Real-time, full-resolution liquid crystal-based stereoscopic display

Wheatstone invented the first stereoscopic display on record in 1834. Numerous approaches to the display of stereo imagery have been demonstrated since; however, all suffer from various drawbacks. Stereoscopic displays typically require the user to wear special headgear. Autostereoscopic displays typically have tight limitations on the position of the viewer's head. We investigate an architecture consisting of two readily available, inexpensive twisted nematic liquid crystal display (TN-LCD) panels sandwiched together to form a compact, rugged stereoscopic display. We describe the theory of operation, the experimental determination of the liquid crystal display modulation characteristics, and modifications to the theory of operation, as a consequence of the experimental results. (C) 2008 Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers.