Building an Autostereoscopic Multiple-Viewer Television Display

De Montfort University (DMU) has developed an autostereoscopic display that is targeted specifically at the television market. The display is capable of supplying 3D images to multiple viewers who do not need to wear special glasses, and who are able to move freely over a room-sized area. It operates by producing regions (exit pupils) in the viewing field where either a left or a right image is perceived. The positions of the exit pupils are steered to the multiple viewers’ eyes by the use of head tracking. The DMU display consists of an LCD whose conventional backlight is replaced by a steerable optical configuration controlled by the position of a head tracker that is capable of producing several pairs of exit pupils. Left and right images are produced on alternate pixel rows of a single high-resolution LCD. This spatial image multiplexing is achieved by the use of a lenticular sheet located between the steering optics and the LCD. The steering optics produce exit pupils over a large area without the aberration and coloration effects associated with more conventional methods. This is achieved using stacks of coaxial lenses in conjunction with high-density white LED array sources. Selective illumination of LEDs in each array source produces the multiple beam directions. A 21 inch four-viewer prototype is currently being built under the European Union funded Framework 5 Information Society Technologies ATTEST: Advanced 3-Dimensional Television Technologies project.