Sharp 3D display - The pulse 2: the best of J@pan Inc's newsletters: gadget watch, wirelesswatch and music media watch - Brief Article

Japan, Inc., Dec, 2002

Good lord, what will they think of next? Sharp takes the prize for the most gob-smacking innovation this month, announcing the establishment of a new display consortium and a TV that allows you to view in 3D. Capable of being switched between 2D (planar mode) and 3D (stereo mode--go figure], the display doesn't require viewers to wear any of those dumb plastic glasses that make you look like an extra in "Honey, I Shrunk the Kids." According to the company, the LCD can be installed "as is" in current display applications, and while it will display such things as spreadsheets in boring old 2D, it can really ramp up the visual delights with games and so forth in 3D mode. But this kind of thing is obviously a lot better if there are dedicated bits and pieces available for it, and to that end Sharp is establishing a kind of consortium of hardware, software and other content providers, which will specially design products for the new system. Sharp apparently achieves the 3D effect by "controlling the path of light" from the display via a "parallax barrier" and into our eyes, which sounds as close to magic as anything I've ever heard. The left and right eyes consequently receive slightly different images, resulting in the 3D wizardry. (Oh, right, hence the "stereo" bit earlier. Sorry.)

More info: http://www.sharp.co.jp/corporate/news/020927.html