A survey of perceptual evaluations and requirements of three-dimensional TV

A high-quality three-dimensional (3-D) broadcast service (3-D TV) is becoming increasingly feasible based on various recent technological developments combined with an enhanced understanding of 3-D perception and human factors issues surrounding 3-D TV. In this paper, 3-D technology and perceptually relevant issues, in particular 3-D image quality and visual comfort, in relation to 3-D TV systems are reviewed. The focus is on near-term displays for broadcast-style single- and multiple-viewer systems. We discuss how an image quality model for conventional two-dimensional images needs to be modified to be suitable for image quality research for 3-D TV. In this respect, studies are reviewed that have focused on the relationship between subjective attributes of 3-D image quality and physical system parameters that induce them (e.g., parameter choices in image acquisition, compression, and display). In particular, artifacts that may arise in 3-D TV systems are addressed, such as keystone distortion, depth-plane curvature, puppet theater effect, cross talk, cardboard effect, shear distortion, picket-fence effect, and image flipping. In conclusion, we summarize the perceptual requirements for 3-D TV that can be extracted from the literature and address issues that require further investigation in order for 3-D TV to be a success.