3D Digital Signage Without the Glasses

What is 3D glasses-free digital signage? “Auto-stereoscopic 3-D, or “without glasses,” is created by interlacing multiple channels of the same content (still or video) that are captured at slightly different perspectives and combined into one final composite image that is seen as three dimensional by the viewer. In the past, patrons could experience 3-D content only with the use of glasses, which was done by using the familiar red-and-blue glasses know as “anaglyph.” Now, with the advent of high-definition displays and fast graphics processors and the aid of strategically placed barriers or lenses in front of the display, the interlacing is done at the screen level, thus negating the need for glasses. The screen is wearing the glasses so the viewer doesn’t have to. This can be done in one of two ways. The more primitive of the two is the parallax barrier, which is a fixed barrier with a foil mounted between two pieces of glass, and then paired up exactly with pixels. The lenticular barrier has edged grooves that split the light, magnifying different images when viewed from different angles.” Excerpted from “Retail, casino gaming driving growth of 3D digital signage” by Bill Yackey, published on DigitalSignageToday.com

ZeroCreative, 3DFusion, and Magnetic3D are just some of the companies utilizing glasses-free or naked-eye 3D technology in the digital signage arena.

ZeroCreative’s xyZ3D product uses lenticular lens technology that handles the image allocation on a sub-pixel level. Special software and algorithms insure every subpixel sent to the display generates the correct 3D effect.


Lenticular lens technology

3DFusion created a video wall at Macy’s Christmas display window. The 132-inch autostereoscopic 3D display was created by converting Macy’s 2D artwork to 3D by using 3DFusion’s proprietary plug-ins to Autodesk’s 3D Studio Max.



Ironically, the video promoting 3DFusion’s glasses-free technology requires 3D glasses to view:
http://youtu.be/O4QuWIghk-s

Magnetic3D creates 3D content utilizing its own proprietary software (Mixture and Fuzion) and Enabl3D LCD displays for such clients as the Miami Dolphins and the History Channel. However, unlike ZeroCreative and 3DFusion, their software is available for content creators to purchase.

Glasses-free 3D digital signage is certainly becoming more prominent as the technology and hardware are continually refined and the associated costs come down. It’s an exciting medium with multiple application possibilities from large billboards to small shelf displays at your local discount store.