3D Technology in the cinema and at home (Samantha Lusby Report )

3D Technology in the cinema
and at home
Samantha Lusby
@00231624
Jose Sarmiento
Professional Broadcast Technology

Contents Pages
Introduction
A brief history of 3D
1
Visual Depth Cues
How we perceive 3D from a 2D
perspective
2-3
Limits of 3D
Range and discomfort 3D can bring
4
3D Glasses
Brief look at origins of the glasses
Brief look at origins of the glasses
5-6
Anaglyph Glasses
How do they work?
7-8
Linear PolarisedGlasses
How do they work?
9
Circularly PolarisedGlasses
How do they work?
10
3D at Home
A brief history of the 3D TV
11
Active vs. Passive 3D
How they work and the pros and cons
12-13
Conclusion
The future of 3D
14
References 15-17
Bibliography 18-19

INTRODUCTION
A brief history of 3D
3D technology has been around since the mid 19th Century when David Brewster
invented the first stereoscopic still image camera called a stereoscope. Since then 3D
technology has been constantly improving and changing to reach newer audiences. 3D
however, only made its feature film debut in 1922 with ' The Power Of Love'. Since
those early days of 3D, the technology has grown to become a successful form of
entertainment for the general public in both the cinema and at home. But what is the
science behind 3D exactly and how does this allow the general public to view it's
effects?
Fig 1: Example of Anaglyph 3D

VISUAL DEPTHCUES
How we perceive 3D from a 2D perspective
To understand how 3D works exactly, you first need to look at the relationship between
the brain and eyes and how they rely on visual depthcues to allow the brain to judge the
speed or the size of an item purely from a monoscopic perspective. This means an
understanding of 3D can be achieved from a 2D perspective.
One of these various depth cues is
known as a relative size cue. An
example of this would be when
you view a man and a skyscraper
appearing as if they are same
height. The brain will
automatically tell you that one of
these items is further away, thus
creating the effect of depth
.
Fig 2: Example of relative size cue.
Another cue is a texture gradient cue, this is simply where the same image is repeated
over and over. Based on the fact the repeated image becomes smaller it again allows
you to view distance.
A
Fig 3: Example of texture gradient cue

Another type of visual cue is a motion parallax cue, a moving object can show its
distance by its speed, the slower the object appears to be moving the further away it is.
"This effect was intensively used in 2D games like 'Defender' in the 1980s and 1990s.
Fast moving sprites suggested close-up and slow-moving sprites were far away."
Fig 4: Example of motion parallax cue
LIMITS OF 3D

Range and discomfort 3D can bring.
Since the brain is able to recognise these visual cues, it allows cinematographers a wide
range of tricks to create a 3D world from a 2D perspective within the cinema with no
limit on the depth created.
However the same cannot be said for stereoscopic viewing, this is because
"stereoscopic perception hits a limit when objects are too far away to be seen
differently by our eyes." Within the cinema this visual limit occurs in the 100-200 yard
range, meaning that there is only so much 3D that can be achieved before the effect is
lost and it begins to cause discomfort for the viewer as they try to process the image.
This diagram shows the stereoscopic comfort zone within the cinema.
Grey: Invisible to
audience
Red: Danger Zones –
Strong muscular activity
area.
Orange: Retinal rivalries
zone. Causes discomfort
Green: Safe Zone – close
to the screen.
3D GLASSES
Brief look at origins of the glasses.
Fig 5: Example of the various stereoscopic zones within the cinema.

3D cannot be currently viewed without the use of stereoscopic eyewear. Over the years
the type of eyewear associated with 3D has changed as much as the science behind it.
The most icon 3D eyewear are the old paper glasses with the red and cyan flitter, that
everyone is familiar with . Yet the anaglyphic glasses have in fact been around since
1850 when Joseph D’Almeida and Louis Du Hauron began experimenting with 3D.
Fig 6: A pair of anaglyph glasses
Slowly more people began to gain an interest in 3D. In 1922 the first 3D film 'The
Power of Love' was screened in Los Angles at the Ambassador Hotel Theatre. This film
was shown using the anaglyphic glasses. However after the screening 3D disappeared
until the golden age of 3D in the 50's.
"In the late 20th century, 3D has been falsely associated with cheap read-and-blue
glasses. however, even in the 1950s, 3D used sunglass-like, neutral-grey filters,"
This meant that not all the 3D films during the golden age were viewed in a anaglyphic
style, but instead used linear polarised lens, which look like a mix between the
anaglyph glasses, with their cardboard frame and the RealD glasses we use today with
their dark flittered lenses. These lenses provided a better viewing experience as the
overall image appeared darker instead of having a coloured tint, which was experienced
whilst trying to view a coloured film with anaglyph glasses. The linear lens glasses
were used in the 50’s and 80's but have since disappeared from most mainstream
cinemas.
The most recent form of 3D eyewear appeared during the early days of the 3D
renaissance in early 2000's and began growing more and more popular since then. The
latest 3D eyewear has taken a step forward from it's predecessors and discards the old
cardboard frames for a look much more similar to regular eye wear. The lens in the
latest 3D eyewear work in a completely different way to the earlier versions as these
glasses work with circularly polarised lens.

