High-resolution 3D Display System

NHK STRL is developing Aktina Vision^*1, a unique 3D TV system for viewing natural 3D video without special glasses (Fig. 1). Aktina Vision reproduces the light rays from the object to display 3D images. NHK STRL has achieved higher-resolution 3D video system with high-definition television (HDTV) equivalent resolution (about 2 million pixels).

The object is captured from different viewpoints (horizontal and vertical locations) to obtain multi-viewpoint images, which are used to reproduce the light rays from the object. By increasing the number of the multi-viewpoint images and resolution of each image, natural high-resolution 3D video display can be achieved even when the viewer moves around horizontally and vertically in the viewing area.

The developed system accommodates 72 multi-viewpoint images, and video resolution is increased by using an 8K projector with a pixel-offset method^*2(Fig. 2). A special optical system shifts and multiplexes the light rays of the 72 high-resolution multi-viewpoint images. The resulting display is a leap in resolution from about 0.3 million pixels produced by NHK’s previous system^*3 to about 2 million pixels on the level of HDTV.

We will continue research on 3D imaging, video compression coding, etc. to achieve next-generation TV that can present video with unprecedented realism.

See also

• T. Omura, H. Watanabe, N. Okaichi, H. Sasaki, and M. Kawakita, “Full-parallax 3D display using time-multiplexing projection technology,” IS&T International Symposium on Electronic Imaging 2020, SD&A-100, p.100.1-100.5, 2020. (You will leave the NHK website)