Multi-layer light field displays are a type of computational three-dimensional (3D) display which has recently gained increasing interest for its holographic-like effect and natural compatibility with 2D displays. However, the major shortcoming, depth limitation, still cannot be overcome in the traditional light field modeling and reconstruction based on multi-layer liquid crystal displays (LCDs). Considering this disadvantage, our paper incorporates a salience guided depth optimization over a limited display range to calibrate the displayed depth and present the maximum area of salience region for multi-layer light field display. Different from previously reported cascaded light field displays that use the fixed initialization plane as the depth center of display content, our method automatically calibrates the depth initialization based on the salience results derived from the proposed contrast enhanced salience detection method. Experiments demonstrate that the proposed method provides a promising advantage in visual perception for the compressive light field displays from both software simulation and prototype demonstration.

A glasses-free 3D display that tracks the observer position over a large viewing area is described in this paper. The head position tracking algorithm is employed to provide regions referred to as exit pupils to viewer's eyes. A head tracker controlling an LCD backlight has been specially designed. The backlight follows the position of the observer's eyes so that left and right images can be seen appropriately.

Summary form only given. We demonstrate a simple head tracked 3D display that is capable of providing motion parallax; the ability to look around objects. This is achieved by using a head tracked display that shows two images only at any particular time. These images can be observed in alternate viewing zones across the viewing field in front of the screen that are fixed in position. The display serves a single viewer and as the viewer traverses the viewing field a series of perspective views is displayed such that the appropriate pair of views is always directed to the viewer's left and right eyes with the use of a head position tracker.

Summary form only given. This paper presents a demo system that realistically displays the glasses-free light field 3D effect with a triple-layer structure. By combining multi-layer panels, high refresh rates, and directional backlighting together, we achieve a wide field of view and large depth of field with a thin form factor. Additionally, using some off-the-shelf hardware, this system demonstrates an interesting light field display.

In this paper, we propose a method to optimize two-layer light field display using depth initialization. In contrast to existing trade-off work between performance and processing time, this paper firstly models the display principle of layered light field display, and then performs layered initialization with the prior known depth of 3D objects, and finally optimizes the layered images for light field display. Experiments demonstrate that the proposed initialization method can obviously save the iterations and related processing time for the existing online or offline algorithms to achieve the same reconstructed peak signal to noise ratio (PSNR) and present a better subjective reconstructed performance using the same computation resource.

Two displays that enable the formation of floating images in the air are proposed. A high-refresh-rate monitor and two Fresnel lenses are used in the first demo system to create the real image in the air. The second demo system is composed of a slanted lenticular sheet and multiple semi-transparent mirrors. The floating 3D image can be observed by multiple users simultaneously. The principle and performance of the proposed displays are analyzed in this paper. Two prototypes of the viewable floating displays have been built. The results indicate that the displays are a feasible means of producing the illusion of images with depth.

Underlying principles of stereoscopic direct-view displays, binocular head-mounted displays, and autostereoscopic direct-view displays are explained and some early work as well as the state of the art in those technologies are reviewed. Stereoscopic displays require eyewear and can be categorized based on the multiplexing scheme as: 1) color multiplexed (old technology but there are some recent developments; low-quality due to color reproduction and crosstalk issues; simple and does not require additional electronics hardware); 2) polarization multiplexed (requires polarized light output and polarization-based passive eyewear; high-resolution and high-quality displays available); and 3) time multiplexed (requires faster display hardware and active glasses synchronized with the display; high-resolution commercial products available). Binocular head-mounted displays can readily provide 3-D, virtual images, immersive experience, and more possibilities for interactive displays. However, the bulk of the optics, matching of the left and right ocular images and obtaining a large field of view make the designs quite challenging. Some of the recent developments using unconventional optical relays allow for thin form factors and open up new possibilities. Autostereoscopic displays are very attractive as they do not require any eyewear. There are many possibilities in this category including: two-view (the simplest implementations are with a parallax barrier or a lenticular screen), multiview, head tracked (requires active optics to redirect the rays to a moving viewer), and super multiview (potentially can solve the accommodation–convergence mismatch problem). Earlier 3-D booms did not last long mainly due to the unavailability of enabling technologies and the content. Current developments in the hardware technologies provide a renewed interest in 3-D displays both from the consumers and the display manufacturers, which is evidenced by the recent commercial products and new research results in this field.

This paper describes multi-user autostereoscopic displays developed within the European Union-funded MUTED and HELIUM3D projects. These utilize head tracking in order to provide images that are displayed in regions referred to as exit pupils that follow the users' eye positions. In the MUTED displays images are produced on a direct-view liquid crystal display (LCD) with novel optics controlled by the head tracker replacing the conventional backlight. This paper describes the design and construction of the displays along with evaluation results and future developments. The principle of operation, the current status and the multimodal potential of the HELIUM3D display is described.

The display is the last component in a chain of activity from image acquisition, compression, coding transmission and reproduction of 3-D images through to the display itself. There are various schemes for 3-D display taxonomy; the basic categories adopted for this paper are: holography where the image is produced by wavefront reconstruction, volumetric where the image is produced within a volume of space and multiple image displays where two or more images are seen across the viewing field. In an ideal world a stereoscopic display would produce images in real time that exhibit all the characteristics of the original scene. This would require the wavefront to be reproduced accurately, but currently this can only be achieved using holographic techniques. Volumetric displays provide both vertical and horizontal parallax so that several viewers can see 3-D images that exhibit no accommodation/convergence rivalry. Multiple image displays fall within three fundamental types: holoform in which a large number of views give smooth motion parallax and hence a hologram-like appearance, multiview where a series of discrete views are presented across viewing field and binocular where only two views are presented in regions that may occupy fixed positions or follow viewers' eye positions by employing head tracking. Holography enables 3-D scenes to be encoded into an interference pattern, however, this places constraints on the display resolution necessary to reconstruct a scene. Although holography may ultimately offer the solution for 3DTV, the problem of capturing naturally lit scenes will first have to be solved and holography is unlikely to provide a short-term solution due to limitations in current enabling technologies. Liquid crystal, digital micromirror, optically addressed liquid crystal and acoustooptic spatial light modulators (SLMs) have been employed as suitable spatial light modulation devices in holography. Liquid crystal SLMs are generally favored owing to the commercial availability of high fill factor, high resolution addressable devices. Volumetric displays provide both vertical and horizontal parallax and several viewers are able to see a 3-D image that exhibits no accommodation/convergence rivalry. However, the principal disadvantages of these displays are: the images are generally transparent, the hardware tends to be complex and non-Lambertian intensity distribution cannot be displayed. Multiple image displays take many forms and it is likely that one or more of these will provide the solution(s) for the first generation of 3DTV displays.

This paper presents a brief overview of the current technologies and technical approaches that may lead to viable and user-acceptable domestic autostereoscopic multi-viewer television displays. It illustrates the performance attributes of the various technological approaches and points to the most likely approaches to succeed within the next 10 years. Finally, it shows possible timescales for the enabling technologies for 3D display, and concludes that multi-user autostereoscopic displays may be the first to gain widespread use