ANAGLYPH GLASSES
How do they work?

Since the anaglyph lenses were some of the first main stream eyewear into viewing 3D
the science behind them is simpler than the most current technologies used to view 3D
in the cinema.
Firstly there is the
original image
which than has two
images
superimposed on
top of it. These two
extra images are the
same as the original
one but taken from
a slightly different
angle. This is to
coincide with
normal human
perception of
objects, this was
originally achieved by placing "two cameras next to each other where the lenses are
about 3 inches apart. This mimics the natural space between your eyes."
The most iconic colours for the anaglyph lens are red and cyan, however there are more
visual colour pairings such as, " red and green, and the less-used yellow and blue and
magenta and green." The red and cyan lens will be used to explain the 3D example.
Due to the different filters on
each eye the brain perceives the
different colours on the image
in different ways. Through the
cyan filter our brain views the
cyan areas of the image as
white, whilst the red areas are
viewed as black. The opposite
effect is seen through the red
flitter, any natural blacks and
whites on the original image
are viewed normally and are
not effected by the lens. Next
the brain blends the two
separate images into one seeing
the difference in colour as
distance, thus creating the 3D
image.
The reason the red and cyan
lens work so well together is
because they "cover opposite
Fig 7: Example of anaglyph image
Fig 8: Explanation of anaglyphic 3D.

ends of the visible light spectrum. Thus the black and white apparent differences."
LINEAR POLARISED GLASSES
How do they work?

Linear polarised glasses were around in cinema about the same time as the anaglyph
lens of the 1950s. However the science behind the linear lenses is different to that of
anaglyphs.
Fig 9: A pair of linear glasses
In a similar style to anaglyphic 3D, linear 3D is first viewed by having two images
superimposed onto one screen but from slightly different angles. However this is the
only similarity between linear and anaglyphic 3D.
The two images are first projected onto a silver screen, this is to preserve the polarised
effect. When the image is projected it passes through orthogonal polarising filters, the
filters are spaced 135 degrees to the right and 45 degrees to the left. You as a viewer
will wear the glasses, which the lens are filtered in the same way.
When the light passes through the filter, the filter will block any light that does not
match the direction of the filter, meaning only a select amount of light passes through.
This turns the light into a linear form by sending out only the left and right channels
separately. Since the glasses are filtered in the same way as the projector. Your eyes
will only pick up one of the two images. It is at this stage that the brain again takes over
and blends these two separate images into one creating the 3D effect.
CIRCULARLY POLARISED GLASSES
How do they work?
Fig 10: Science behind linear polarisation

Circularly polarized glasses are the most current eyewear for the cinema.
They work by yet again superimposing two images from a slightly different perspective
, which the brain fuses to make the 3D effect.
This time the light from the projector passes through a quarter-wave plate (QWP), this
filter is positioned in the opposite directionof the glasses. Once the circular light passes
through the QWP it becomes a linear light, which after passing through a linear
polariser, thenbegins to work ina similar fashionas linear polarised lenses. This means
that the left filter blocks out the right image and vice versa. This helps to achieve the 3D
effect.
3D AT HOME
A brief history of the 3D TV.
Fig 11: A pair of circularly polarised glasses
Fig 12: Science behind circular polarisation

With many cinema adapting their equipment to allow more 3D films to be shown, the
technology also began to change in the home to allow for the 3D viewing experience to
continue.
2010 saw the
release of some
of the first 3D
televisions in the
home. Many
people believe
that these were
the first 3D
television sets,
however this is
in fact incorrect .
The first
prototype 3D
television was
created by the
inventor behind
television, John
Loige Baird. In 1928 Mr Baird demonstrated his stereoscopic television.
After that however the development in 3D technology seems so be set aside whilst
other technologies and improvements began such as the introduction of colour to
television.
The basics of 3D television were primarily developed in the 80s and 90s. This progress
in stereoscopic televisions was made by "three companies: StereoGraphics, Tektronix
and VRex." These companies were some of the first to develop the eyewear associated
with 3D viewing.
One of the reasons why 3D technology took so long to reach the general population ,
despite being around so long is because; there was no set format that 3D could be
broadcast in, due to NTSC, PAL and SECAM following different protocols thus
delaying the 3D technology until HD came along. This allowed some basic rules to be
set which then paved the way for 3D to develop.
Like in the cinema, 3D can not be viewed without glasses. It should also be said that,
“the prior dominant display technology, the cathode ray tube, or CRT, was a better
vehicle for the viewing of field-sequential stereoscopic TV than the modern pervasive
liquid crystal display screen."
ACTIVE VS. PASSIVE 3D
Fig 13: Baird’s 3D Television

