Beta Version of Free 2D to 3D Conversion Tool Goes Live

Dr. Michael Kronenberg, Founder and CEO of Swiss-based 3D Impact Media, has told 3D Focus that the auto stereoscopic specialists are having a demo meeting with the management of one the leading 3D conferencing companies this month, to make glasses free 3D video conferencing more widely available and bandwidth efficient.

Kronenberg also revealed 3D Impact Media have signed a contract with a “top 10 laptop and desktop company” (name could not be disclosed) who will license the company’s 2D to 3D conversion software enabling consumers to convert 2D images and videos into anaglyph 3D.

There is a range of laptops already available on the market that offer 2D to 3D conversion but 3D Impact Media claim the VERO 3D system is the leading solution that can convert 2D to 3D in any format including glasses-free (auto-stereoscopic) rather than just anaglyph or side-by-side although the laptop deal mentioned above will be just anaglyph.

In the meantime, 3D Impact Media have released an online Beta version of the web-based VERO 3D system to the general public which they describe as the “first cloud based 2D conversion engine that can convert to any 3D format.” VERO 3D is an online 2D to 3D conversion platform for consumers and professionals.

Users can upload 2D and stereoscopic 3D images/videos (limit of 10MB for videos) and select what viewing device the converted image/video is intended for such as handheld, 3D laptop, 3D TV or digital signage. 3D viewing options are red/cyan, blue-ochre, side-by-side and autostereoscopic (multiview 5 tile and 8 tile & multistream 8 tile).
 
Kronenberg explains … “We have the software that can convert old and new sources into the correct 3D format. For example, if you take a 3D picture using a 3D camera and want to look at it on a 3D TV at home, it will often look strange because the 3D geometry is so different. VERO 3D will allow multi-platform 3D conversion and convergence in between the multi-media 3D-ready devices. So in future, if you want to save a 3D picture on Facebook you can do so in one format and 3D Impact Media’s RealityPlayer or application respectively will render it out into the optimised 3D geometry for that hardware, performed in real time.”
 

3D Impact Media made the headlines at IFA last month due to its collaboration with consumer electronics company Loewe. Through a combination of proprietary hardware and software, the company have achieved a glasses free 3D solution without any viewing zones/sweet spots.

Glasses-free 3D for consumers must be viewable by a multiple number of people at the same time, not only one person. Otherwise there is no use for commercial applications such as TVs and also probably laptops/desktops. You need to be able to walk from left to right without experiencing the ‘jumps’ in viewpoints inherent with current auto stereoscopic displays.

“We have resolved his issue through a combination of software and display technology. Loewe said they believe that glasses free 3D is now ready for the consumer because there are no transition zones and the overall image quality have achieved a consumer-ready benchmark. You get a full 3D experience walking from left to right across a very wide viewing angle. On top of that, Loewe were also impressed that 3D Impact Media’s technology is able to adjust the 3D volume on the display in real time so the consumer could choose between small or large 3D volume. This is important because, in general, different cultures prefer different strength of 3D effects, e.g. Asians vs. Americans.” Said Kronenberg.

He continued “The Loewe/3D Impact System uses parallax technology unlike the lenticular technology used by most other auto-stereoscopic screen manufacturers. But still, there is some light and resolution loss, which can be corrected with the upcoming 4k/2k displays. We are working with Loewe on 4K display to provide a very high resolution image to go down to full HD image. There is currently no way around it.”
 
3D Impact Media also offer real time 2D/3D to auto-stereoscopic 3D solutions which appears to be a growing sector. Content filmed with two cameras (regular stereoscopic) needs to be converted into an auto-stereoscopic format for large glasses free displays otherwise only one perfectly position viewer would be able to experience the 3D effect. This is fine for small handheld devices but for larger screens, additional angles need to be created either as a post process or in real time as demoed recently by 3D Impact Media, Triaxes and iPONT. Michael adds: “We are convinced that we achieve the market-leading real-time conversion from 2D and stereoscopic 3D into glasses-free (auto-stereoscopic) 3D in terms of quality and speed.”

In other 3D Impact Media news, the company has launched the “RealityTools”, a 3D post-production and conversion software tool-set for professionals such as animation and post-production houses. With the RealityTools people can transform 2D content and stereoscopic 3D content into glasses-free 3D content. It analyses the 3D geometries, and adjusts it to the correct consumer device, rendering it into any n-view . People can buy the RealityTolls as tool-set or in two modules, the RealityCreator and the RealityMapper. The RealityCreator provides depth maps for 2D motion and still pictures. The generating of such can be done fully-automated or semi-automatically. The RealityMapper creates disparity maps for stereoscopic 3D motion and still pictures. The generation of such can be fully-automated.    

For more information visit http://www.3dimpactmedia.com/.

To try VERO 3D yourself visit http://vero3d.com.
 
 

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