Our Technology

The technology to display 3D images and videos has the power to transform the digital media markets. 3DMedia is developing stereoscopic technologies with particular emphasis on the commercialization of 3D products. These disruptive technologies go beyond 3D display; they also solve the problem of generating 3D content. Currently, widespread generation of personal 3D content is not feasible due to the lack of cost-effective 3D cameras. 3DMedia's solution allows traditional digital cameras to capture photographs that can be used to create 3D images for viewing on 3DMedia's display products. 3DMedia's technology can provide the experience and control of 3D content to the hundreds of millions of consumers that already own some type of digital camera. 3DMedia strongly believes this technology will be one of the key enablers for the proliferation and adoption of 3D content in the consumer market.

All of 3DMedia's proprietary technologies are captured in its software. This software consists of two main elements. The first element is the 3D creation technology that can run on either image capture or display products and creates 3D content from images captured with standard cameras. The second element is the 3D capture technology that assists users in taking better quality stereoscopic pictures for input to 3DMedia's creation technology. The capture technology runs on cameras, camcorders, and camera phones. The 3D capture and 3D creation software run independently of each other and can reside on different platforms.

2D-to-3D Conversion versus True 3D

Technologies are currently available which can take a single 2D picture and convert it to 3D. However, the results of this technology, particularly when the process is automated as opposed to interactive, are very poor. The process of converting a single 2D picture to 3D involves the following steps:

Analyze the picture and determine the depth of every object. This is a complex process that is based on cues, often resulting in many flaws. Objects which span a range of depths are very difficult to analyze and assign depth on a per-pixel basis.
Generate a second picture from a different perspective using the first picture and its depth information. This process depends heavily on interpolation of existing pixels and can easily generate side effects when the background information is not uniform.

This approach has been tried for many years, but at this point we do not believe products based on sub-optimal technologies such as converting single images to 3D will contribute to the proliferation of 3D content in the consumer space. Consumer expectations for 3D are rapidly increasing because of 3D movies such Avatar and other professional content generated by studios and broadcasters. We believe that delivering the ultimate, high quality 3D experience to the consumer is the only way to ensure the acceptance of 3D technology and products. As the following quotes indicate, many in the electronics industry agree that 2D-to-3D conversion is only a temporary solution and is not expected to meet consumer expectations.

Broadcasting & Cable, 1/18/2010

[According to JVC Assistant VP Dave Walton, 2D conversion products:] "...have quickly created a 'magic box philosophy' among some programmers about how effective 2D-to-3D conversion can be. He aimed to dissuade that, pointing out each flaw in the box's output during a brief demonstration at the JVC booth. He emphasized how important maintaining quality would be to 3D, particularly in its early days. 'People don't want to watch bad 2D, but they can still watch it all day long,' he said. 'But wait until they see bad 3D—then they'll get headaches and nausea. So there's no room for bad 3D. There's either good 3D or no 3D.'" Read the full article...

Associated Press, 1/7/2010

[According to Tim Baxter, President of Samsung Electronics Co.'s consumer division:] "Samsung isn't waiting for 3-D programming. It said its sets will be able to convert standard 2-D programming to 3-D on the fly. The effect likely won't be as good as original 3-D footage, but it will 'tide consumers over' until there is more 3-D programming, Baxter said." Read the full article...

3DMedia's Value Proposition

3DMedia's value proposition is to facilitate the creation of 3D products based on our proprietary technologies that allow consumers to use standard cameras to generate superior-quality 3D images. Currently, high-quality 3D pictures can only be generated using the process supported by our technology or using a relatively expensive stereo camera with a two lens/sensor assembly. Our technology allows users to enjoy their content as easily as they do today, but greatly enhances the experience.