds good to us, but it's a pretty ambitious claim, considering the demo unit Toshiba's bringing to CES, which we got to see a few weeks ago, is very rough around the edges. As you can see in the images below, it had a very large red, chiseled contraption strapped to its lid -- although, we do have to say it gives it a rather Iron Man-esq aesthetic. All that aside, the Qosmio laptop packs some pretty innovative 3D technologies -- not only does it have two parallax 3D LCD, but its webcam has a special eye-tracking feature that knows when you shift your position. The goal of that is to provide "dead-zone free stereoscopic 3D images" or better viewing angles, but we can't really say we experienced that -- while the 3D clips looked, well three-dee straight on, slightly tilting to the left or right threw off the effect and we were stuck watching some blurry content. Like we said, the concept is really just a concept at this point, but it will certainly be interesting to watch what Toshiba is able to improve and put out by the end of 2011. %Gallery-112320%
Toshiba's Regza GL1 3DTVs going on sale in Japan tomorrow, no glasses required
The panacea of glasses-free 3D displays (or content) might not yet be upon us, but Toshiba's doing its best by putting the two models in its Regza GL1 family up for sale in Japan. Tomorrow marks the debut of the smaller 12GL1, spanning a 12-inch diagonal and offering the unconventional resolution of 466 x 350. That's expected to be priced at ¥120,000 ($1,431), exactly half of the ¥240,000 ($2,863) asking price of the 20GL1, which will follow it swiftly with retail availability on December 25th. The latter display has the decency to come equipped with a more civilized 720p resolution and 550:1 contrast ratio, although, as you can see above, neither panel can be accused of being unnecessarily thin or space-efficient. Still, this parallax barrier stuff is the best we've got for the moment -- and as usual the best we've got resides in Japan only. Update: The Wall Street Journal reports that Toshiba is planning larger members of this glasses-free 3D family with a panel of over 40 inches in the cards for the company's next fiscal year, which begins in April 2011. More to come at CES in January.
Dialog Semiconductor pushes 2D to 3D conversion chip for phones and tablets
We'll go ahead and put a lid on your swelling excitement level, most likely with two simple words: "parallax barrier." You see, Dialog Semiconductor's DA8223 is being hailed as the world's first real time 2D to 3D video conversion chip for portable devices, but it requires a parallax barrier display. On the upside, that means that there are no glasses required for viewing, and pretty much any 2D content could be tricked into being 3D for the viewer; the downside, of course, is that it probably won't immerse your senses, overwhelm your eyes or otherwise revolutionize your life. That said, it's still suitable for both tablets and smartphones, and according to the company, it "requires virtually no software development and uses a tiny fraction of the battery and compute power of competing application processor based software-approaches." If all goes well, the chip will be hitting mass production in the latter half of 2011, which gives you right around six months to prepare yourself for the third dimension. On your phone.
Eizo announces more detail on glasses-free 3D DuraVision LCD, releases more pics of this BBW
You admired its bezels two weeks ago when Eizo released the first details to the world, now wonder at its full specs and more details. The company has released a spec sheet confirming the 1920 x 1080 resolution and 23-inch size, also detailing how it works. The monitor uses a directional backlight and a time lag to effectively hit each eye individually through the same pixel, enabling that high resolution in a small panel but still delivering glasses-free performance. Eizo pledges no moiré, color distortion, or other issues typically seen in glasses-free displays, but this tech will surely not come cheap when it ships in the second quarter of 2011. How do we know? Anticipated applications for the FDF2301-3D include scanning electron microscopes and semiconductor inspections -- playing Killzone 3 is sadly not listed. %Gallery-110448%
Apple granted patents for glasses-free, multi-viewer 3D system, colorful keyboard backlighting
We've seen a few Apple 3D patents before, but this latest IP portfolio addition shows Cupertino has clearly been thinking differently. At its core the system involves a screen, projector, sensor, and a 3D imager, which work together to allow multiple viewers to perceive 3D images from nearly any position in a room without glasses. This flexible autostereoscopic 3D effect is achieved by tracking user's positions and projecting pixels onto a reflective, textured surface that then bounces separate images into the left and right eye. Virtual interaction methods with the 3D projections are also described in the document, implying the technology has aspirations beyond passive viewing. Speaking of aspirations, Apple's approach clearly seeks to fix many common 3D issues at once. The most obvious is literally taking 3D glasses of the picture -- which we firmly support. On the flip side, the design addresses common faults with current glasses-free options too such as: ghosting and narrow viewing angles, while still keeping commercial viability in mind. That sounds magical to us, but considering the patent was filed back in 2006, we still expect 3D to be handled the old fashion way for quite a while to come. While we're on the subject of patents, a handful more popped in by way of Apple related to keyboard backlighting. Think multiple colors, individually lit, customizable by the user or automated based on environmental conditions and you get the gist. Hey, if it means a return for the Bondi Blue late 90's iMac design (with bright, matching keyboards), then we're excited. But it doesn't.
Eizo's DuraVision LCD does glasses-free 3D at 1080p, is totally bezelriffic
Looking like something that escaped from the bridge of the U.S.S. Palomino is Eizo's DuraVision FDF2301-3D, a dark, menacing visage containing a 23-inch LCD. It sports a full HD resolution and can display content in 3D, but its real trick is that it can do so without glasses. Yes, deep within that dark and angular exterior is the necessary set of hardware to ensure that two eyes see two separate images, supposedly without any of the weirdness we've seen with other glasses-free displays. The penalty is of course its imposing bulk and what will surely be an imposing price. No cost has been set, but indications are that it will cost many thousands of dollars -- not that it'll ever hit retail.
