Display systems

Ruth Aylett

Overview

Display technologies
Current
In development

Various VR display systems

Non-immersive, semi-immersive and
immersive

Often a critical factor

VEs engage visual senses above others

Quality of display may determine quality of system

Projected or screen-based?
Size
Related to immersive v not

Speed
Will they respond to interaction?

2D or 3D?
Still mostly 2D pretending to be 3D
But new technologies very desirable

More display parameters

Resolution
Size and distance-related

Colour
Use differently-coloured pixels next to each other

Brightness
Contrast
Refresh rate
Interactivity depends on this

Sensitivity to viewing angle

Technologies

Liquid crystal display - LCD

Active and passive

CRT (Cathode Ray Tube)

Digital Light Processor
Auto-stereoscopic
Virtual Retina Display

Video formats
Format

Resolution Refresh

NTSC

525x480

30 f/sec

Interlaced

PAL

625x480

25 f/sec

Interlaced

VGA

640x480

60 f/sec

varies

varies

varies

varies

Noninterlaced
3 signals +
sync
RGB in
sequence

RGB
Time
multiplexed

LCDs

Made of small flat chips

Transparency properties change when
voltage applied

Elements in an nxm array

LCD matrix

Level of voltage controls gray levels

Elements do not emit light
LCD matrix is backlit

LCDs cont

Colour via filters in front

of each LCD element
Impacts brightness
Usually black space
between pixels to
separate filters

Hard to make individual

LCD pixels very small
Impacts resolution

Image quality depends

on viewing angle.

LCD types

Passive
Cycle through LCD matrix applying required
voltage to each element
Once aligned with the electric field the molecules
in the LCD hold their alignment for a short time

Active
Each element contains a small transistor that
maintains the voltage until the next refresh cycle.
Higher contrast and much faster response than
passive LCD

Resolution

Often quoted as separate colour

elements not number of RGB triads
Example: 320 horizontal by 240 vertical
elements = 76,800 elements
Equivalent to 76,800/3 = 25,600 RGB
pixels
So "Pixel Resolution" is c 185 by 139 (320/
3, 240/ 3)

Screen-based displays

Limited in size
LCD max = 108 ins
Plasma max = 103 ins; non interactive
Problems with green phosphor latency limiting update
rate

Limited in resolution
Thin & lightweight
Flexible displays in development
http://www.pcworld.com/article/186875/lg_display_de
velops_flexible_enewspaper_screen.html

Projected displays

Use bright CRT or LCD screens to

generate an image
sent through an optical system to focus on
(usually) large screen.

Full colour obtained via separate

monochromatic projector for each of
R,G,& B colour channels

CRT projector

Front v Back projection

Front projection:
Can cast awkward shadows, especially if you get
too close
Projectors typically high up and hard to access
Makes best use of available light

Back projection:
Expensive translucent screen
Needs more space
Loses light: brighter displays needed

Projector pros & cons

Very large screens

Large FoV
Can be shared by many - supports cooperative
working

BUT image quality can be fuzzy

Light is lost: dimmer than monitor displays
Sensitive to ambient light.
Delicate optical alignment, at least with CRTs

CRT pros and cons

Typically: 3CRTs + lens per projector

Liquid cooled internally
Hot; Noisy (cooling); Consume a lot of power;
Fragile

Analogue devices
Need frequent calibration; Phosphor decays; Not
particularly bright

Good refresh rate (essential for stereo)

Very good contrast (20,000:1)
Can distort the image as necessary to get
rectangular display

Dealing with distortion

Flat display - rectangular image

Curved display - distorts image
Needed on many large-scale displays

Use CRT distortion to compensate

Use automatic hardware to control it
Complicates configuration
More frequent alignment problems

LCD projector

LCD projected systems

Usually single projector

Brighter; Lower power; Less heat; Less noise

BUT
Lower refresh rate
Low contrast (400:1 in typical projectors)
Produce polarized light: interferes with LCD
shutter glasses
Harder to correct for curved screens

Digital projectors

Digital Micro-Mirror Device (DMD)

Developed at T.I. Labs in 1994

Basis for digital cinema projection
1.3 Million mirrors on a silicon chip
Each modulates reflected light, mapping pixel of
video data to pixel on display
Digitally controlled: load data into memory cell
located below the mirror.
Switching rate of thousands of Hz

DMD

Digital Light Processing (DLP)

Electrostatical control of mirror tilt angle

+10 degrees (ON) or -10 degrees (OFF).
Light from ON mirrors passes through projection
lens to screen.

