FAQ

Look3D offers a number of 3D eyewear collections that sell at various price points. All 3D eyewear carries the RealD Certification Badge and are manufactured to RealDÕs engineering specifications, which ensures quality eyewear is guaranteed and maintained. The Look3D Eyewear collections have been specifically certified to be used in conjunction with RealD cinemas system and electronic devices such as TVs, computers and gaming platforms.

THE RealD FORMAT

The stereoscopic RealD Format is a patented version of a side-by-side 3D formatting technology. It utilizes a unique set of filters and other technologies to multiplex left eye and right eye 3D image streams into a single channel for delivery of high-definition progressive or interlaced 3D video to a 3D -enabled display using today's HD infrastructure, including existing HD set-top boxes and DVRs. Support for the RealD Format is integrated into 3D TVs from many major consumer electronics manufacturers and has been used for the broadcast of 3D programming including concerts, sporting events and other content. The side-by-side format has been named in HDMI Specifications as a mandatory format for the transmission of 3D content between devices.

CIRCULAR POLARIZATION

To present a stereoscopic motion picture, two images are projected superimposed onto the same screen through circular polarizing filters of opposite direction. The viewer wears low-cost eyeglasses which contain a pair of analyzing filters (circular polarizers mounted in reverse). Light that is left-circularly polarized is extinguished by the right-handed analyzer; while right-circularly polarized light is extinguished by the left-handed analyzer. The result is similar to that of steroscopic viewing using linearly polarized glasses; except the viewer can tilt his head and still maintain left/right separation.

Many cinema systems today use electronically driven circular polarizers that alternate between left- and right- rotation directions, and does so in sync with the left or right image being displayed by the (digital) movie projector.

For a more scientific approach, please read Wikipedia's article on circular polarization.

LINEAR POLARIZATION

To present a stereoscopic motion picture, two images are projected superimposed onto the same screen through orthogonal polarizing filters. It is best to use a silver screen so that polarization is preserved. The projectors can receive their outputs from a computer with a dual-head graphics card. The viewer wears low-cost eyeglasses which also contain a pair of orthogonal polarizing filters. As each filter only passes light which is similarly polarized and blocks the orthogonally polarized light, each eye only sees one of the images, and the effect is achieved. Linearly polarized glasses require the viewer to keep his head level, as tilting of the viewing filters will cause the images of the left and right channels to bleed over to the opposite channel... On the other hand, viewers learn very quickly not to tilt their heads. In addition, since no head tracking is involved, several people can view the stereocopic images at the same time.

For a more scientific approach, please read Wikipedia's article on circular polarization.

HOW ACTIVE POLARIZATION WORKS

Active 3D eyeware works by showing alternating images to each eye. When the left eye shutter is open and the right eye shutter is closed (black) and the left image is shown on the display. Then the display changes to the right image while the eyeware switches at the same time to the right eye being open and the left eye being closed. Quality of the 3D image is dependent on the display and eyeware syncronization and the speed in which they switch or shutter.

The rate that these changes (shutters) occurs depends upon the quality of the display device and eyeware. A poor quality system will run in the 60 hz range with a low cost system around 85 Hz. A high-end solution is often found in the 100 Hz to 120 Hz range. Approximately 99% of the population will not notice the flickering of the eyewear at 120Hz. 144Hz and above may create the most pleasant viewing experience.

Active eyewear devices are wireless battery-powered glasses with liquid crystal shutters that are run in synchrony with the video field rate.

Exclusion or extinction between the left and right eye views is created by alternating two separate left and right eye shutters electronically via LCD lenses while sync-ing to a high speed dual multiplexed video signal. The video displays scan mode and timing achieves L/R alternating views in syncronous with electronic shutter eyewear.

Synchronization information is communicated to the glasses by means of an infrared (IR) emitter. When the emitter recognizes the vertical blanking synchronization pulse through the computer's video signal, it broadcasts coded IR pulses to signify when the left eye and right eye images are being displayed. The glasses incorporate an IR detection diode that detects the emitter's signal and tells the shutters when to close and transmit.