During the last two days I have attended the Stereoscopic Displays and Applications session of the Electronic Imaging Science and Technology conference in San Jose. This is one of the premier venues for companies participating in all aspects of the 3D display "food chain" to meet and discuss their technologies and business space.

Art Berman
Insight Media Consultant

A first impression is that 3D display technology seems to be alive and well. The meeting is well attended, has a full technical program and the exhibit hall was well stocked with the latest prototypes and products. The flip side of this observation is that the papers are mostly academic and the conference continues to attract only about 100-150 people. Normally important display leaders like LG. Philips, NEC and Philips sent research staff. Sharp was not there and the biggest display company with a marketing presence was Planar. There were perhaps two-dozen 3D displays to investigate - not exactly a sign of a major uptick in this market.

A second impression is that 3D display technology continues to evolve. Activity and at least some progress was reported and demonstrated with regard to a wide range of 3D display technologies. On the other hand, there was not any report or technology demonstration that could be singled out and reported as a breakthrough or revolutionary advance. In fact, some of the high profile 3D demos did not even look very good.

Nevertheless, it seems likely that one of the first applications in which 3D displays will be capable of achieving significant commercial penetration will be portable devices such as cell phones. The reason for this is that the specific set of requirements, advantages and disadvantages presented by this application seem to be well met by the 3D display products shown and described at the conference. The problem for 3D is that it is less clear if there is a compelling business model that justifies 3D in cell phones (although there was an interesting study that evaluated consumers preferences for the use of 3D in mobile phones).

Another class of applications in which display in 3D seem poised for significant commercial success is medical instruments. The exhibit included 3D microscopes suitable for microsurgery, large display screens for medical training and endoscopes. To a non-medical person such as myself, the exhibits seem almost self evident in demonstrating the advantages of display in 3D. The reality is, however, that, in the world of medical instruments, the only vote that counts comes from medical professionals and that only after performing clinical studies. The simple fact is that, at this time, conclusive data on the performance of various instruments with 3D display capability in specific medical applications are only starting to be collected. So… many of the medical 3D applications will have more hoops through which they must jump before full product launch.

And then, of course, there is the Holy Grail for 3D: TV. At this time, the bottom line is that none of the autostereoscopic 3D displays on exhibit look as good as a current 2D display. Inherent in this comment is the still highly-debated assumption that wide commercial success requires that a 3D TV be autostereoscopic, and in the 3D mode it must look as good as current commercial 2D TV.

One of the pleasures in following 3D technology over the years has always been the seemingly inexhaustible stream of highly innovative developments. In this regard, the conference did not disappoint. The papers and exhibits included a highly novel means of eye tracking, several 3D displays based on new configurations and/or design principles and new means to remove artifacts from a 3D image. In addition, several human factors studies reported results that add additional understanding to the requirements of what makes a 3D display look good.

With so many companies and so much engineering talent being applied to the development and perfection of 3D display technologies, one is led (if not wants) to believe that the long held promise of commercial success is in store for 3D displays, especially in cinemas, digital signage and cell phones. But on the other hand, where is the buzz? Where are the major players? We need big time leadership and that was not on display at the conference.