Digital Light Processing (DLP)

All digital display: completely digital except for A/D
conversion at front end
Progressive display: displaying complete frames of
video
Removes interlace artefacts such as flicker

DLP cont

Square pixels, fixed display resolution

Resolution fixed by number of mirrors on DMD
1:1 aspect ratio of the pixels

Requires re-sampling of various input video

formats to fit onto DMD array
Digital colour creation
Spectral characteristics of colour filters and lamp
coupled to digital colour processing in the system

Quality

With LCD
projector

With DLP
projector

Stereo

Depends on supplying separate image

for each eye
Time-parallel (passive stereo)
Time-multiplexed (active stereo)

Active stereo

One projector
Projects L/R images alternately
Quad-buffered stereo - special graphics
cards required!
Typical refresh rate of projectors 120 Hz
(60Hz for each eye)
Ghosting problems with CRT projectors
(green phosphor too slow
Requires shutter glasses

Shutter glasses

LCD display technology

Two crossed, polarized
layers per eye
One permanently
polarized
One switchable
Controlled by an IR
signal

Pros and cons

Expensive: > 100 GBP/pair

Quite heavy - batteries and electronics inside
Maintenance issues:
Batteries run out
Fragile

Direct line-of-sight
50% light loss
could avoid with two active layers

Single projector
Cheaper and easier to set up
But impact on frame rate

Passive stereo

Two projectors
Polarize with each with different filter

View with two lenses

Polarized in orthogonal directions

Pros and cons

Cheap
Light and comfortable
More or less indestructible
Continuous image in both eyes(2 projectors)
Two projectors

Expensive
Alignment issues
Non-polarizing screen required
50% light loss
Cant tilt head more than a few degrees

Stereo rendering

Two camera ports

Slightly separated

Can be calculated in software

But can be done in hardware on some
graphics cards

Displays classification - 1

Head-Mounted Displays (HMDs)

The display and a position tracker are
attached to the users head

Head-Tracked Displays (HTDs)

Display is stationary, tracker tracks the
users head relative to the display.
Example: CAVE, Workbench, Stereo
monitor

Differences

HMD
Eyes are fixed
distance and location
from the display
screen(s)
User line-ofperpendicular to
display screen(s) OR
at fixed, known
angle to the display
screen(s).

HTD
Distance to display
screen(s) varies
Line-of-sight to
display screen(s)
almost never
perpendicular
Usually much wider
FoV than HMD
May combine virtual
and real imagery

Displays Classification - 2

Non-immersive (desk-top) VR
Semi-immersive VR
Immersive Systems

Non-immersive VR

workstation screen
navigation using a
mouse/spaceball
stereo glasses

PC Workstation

Semi-immersive VR
Reality Room

Large screen
stereo glasses
datagloves
position tracking

Workbench

Immersive Systems
Head Mounted Displays -HMDs
Cubical projection systems CAVE
datagloves, position tracking.

HMDs

Still identified with VR in popular mind

Originally CRT based: one screen/eye
High-end systems still are
Expensive, bulky, but higher resolution

Less expensive systems are LCD-based

resolution: varies from 320x240 up to 1700x1350,

standard 800x600

Limited FoV

25-100 degrees diagonal

See http://www.stereo3d.com/hmd.htm

Head Mounted Displays

Resolution issues

Number of pixels related to display area

Pixel size also related to viewing
distance
Closer to a screen results in less
resolution

Accommodation v
convergence

All projected images actually at same distance

On the screen
Thus constant accommodation: unlike real world

But manipulated to create convergence for

eyes
Thus variable convergence

Can create eye strain

HMDs have screens very close to the eye

Issues with HMDs

Inter-pupil distance (IPD) needs to be adjusted

Or it puts extra strain on the eyes

Resolution and FoV are still not very good

Adequate resolution only at very high CRT end

Cannot see ones own body

Impairs presence

Not collaborative
Becomes expensive in multiples especially at high end

Cumbersome to wear
Especially over spectacles

CAVE

Characteristics

4-6 active stereo surfaces

Around 3m sq
Usually backprojected using mirrors
Floor sometimes front projected from ceiling

Enclosure
Tracking system for ONE user
Can fit maybe 4 others into space
Often adds spatialised sound

Can walk around displayed objects

Can see own body - high presence
Occasionally people walk into a wall

Fully immersive

Large footprint!

