OPTIMIZED SYSTEMS

Smart Cable Adds On 3D-Like Depth

R. Colin Johnson | Date: 05-16-11 | Comments

3D software developers are already hawking automatic conversion algorithms for converting normal movies into 3D, but they still require a special display. Now a patented new technology claims to add 3D-like depth to existing video sources�including games�without requiring a special display.

Technologies designed to enhance the perception of three dimensions depend on a wide variety of parameters, usually involving separate images for the left and right eye that are multiplexed onto a single special display. However, new technologies are enhancing many of those depth cues with special algorithms for normal displays, providing an "almost 3D" experience without the hassle of those dorky glasses or a special auto-stereoscopic display.

The experience of three dimensions is primarily caused by what is called parallax, which you can experience by alternately closing one eye. When you do blink your eyes in this manner, you notice that close-by objects seem to jump to the left and right, back and forth, compared with faraway objects that appear to stay still. Stereoscopic displays work by directing separate right and left images to each eye, re-creating the parallax that triggers the perception of depth.

However, in addition to parallax, there are many other visual cues that can trigger the perception of depth in the brain. For instance, closer objects have finer details merely because they are easier to see. Many other related parameters also trigger the perception of depth, such as textures that appear rougher up close and smoother when further away. By cataloging these parameters and emphasizing them in normal 2D images, the perception of depth can be triggered in the brain without the expense of a special display or the hassle of 3D glasses.

Now the inventor of the universal remote control�entrepreneur Paul Darbee�claims to have done just that with his patented new technology to debut later this summer in a reference design for original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). Called DarbeeVision, the technology converts a normal 2D video stream into an "almost" 3D video stream on the fly using a small graphics processor running Darbee's patented algorithms.

The before image (top) appears flat and out of focus, compared with the DarbeeVision enhanced image (bottom), which adds 3D depth information with finer details and textures for foreground objects. (Source: DarbeeVision)

Later this summer, DarbeeVision Inc. will be distributing its HDMI cable reference design to OEMs, which could have commercial products on the market by Christmas. Using an embedded graphics processor based on an Altera Cyclone IV field programmable gate array (FPGA), the cable permits users to re-create a 3D-like experience for existing video content.
DarbeeVision is courting OEMs to include its almost-3D graphics processors inside their televisions, but until then a smart HDMI cable will re-create a 3D-like experience for games, movies and even broadcast television.