Beyond 3D Television: The Multi-modal, Multi-viewer TV System of the Future

Under the European Union funded Advanced Threedimensional TElevision System Technologies (ATTEST) project, De Montfort University is developing a 3D display system targeted specifically at the domestic television market. This uses a modified commercially available LCD panel combined with novel backlighting and optics to project multiple viewing regions, or exit pupils, into the viewing space. These exit pupils are located in space using a head tracker. The display accommodates multiple viewers simultaneously and imposes no physical constraints, such as special goggles or glasses. Viewers may move freely over a ‘typical’ room sized area. The novel backlighting system is particularly versatile. Used in conjunction with high resolution transmis sive LCDs, many other display regimes are possible beyond the ‘standard’ 3DTV mode in which each viewer sees the same image-pair. These modes include many completely different monoscopic scenes, a mixture of monoscopic and 3D, and full motion parallax, amongst several others. The underlying optical principles of this display system are presented along with a description of its current manifestation.