How they work and the pros and cons.
Since it is currently not anoption to view 3D televisions in anautostereoscopic manner.
Glasses must be used to view the 3D effect. At this current time there are only two types
of glasses available for viewing 3D in the home, these are active and passive. One of the
main differences between active and passive 3D is that active 3D requires a battery to
operate the glasses and Bluetooth for it to sync with the television.
Active glasses work by having
the images on the television
switch quickly between the left
and right image
simultaneously. The glasses
then begin to flicker between
the left and the right eye at the
same speed they are shown on
the television. This is where
the wireless connection
between the TV and glasses
works as it tells the glasses when to open and close each shutter on the glasses. Due to
the images continuously switching between the left and right channel the overall frame
rate of the images needs to increase from 24 to 48 frames per seconds to allow the
image to be viewed. By quickly alternating between the left and the right channels and
doubling the frame rate the 3D effect is achieved.
Passive glasses work in
a much simpler way
compared to the active
glasses. Passive glasses
work in a similar way
to the polarised lenses
used in the cinemas.
First there are two
images superimposed
on the screen, showing
the same image from
slightly different angles.
the lens on the glasses are then filtered in opposite directions. This is done so the filters
pick up the corresponding image to the filter. By viewing the same image from slightly
different perspectives the 3D image is created.
There are many differences between active and passive 3D:
Fig 14: A pair of Panasonic shutter glasses
Fig 15: A pair of LG passive glasses

Fig 16: A table to show differences between active and passive 3D
CONCLUSION
The future of 3D

It seems many films are changing to meet a new market by becoming 3D, including
older titles such as “Beauty and the Beast” and “Titanic”.
Nowadays 3D is not just an experience at the cinema, it's an experience in the home as
well. Since 3D channels are now appearing such as Sky 3D, this proves how the 3D
experience is being brought into the home. Yet to prolong the 3D experience in the
home many game developers have begun releasing title games with a 3D option.
At this current time we all know fromexperience that the only way to view stereoscopic
3D is through the use of stereoscopic glasses .
However various developers are beginning to tryand produce autostereoscopic viewing
which is the ability to view 3D without the need of the glasses.
The most current example of this on the market would be the Nintendo 3DS. However
this device has not taken into account the safety distance allowed for 3D as within it's
first year alone Nintendo has received many complaints that, "Nintendo's
autostereoscopic technology causes dizziness, headaches and nausea."
Fig 17: A Nintendo 3DS
Autostereoscopic viewing still has a long way to go in the development stages, but
considering that the 3D renaissance has only been around for a few years it seems that
3D is going to be around in the entertainment industry for quite some time.
References

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27th December 2011].
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http://www.psy.jhu.edu/~spring200_206/depth_section07_QALMRIa.pdf [Accessed:
27th December 2011].
3D Active Shutter Glasses (n.d.) Fig 14: A pair of Panasonic shutter glasses. [image
online] Available at: http://www.3dactiveshutterglasses.com/ [Accessed: 28th
December 2011].
3D Movie Making: Steroscopic Digital Cinema from Script to Screen . (2009) Fig 1:
Example of Anaglyph 3D [DVD] United States of America : Elsevier .
3D TV Technology (n.d.) Fig 16: A table to show the difference between active and
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http://www.3dtvtechnology.org.uk/passive-versus-active [Accessed: 29th December
2011].
3dguy.tv (2009) What are 3D Glasses and what is Anaglyph?, [online] "two cameras
next to each other where the lenses are about 3 inches apart. This mimics the natural
space between your eyes." Available at: http://3dguy.tv/tag/history-of-anaglyph/
[Accessed: 20th December 2011].
3dguy.tv (2009) What are 3D Glasses and what is Anaglyph?, [online] "cover opposite
ends of the visible light spectrum. Thus the black and white apparent differences."
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2011].
3dham (n.d.) Fig 9: A pair of linear glasses. [image online] Available at:
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2011].
AndrA Gustavo (2006) Fig 2: Example of relative size cue. [image online] Available
at: http://www.moillusions.com/2006/08/leaning-tower-of-pisa.html [Accessed: 28th
November 2011].
Baird Television (n.d.) Fig 13: Baird's 3D Television . [image online] Available at:
http://www.bairdtelevision.com/stereo.html [Accessed: 29th November 2011].
Bernard Mendiburu (2009) Fig 4: Example of motion parallax cue. [image online]
Available at: http://www.3dtv.fr/NAB09_3D-Tutorial_BernardMendiburu.pdf
[Accessed: 28th November 2011].
Bernard Mendiburu (2009) Fig 5: Example of various stereoscopic zones within the
cinema. [image online] Available at:
http://www.3dtv.fr/NAB09_3D-Tutorial_BernardMendiburu.pdf [Accessed: 28th
November 2011].

