Sharp prepping 3D monitors, laptops

Daily Newsletters

Sign up to ZDNet UK's daily newsletter.

NEWS
Consumer-electronics giant Sharp next year plans to sell notebooks and flat-screen LCD monitors that can show three-dimensional images. The monitors will let people see high-resolution 3D images or run 3D programs without using special glasses or additional software. For example, bodies and bullets appear to fly all over the place in a version of the popular game "Quake" that has been adjusted to work on Sharp's 3D monitors. The technology also will be aimed at businesses, said Greg Nakagawa, senior vice president of Sharp Systems of America. General Motors has discussed experimenting with the technology in its modeling and design department. Medical imaging companies and e-commerce sites also are potential customers. "I'm sure there will be a notebook product and an LCD monitor as well" toward the end of 2003, he said. Bringing 3D viewing to the computing world has been a longtime goal. Although several companies have come out with Web browser software and other technology to make images appear to pop off the screen, the Web largely remains a two-dimensional world. To most people, 3D still means paper glasses with red and blue lenses or the hologram image of Princess Leia in "Star Wars". "It is still in its infancy in many ways," said Rhoda Alexander, an analyst with iSuppli/Stanford Resources. "There is a definite interest in the gaming market. There are some medical applications that like 3D, but precision there is important." The picture, though, will likely begin to change in 2003. A 3D consortium -- which includes Toshiba, Sony, Olympus, Kodak and Microsoft among its founding members -- was recently established to hammer out standards for hardware manufacturing and software development. Such a move is typically a prelude to greater commercial adoption. The first meeting of the group, known as the 3D Consortium, took place earlier this month. Manufacturers are also working to smooth out potential resistance from developers or consumers. Turning traditional 2D "Quake" into a 3D program took only a day, Nakagawa said. Sharp also will let consumers turn off the 3D functionality. Enhancing displays is at the core of the Japanese giant's strategy. Sharp, which reported a $557m (£356m) profit in fiscal 2002, is one of the leaders in the market for TFT displays, the glass with embedded electronics that comprises LCD monitors, and it has a major presence in the LCD monitor market in Europe and Japan. More interesting uses of screens can directly improve the bottom line. At Comdex, for instance, Sharp showed off a new version of its Muramasa notebook, which weighs just over two pounds. Earlier this year, the company showed off an LCD panel with an embedded Zilog microprocessor. Sharp envisions a time when complete computers will be embedded into monitors, Nakagawa said. Toshiba also is working on a 3D monitor, according to sources. 3D sandwich
Sharp's 3D monitor can be thought of as a TFT sandwich. The monitor contains two TFT panels separated by a parallax barrier, which directs pixel images to two separate regions so that each eye receives a slightly different image. In the end, the brain formulates the signals so that the image appears to be a three-dimensional object, Nakagawa said. Sharp has begun to sell cell phones in Japan for the NTT DoCoMo network that contain a scaled-down version of its 3D technology. The phone also comes with a camera that can display 3D photos. The company has recently begun to show off prototypes of its larger 15-inch screen and a 3D notebook at trade shows and meetings. More work remains to be done, however, to perfect the screens. For example, the 3D images are best viewed from 40 centimetres away, Sharp representatives said. Sitting closer or further away results in seeing two overlapping images. Faint vertical lines, a common feature of parallax visual systems, are also visible at any distance.
See the Hardware News Section for the latest update on everything from MP3 players and PDAs to supercomputing. Have your say instantly, and see what others have said. Go to the ZDNet news forum. Let the editors know what you think in the Mailroom.

Post your comment

In order to post a comment you need to be registered and logged in.

You can also log in with Facebook. Log in or create your ZDNet UK account below

  • Login

Will not be displayed with your comment

By signing up for this service, you indicate that you agree to our Terms and Conditions and have read and understood our Privacy Policy. Questions about membership? Find the answers in the Community FAQ

Get ZDNet UK's daily newsletter

Enter your email address to sign up

ZDNet UK Live

txtrainguy

Replying to an old topic that I'm currently facing with my CEO (who is on a Mac). Our servers are primarily Windows Servers, office is about...

