Towards the reality of 3D imaging and display

Up until now 3D television has not taken off as had been anticipated and although many televisions are 3D enabled viewers generally tend to watch without using the 3D option. This must not be taken as a failure of 3D television itself; the fact is that viewers dislike having to wear the special glasses. The next generation of 3D television must be glasses-free (autostereoscopic) and the `Towards the Reality of 3D Imaging and Display´ project aims to develop the first viable autostereoscopic television display. There are arguably three technologies that are the main contenders for fulfilling the role; computational multi-later, head tracked and super multiview. In this paper we will describe these and examine the technical challenges and the pros and cons of each approach.