2D quality enhancer in polarized 3D systems for 2D-3D co-existence

Polarized 3D viewing systems inherently cut the viewing resolution in half. While 3D content looks of good quality, the quality of any co-existing 2D content in windowed mode on the same screen looks poor. Embodiments may be directed to modifying the 2D content in real time and presents the enhanced 2D content (i.e. 2D+) to each eye as if it was 3D content targeted at each of the left and right eyes separately. The 2D+ content quality thus appears much better than when viewing the original 2D content on a polarized screen through polarized eyewear.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

Embodiments of the present invention are directed to stereoscopic systems and, more particularly, to eyewear systems useful for simultaneous two dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) viewing.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Humans have what is known as binocular vision owing to the fact that we have two eyes separated by a couple of inches. Each eye views the same scene from a slightly different perspective view each providing the brain with slightly different information. These two views are combined by the brain such that we perceive depth and see the world in three-dimensions (3D).

Electronically stored or transmitted visual images, such as pictures or video, is typically displayed on a two dimensional medium such as a television screen or other type of monitor or projected on to a screen. Both eyes view the same information. The brain is thus left to use other visual cues from the two-dimensional (2D) image, such as relative sizes of objects, shadow, perspective lines, or horizons, to name a few, to sense depth. However, the picture still looks flat and not like we see the real world.

Stereoscopy refers to any of various processes and devices for giving the illusion of depth from two-dimensional images. We say illusion because true 3D may be more like a hologram where you could walk around the image and change your perspective. However, when done correctly, stereoscopy can trick the brain into thinking objects are jumping out of the screen at you.

In its simplest form, two cameras, or one camera with two lenses, spaced a few inches apart, are used to capture two 2D images. Each 2D image, of course, is from a slightly different perspective such that when the left eye views one image and the right eye views the other, the brain combines the views and we see the combined image as three-dimensional (3D).

Big screen stereoscopic motion pictures or “3D movies”, as is the term more commonly used, are becoming quite popular again. In addition, 3D technologies are now available for home video with the so-called 3D TVs, video games, and streaming and recorded video content for computer monitor viewing.

There are several types of stereoscopic or “3D” technology available. Most require the viewer to wear special glasses or goggles. Some require active components in the glasses, others do not. Some require special monitors or drivers. Each has it pros and cons and, depending on the situation, may or may not make sense for a specific task.

Regardless of the technology used, the end goal is primarily to separate what the left and the right eye sees. Early technologies involved physical separation where a viewer looked into a binocular-like device, with a lens for each eye to physically separate the left and right views. This technique which may be the oldest, works quite well and a close variation of this technique is still used in modern virtual reality goggles or head-mounted displays. However, this is only good for one person or individual viewing and may be expensive or impractical for more than a couple viewers.

One of the first left/right (L/R) separation technologies good for the masses was spectral separation. The technical term is “color anaglyph” and involved each viewer wearing a pair of glasses with a red filter for one eye and a blue filter for the other. The left and right images were likewise blue or red encoded and displayed simultaneously. This technique was popular for producing 3D movies in the 1950s and even works to some degree with standard color televisions or monitors. While providing a novelty for its day, it left much to be desired aesthetically. The end result tended to be monochromatic, and had a lot of ghosting (i.e. the L/R separation was not clean). On the pro side, it was inexpensive to produce and the glasses were passive and very inexpensive.

Similar to spectral separation, the next most common technique is spatial separation and involves the viewers wearing polarized glasses, with each eye lens being polarized at 45 degrees, for example, to the other or circularly polarized in opposite directions. This is the technology used most often today in movie theaters. It works pretty well with the L/R separation being fairly complete, but usually requires two projectors or a special projector in a theatre setting or a few additional layers in a monitor which adds cost. Also, each eye only sees half resolution which may degrade the viewing experience. On the pro side, the polarized glasses are again passive and therefore relatively inexpensive.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Polarized 3D viewing systems inherently cut the viewing resolution in half. While 3D content looks of good quality while wearing polarized glasses, the quality of any co-existing 2D content in windowed mode on the same screen looks poor. This is especially the case in personal computing scenarios if the 2D content is text.

FIG. 1illustrates a pair of polarized glasses100for viewing a 3D polarized display. As shown, the glasses100have a right eye lens102polarized in one direction and a left eye lens104polarized in another direction.FIG. 2shows a 3D polarized display200which one may view with the glasses100ofFIG. 1. The display may have multiple windows open at once, some having traditional 2D content and some having 3D content. A common usage scenario on a polarized 3D PC display200could be that the user wearing polarized glasses100is watching a 3D video in one window, while working on emails in another window, chatting in another window, and editing word document to take notes from the 3D video being watched in yet another window. As conceptually illustrated inFIG. 2if wearing the glasses100the quality of viewing will be poor for the 2D content while the quality of the 3D in another window is good/acceptable.

Embodiments of the invention solves the problem of half resolution of the 2D content by reformatting in such a way that 2D content appears full resolution to the user eyes, while co-existing with the 3D content on the same polarized screen. Hereinafter this reformatting may be referred to as 2D+.

Referring now toFIG. 3, there is illustrated the modules for realizing 2D+ a quality enhanced polarized 3D system where 2D and 3D content are simultaneously displayed. In one embodiment, the system may comprise a 3D content presence detector300, a 2D to 2D+ content up-modifier302and a 2D+ and 3D content co-existence manager304.

FIG. 4illustrates a system for 2D+ quality enhancement for polarized 3D displays with 2D and 3D media co-existing. The system may run, for example on a PC or any other suitable computing platform. As shown, a display200may comprise a number of windows; some having 2D content and some having 3D content. The invention first automatically detects the presence of a 3D content on the screen with the 3D content presence detector300. By default this invention assumes that the user is using a 3D viewing system that optically cuts the resolution of the content in half, however an override control400may be provided so that user can for any reason choose to disable the enhancement features and view the original 2D content.

Next, implementation 2D to 2D+ conversion algorithms are applied via the 2D to 2D+ content modifier302. In case of personal computing devices, overlay composition architecture easily allows the 2D frames to be modified and displayed. For example, one method for converting from 2D to 2D+ frames may be by adding a spatial disparity of, for example, one or more pixels in X or Y direction, and then present the original and the modified frames as two separate frames to the left and right eye. Another example may be by adding a miniscule wavelength disparity to pixel color, and present the two separate frames to the left and right eyes. A third component of this invention is the 2D+ and 3D content co-existence manager304which may control the execution of conversion algorithms302, content presence detector300and introduction of any visual artifacts.

Thus, embodiments may be directed to software or hardware or combinations that modifies the 2D content in real time and presents the enhanced 2D content (i.e. 2D+) to each eye as if it was 3D content targeted at each of the left and right eyes separately. The 2D+ content quality thus appears much better than when viewing the original 2D content on a polarized screen through polarized eyewear.

Embodiments may be embedded as a middleware (such as direct show filter in windows), or a graphics driver extension or an application or a combination of some or all of the above. This invention can also be implemented as a hardware mechanism in the display device itself, such as in embedded display in PC, monitor, TV, or projector.