Patent ID: 7663705

Claim:
An optical display apparatus, comprising: a light source, a first light modulator element having a plurality of pixels capable of independently controlling light propagation characteristics and a second light modulator element having a plurality of pixels capable of independently controlling light propagation characteristics, to thereby modulate light from the light source through the first and second light modulator elements and display an image; a light propagation characteristic tentative deciding device to tentatively decide a light propagation characteristic of each pixel of the second light modulator element depending upon display data; a first light propagation characteristic deciding device to decide a light propagation characteristic of each pixel of the first light modulator element depending upon the light propagation characteristic tentatively decided by the light propagation characteristic tentative deciding device and the display data; a first control value deciding device to decide a control value of each pixel of the first light modulator element depending upon the light propagation characteristic decided by the first light propagation characteristic deciding device; a second light propagation characteristic deciding device to decide a light propagation characteristic of each pixel of the second light modulator element depending upon the light propagation characteristic decided by the first light propagation characteristic deciding device and the display data; and a second control value deciding device to decide a control value of each pixel of the second light modulator element depending upon the light propagation characteristic decided by the second light propagation characteristic deciding device; the light propagation characteristic tentative deciding device being allowed to tentatively decide a light propagation characteristic of each pixel of the second light modulator element by use of a gamma characteristic expression to calculate an intensity level of light to be modulated through the first and second light modulator elements depending upon an intensity level of light to be modulated through the second light modulator element and a gamma coefficient, wherein the light propagation characteristic tentative deciding device calculates the intensity level n with use of the gamma characteristic expression Rp=Rmax×(n/m) γ , Rp being an intensity level of a pixel p in the display data, Rmax being a maximum value of intensity level in the display data, n being an intensity level of a pixel of the second light modulator element corresponding to the pixel p, m being a coefficient in accordance with the number of levels of the second light modulator element, and γ being a gamma coefficient. and tentatively decides a light propagation characteristic of the pixel of the second light modulator element corresponding to the pixel p based on the calculated intensity level n.