2 hours ago by txtrainguy on Windows Server 2008 drops the ball for Mac compatibility
k0tcs3

Sure, that makes perfect sense. Pay wrong-doers money and thank them for breaching your security and pointing out your flaws, that would surely...

2 hours ago by k0tcs3 on US indicts Romanian over NASA climate change hack
Random_Error

I think he's referring specifically to Android apps, as Apple do regulate their App Store, but Google seem to let any old crap onto the Android store!

2 hours ago by Random_Error on RIM: BlackBerry will keep 'garbage' apps out of store
Paul Fezziwig

Keep the crap apps out?! How will they compete with Android and Apple's claim to fame of having so many life changing apps? I wonder if the media...

8 hours ago by Paul Fezziwig via Facebook on RIM: BlackBerry will keep 'garbage' apps out of store
Aigars Mahinovs

It has been shown time after time that if there is an author store that sells the songs at even 1$ per song and gives you a high-quality digital...

9 hours ago by Aigars Mahinovs via Facebook on Copyright isn't working, says European Commission
awbMaven

""As a result of Butyka's alleged conduct, researchers were unable to use the computers for more than two months while NASA removed the malicious...

11 hours ago by awbMaven on US indicts Romanian over NASA climate change hack
subhorup

It simultaneously worries me and uplifts me that a self-proclaimed group of internet activists name themselves after Indian mythical figures....

19 hours ago by subhorup on Anonymous activists release PCAnywhere source code
naviathan

It's actually far easier to work anonymously on the internet than you think. With tools like Tor bouncing your traffic around the world before...

23 hours ago by naviathan on Anonymous activists release PCAnywhere source code
Agnostic_OS

1000272134 and bluedalmatian with you both there but then I'm still in 10.04 land (and happy with it)

23 hours ago by Agnostic_OS on Ten factors that make Ubuntu 11.10 a hit
apexwm

Interesting article and definitely see your points on the products mentioned. One of the top products for our Help Desk (approximately 20% of all...

1 day ago by apexwm on Ten flawed products that derail productivity
Paul Hutchinson

Absolutely - this should obviously not be handled my isp - but handled by their hosting operator. What's been suggested here is that my isp police...

1 day ago by Paul Hutchinson via Facebook on MPs urge ISPs to take down terrorist material
Techs UK

Looks like a great phone. I don't notice any deficiencies in WP7. used IOS before, that's pretty good. I don't spend much time in Apps, all i need...

1 day ago by Techs UK on Nokia pins US 're-entry' hopes on Lumia 900
Larry Bloggy

Now with the help of these apps you are always synced with MS outlook while on the move. Just download apps like xobni or outlookreflex and get...

1 day ago by Larry Bloggy via Facebook on Outlook Social Connector beta 2 and the LinkedIn connector
mike40g123

Your details are wrong. The version currently being made is the one with 2 USB ports, 256MB RAM and a network port. This is the Model B. The...

1 day ago by mike40g123 on Raspberry Pi boards set to go on sale
Moley

The thing that has been puzzling me for quite a while is how Anonymous can remain anonymous whilst not only being active on the Internet but also...

2 days ago by Moley on Anonymous activists release PCAnywhere source code
Don Dilly

If what Semantec is saying is rue, that is even worse and shows a complete disregard for thier users. If what Anonymous claims is true and the...

2 days ago by Don Dilly via Facebook on Anonymous activists release PCAnywhere source code
MattChurchy

Didn't seem particularly biased to me either. Oh though you might have mentioned some other competitors with free search and email services...

2 days ago by MattChurchy on Time for an evil umpire: Google, Microsoft & privacy
Simon Bisson and Mary Branscombe

James - exactly as much as anyone paid you for your comment; I don't feel that I need to say that I'm independant and unbiased, but just for you...

2 days ago by Simon Bisson and Mary Branscombe on Time for an evil umpire: Google, Microsoft & privacy
Carl White

Once they realise symantec are willing to pay real money, they will simply keep extorting, unless of course symantec/authorities can use the...

3 days ago by Carl White via Facebook on Symantec offered hackers $50k in source code sting
Jonathan Hassell

You can find more information on BS 8878 by Jonathan Hassell its lead-author at http://www.hassellinclusion.com/bs8878/ The page includes a...

3 days ago by Jonathan Hassell on BSI publishes first British web accessibility standard