September 2011 3DeeScreen EYE-TRACKING
WHO IS SPATIAL VIEW Spatial View Inc. is a pioneer in stereo 3D (S3D) content delivery and auto-stereoscopic display technologies. As the source of high quality S3D content, technology and products, Spatial View delivers the best viewing experience on a wide variety of S3D enabled PC and mobile devices. Founded in 2004, Spatial View has 40 employees with headquarters in Toronto, Canada and offices in San Francisco, Brussels and Dresden.
WHAT IS AN AUTO-STEREO DISPLAY A display system where a viewer can watch S3D without glasses. The current displays fall into 3 broad categories: lenticular, barrier, and volumetric displays. They are either dual-view or multi-view. In the past, multi-view displays were used mostly in digital signage as well as in a few vertical market applications, but companies such as Toshiba are now bringing them to the home market. Displays can be active or passive, and usually characterized as switchable or non-switchable. Glasses-free 3D displays are now available on laptops and mobile devices, and are best when viewed by a single user.
AUTO-STEREO DISPLAYS Single or multiple-viewing zones require user to be in the optimal viewing zone. Limited range within which the viewer can experience 3D, (x,y,z). Some implementations have been created to minimize ghosting when outside the optimal viewing zone. Multi-view requires additional processing of content before or during display (multi-view generation). Designed for single and multiple-users.
USER FEEDBACK Initial expectation is Princess Leia floating above the screen. Require some time to find and maintain the device in the correct viewing position to see 3D. Long-term viewing (more than 20 minutes) of 3D content was not considered desirable on mobile devices. Crosstalk and ghosting were significant factors in user eye fatigue. Content adaptation for screen size and display type had a significant impact on user experience.
EXPERIENCED USER FEEDBACK Today 3D When filming videos with the HTC EVO 3D, I mentioned in my previous review that there is a very narrow viewing angle (or sweet spot if you prefer calling it that) for viewing your videos. Well, the more I use the HTC EVO 3D, the more I see that the viewing angle isn t that bad; it s the videos taken by the HTC EVO 3D that aren t so good. Let me be more specific here. I have Avatar 3D on my EVO 3D and watching this on the glasses-free screen is a spectacular experience that would instantly shut up all 3D naysayers. I even watched it the other day while on the treadmill. It had a somewhat narrow (but not too narrow) viewing angle that didn t distort while I was speed walking. After watching it for 40 minutes, I didn t have a headache either. Daryl Deino, LA Gadgets Examiner
WHAT IS THE 3DEESCREEN? The 3DeeScreen is an auto-stereoscopic 3D solution for current laptops with 15.6 displays. It is comprised of a lenticular screen overlay, and associated software that includes eye-tracking and real time rendering. When placed over the display of a Windows 7 based laptop it enables the viewing of images and video in stereoscopic 3D without glasses. 3DeeScreen includes 3DeeCentral: a stereo 3D media player that provides access to over 200 3D titles on the 3DeeCentral store, as well as playback of personal content. 3DeeScreen is also supported by Arcsoft and Cyberlink blu-ray players.
WHY DID WE IMPLEMENT EYE-TRACKING? Eye-tracking technology is getting mature and flexible. Ubiquity of Web cameras. Laptops have the power to accommodate the additional processing overhead. Provide the user with flexibility for greater movement and freedom. Accommodate distractions that take attention away from the screen. Minimize ghosting and other potential artifacts. Maintain a consistent experience across multiple systems and users. Provide the best possible auto-stereoscopic experience.
IMPLEMENTATION OF EYE-TRACKING Eye-tracking in our implementation is the identification of the face, and the tracking of the relative position of eyes to the screen. Requires calibration of a number of variables to perform optimally. Is part of a much broader implementation. Requires significant accuracy and error handling to be useful. Key question is: HOW TO FAIL GRACEFULLY?
CALLIBRATION REQUIREMENTS* 1. Coarse air gap (using eye-tracking) 2. Coarse tilt 3. Coarse shift 4. Coarse dot pitch 5. Loop the following 1 or more times: a) Fine-tune tilt b) Fine-tune shift c) Fine-tune air gap (using eye tracking) d) Fine-tune dot pitch * Lenticular lens and rendering require sub-pixel accuracy
SAMPLE IMPLEMENTATION
CURRENT LIMITATIONS 1. Still a high error factor 1. Light conditions 2. False face identification 3. Integration with 3D rendering system 2. Resource utilization and scalability 3. System complexity 4. Camera/driver/tracker integration 5. Calibration 6. Inter-ocular distance and z distance accommodation
WHAT WILL THE FUTURE BRING? 1. Cameras/Drivers designed specifically for eye-tracking 2. IR-assisted tracking 3. Greater accuracy under different light and other real world conditions 4. More refined integration with the 3D system 5. Multi-camera systems (2) 6. Multi-user tracking 7. Mobile Device Support 8. New auto-stereoscopic technology
Spatial View Inc 144 Front Street West Suite 785 Toronto, Ontario M5J 2L7 Canada +1 416-591-7177 Spatial View Swissnex Building 730 Montgomery Street San Francisco, CA 94111 USA +1 415-912-5901 x113 Spatial View GmbH Käthe-Kollwitz-Ufer 82 01309 Dresden, Germany +49 351 314 06 17 0 www.spatialview.com