I just read an entry over at Lost Remote about how David Hill, Fox Sports Chairman, can’t understand what all the fuss is about HDTV. “It just lengthens and broadens the picture, makes it sharper but doesn’t change it… 3-D is the answer. Not HDTV.” Well I did some research and found out that X3D Technology Corp actually has 3-D technology that works today. I’ve never seen it, so I don’t know if this is snake oil or real stuff, but it seems interesting. The way it works is that they sell displays fitted with a X3D Filter that enables the display to differentiate between visual information belonging to one view from that of another view, and to direct each view to a different location. Sounds complicated? Well it is… the X3D Filter accomplishes this by using a wavelength filter array in combination with specially formatted content. Multiple views (more than three) of a scene are combined in a specific pattern that corresponds to the wavelength filter array. The X3D Filter allows only those colored pixels forming particular sub-images to be seen from a particular angle to the screen. The sub-images form pairs that constitute a left and right-eye view of a scene wherein each eye sees predominantly a certain selection out of the multiple views. Thus, they are perceived by the observer as a single 3D image. Amazing stuff… It took me a few reads to understand what they were doing.

Here are a few links to read up on this new technology:
– Forbes.com – 3-D TV Closer Than You Think
– X3D Technologies, Corp. Website

Update: So I was thinking about this a little more… Does David Hill, not understand that you need HDTV content to make realistic 3D video? Am I missing something?