News Sharp's 3D LCD: how's that work, then?

El Reg have an interesting article on how Sharp's new 3D monitor works:

Human beings, with few exceptions, view the world from two places at once: our eyes. Our eyes are separated by approximately 2.5 inches and each retina can only generate a two-dimensional image. But we live in a three-dimensional world so our brains have evolved to combine the two-dimensional images from each eye into a crisp three-dimensional model of the world around us.

A key part of this process is binocular disparity. This refers to the fact that because each eye has a slightly different viewpoint, the two views are slightly displaced from each other. It is central to our ability to judge distances because the amount of displacement between the two images is, after all, a function of how far whatever we are observing is from our eyes.

Since our brain is used to taking two 2D images and combining them to make a 3D model for us, it should be easy enough to persuade it to do so with any two images displaying the expected degree of binocular disparity. Mercifully for b-movie film producers and, more recently, LCD display manufacturers, it turns out that it is actually very easy to fool the brain like this.

It's pretty simple to present the brain with two "stereoscopic" images, but making sure that each eye sees the relevant image has proved more taxing. The best cinema 3D (if "best" is an appropriate word) uses polarising glasses to filter the two images and create the 3D effect. Sadly, the punters never really took to the idea of wearing the glasses, polarised, green and red or otherwise, mainly because they look so incredibly naff.

More, with pictures, here

 

what the hell? Thats really really cool

 

the only thing is you have to sit in one perfect spot to see it "3D" move a few centimeters either side and the ilusion is lost.

 

whats the point if you cant move your head?

 

because iuf your deadlocked into a game how often do you move your head? your not the type of person that tries to look behind the screen to see whats behind that wall are you....

 

I am...