Update rates

Head turning not a problem

Unlike many HMDs
But much more computational power

Fast head movement within space can

be a problem
Tracking allows update
Sometimes with a bit of a lag

Computational requirement

Originally large multi-graphic pipe rack

system
One pipe per panel
SGI: contributed to high cost

Current work
Use of PC cluster
x2 PCs per panel: one for each stereo channel

Cluster issues
Software
Synchronisation
Large models

Workbench

Immersadesk

Back-projected
Stereo
Objects float in front
Hand & head tracking

Good for object

interaction
Life-size (widgets) or
less-than-life-size
(buildings in city models)

Can link for

collaboration

Semi-Immersive Display

Reality Room
Three edgeblended front
projectors
No tracking
150 by 40
degree
Horizontal and
Vertical FoV
Engages
peripheral vision

Characteristics

Very good for spatial engagement

Very large FoV
Building interiors
City models

Good for collaborative work

20 people
Design reviews
Popular in oil industry
Public involvement in urban planning decisions

Issues

Interactively weak
Driven by one person with a mouse (possibly 6
dof): no head tracking
Can produce cybersickness especially for fast
movement

Projector blending can be a problem

Often visible
Projectors need frequent tuning to hide it

Must compensate for curved screen

Usually best done with CRT displays: less bright

WorkWall

Features:
flat screen
two or more edge blended projectors
rear projected

WorkWall

Screen size: (two configurations)

8.0h x 16.0w and 8.0h x 24.0w screens
(2.1m h x 4.9m w and 2.4m h x 7.3m w)

Size: Scaleable display setup is.

Work Group Size: Ideal for two to forty
viewers
Maximum Resolution:
3 Projector System 3456 x 1024 resolution
2 Projector System 2304 x 1024 resolution

Dome/sphere displays

Multiple projector system

Project onto domed surface above
180 deg or more
e.g Trimension V-dome: Hayden planetariium,
American Museum of Natural History
180x180; 21 m diameter; 7 projectors

ETH Zurich Visdome

Solving the movement

problem

Cybersphere
Bearings at
base
Rotates as
walk

Factors in choosing displays

Degree of immersiveness and presence

needed
Relationship to virtual space
Objects life-size or not?

Amount of interactivity needed

Balance between object interactivity and
navigation

Degree of cooperative working

Space requirements and cost

Technologies under
development

Auto-stereoscopic
Commercially available but non-interactive

Virtual Retinal display

Still being researched

Auto-stereoscopic

Stereo without glasses

Both halves of stereo pair displayed
simultaneously, directed to corresponding eyes
Uses special illumination plate behind the LCD:
light from compact, intense light sources
Optically generates lattice of very thin, very bright,
uniformly spaced vertical light lines
Lines are spaces with respect to pixel columns of
the LCD
Left/right eye sees lines through odd/even
columns

Lenticules

Lenticular sheet
contains series of cylindrical lenses molded in plastic
substrate.
lens focuses on image behind lenticular sheet.
Each eye's line of sight focused onto different strips.

Current state

Laptop with auto-stereo screen

available
Non-interactive display for product
display
Similar to plasma screen size

Sensitive to head position

Too slow for interaction right now

Virtual Retinal Display (VRD)

Scan light directly onto retina

No screen needed

Idea from scanning laser

ophthalmoscope
Used to acquire picture of retina

Work at University of Washington

http://www.hitl.washington.edu/research/vrd/

Laser-based

VGA video source (640x480)

Argon for blue and green
Laser diode for red
Control and drive circuits
Direct modulation of laser diode
Indirect modulation of argon source

VRD

Scanned onto retina using

Horizontal: mechanical resonant scanner
Vertical: galvanometer

40 nsec on retina with no persistence

Scan loops instead of flyback
60 Hz interlaced
Final scanned beams exit through lens

User puts eye at exit pupil of VRD to see

image
Total: 307,200 spots of non-persistent lights

Characteristics

Perceived without flicker

With vibrant colour

Seen both in occluded and augmented

viewing modes
Extremely small exit pupil
Large depth of focus

Advantages

Large colour range

Theoretical resolution limits set by eye
Luminance should be safe
60-300 nW for perceived equivalent brightness
3-4 times less power than CRT

Better contrast ratio than CRT

Better depth of focus
Like a pinhole camera

Low power consumption (if using laser diodes)

Theoretically very cheap

Issues

Problem with head movement

Lose the image

Needs an argon laser

Large and costly
But red, green, and blue laser diodes are coming

Safety issues still not clear

Coherent light vs. non-coherent

Need better resolution and larger FoV

Want portable version (eye glasses)

FogScreen Inia

Frameless walk-through screen by Inition

Fog screen injected into a laminar airflow
Translucent / fully opaque images projection
2 metres wide X 1.5 metres high

Fog ordinary water & ultrasonic waves

FogScreen Inia

Standard video projectors

2 projectors: different images on both sides of the
screen
At least 3000 ANSI Lumens
Can use both back & front projection
Min 2 metres between projectors and screen
Better result with a darker background

25.6" (65cm) high x 35.4" (90cm) deep x 91"

(2.31m) wide, Weight 150kg.
Interactivity through pointer stick

Conclusions

Display technology still imperfect

New technologies being developed
Still problems with resolution, brightness,
FoV

A number of different display systems

Different characteristics
Choose in relation to application