Bob Mellish (n.d.) Fig 10: Science behind linear polarisation . [image online]
Available at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Wire-grid-polarizer.svg[Accessed:28th
November 2011].
Business Insider (2010) Fig 17: A Nintendo 3DS. [image online] Available at:
http://www.businessinsider.com/3d-2010-6?op=1 [Accessed: 29th December 2011].
Digital Trends (2011) Fig 15: A pair of LG passive glasses. [image online] Available
at:
http://www.digitaltrends.com/home-theater/active-vs-passive-3d-tv-technology-whats
-the-difference/ [Accessed: 28th December 2011].
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Screen , United States of America : Elsevier , p.2. "In the late 20th century, 3d has been
falsely associated with cheap read-and-blue glasses. However, even in the 1950s, 3D
used sunglass-like, neutral-gray filters."
Screen , United States of America : Elsevier , p.21. "stereoscopic perception hits a limit
when objects are too far away to be seen differently by our eyes."
Screen , United States of America : Elsevier , p.16-17. "This effect was intensively used
in 2D games like 'Defender' in the 1980s and 1990s. Fast moving sprites suggessted
close-up and slow-moving sprites were far away."
Mendiburu, B. (2012) 3D TV and 3D Cinema: Tools and Processes for Creative
Steroscopy, United States of America : Elsevier , p.xiii. "three companies:
StereoGraphics, Tektronix and VRex."
Steroscopy, United States of America : Elsevier , p.xiii. "Curiously, though, the prior
dominant display technology, the cathode ray tube, or CRT, was a better vehicle for the
viewing of field-sequential stereoscopic TV than the modern pervasive liquid crystal
display screen."
Screen , United States of America : Elsevier , p.190. " red and green, and the
less-used yellow and blue and magenta and green."
Midori iro (2007) Fig 11: A pair of circularly polarised glasses . [image online]
Available at: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/47/REALD.JPG
The Tech Herald (2011) Nintendo 3DS comes with free headaches, dizziness, and
nausea, [online] "Nintendo's autostereoscopic technology causes dizziness,
headaches and nausea." Available at:
http://www.thetechherald.com/articles/Nintendo-3DS-comes-with-free-headaches-diz
ziness-and-nausea [Accessed: 30th November 2011].

Troy (Film) (2009) Fig 3: Example of texture gradient cue. [image online] Available
at:
http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film2/DVDReviews32/a%20troy%20dc%20blu-ray/16_T
roy_BD_ships.jpg [Accessed: 28th November 2011].
Wikipedia (2007) Fig 6: A pair of anaglyph glasses . [image online] Available at:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e7/Anaglyph_glasses.png
Wikipedia (n.d.) Fig 12: Science behind circularly polarisation . [image online]
Available at:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/82/Circular.Polarization.Circularly
.Polarized.Light_Circular.Polarizer_Passing.Left.Handed.Helix.View.svg [Accessed:
28th November 2011].
Bibliography

Books
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Steroscopy, United States of America : Elsevier , p.xiii.
DVD
3D Movie Making: Steroscopic Digital Cinema from Script to Screen . (2009), [DVD]
United States of America : Elsevier .
Websites
http://3dguy.tv/tag/history-of-anaglyph/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Wire-grid-polarizer.svg
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.Polarized.Light_Circular.Polarizer_Passing.Left.Handed.Helix.View.svg
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e7/Anaglyph_glasses.png
http://www.3dactiveshutterglasses.com/
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http://www.bairdtelevision.com/stereo.html
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http://www.digitaltrends.com/home-theater/active-vs-passive-3d-tv-technology-whats
-the-difference/
http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film2/DVDReviews32/a%20troy%20dc%20blu-ray/16_T
roy_BD_ships.jpg
http://www.moillusions.com/2006/08/leaning-tower-of-pisa.html
http://www.psy.jhu.edu/~spring200_206/depth_section07_QALMRIa.pdf
http://www.thetechherald.com/articles/Nintendo-3DS-comes-with-free-headaches-diz

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