Pre-rendered stereoscopic movies for commodity display systems

John Moreland; Laura Arns; W. Scott Meador

doi:10.1117/12.585871

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22 March 2005 Pre-rendered stereoscopic movies for commodity display systems

John Moreland, Laura Arns, W. Scott Meador

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Proceedings Volume 5664, Stereoscopic Displays and Virtual Reality Systems XII; (2005) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.585871
Event: Electronic Imaging 2005, 2005, San Jose, California, United States

Abstract

Immersive stereoscopic display systems built from commodity PCs and equipment are becoming increasingly common. Although such systems are generally used for interactive experiences, it is occasionally useful to instead display stereoscopic movies. This paper discusses a method of creating pre-rendered stereoscopic movies for display with an inexpensive, commodity-based, passive stereoscopic display wall. Playback methods, possible uses, and experiences with early movies are also discussed. We first describe our display system, which uses the spanned desktop mode of video cards with dual video outputs, and a pair of projectors with polarizing filters. We then explain our method for creating stereo pair movies (left/right or top/bottom) using video compositing software. While the concept is straightforward, one difficulty that must be addressed is using an appropriate video codec that can be displayed in full screen, across two displays, at the desired resolution, file size, playback rate, and visual quality. A number of tests were performed to find video codecs that would be suitable for stereo movies based on these attributes. Results are provided in a comparison of multiple codecs that can aid in the successful implementation of this method. Several codecs are recommended, but specific codecs should be chosen based on individual needs.

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John Moreland, Laura Arns, and W. Scott Meador "Pre-rendered stereoscopic movies for commodity display systems", Proc. SPIE 5664, Stereoscopic Displays and Virtual Reality Systems XII, (22 March 2005); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.585871

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