IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - March 2017 - 81

commentary

Pawel Rotter

Why Did the
3D Revolution Fail?

bout five years ago
the popularity of ste-
reoscopy for perso -
nal entertainment
exploded. The major-
ity of new TV models supported
active or passive stereoscopy and
the main manufacturers of comput-
er equipment began selling monitors
and notebooks with stereoscopic
screens. Some producers of digital
cameras issued compact stereo-
scopic models with two lenses, and
even with autostereoscopic displays.
After several years the landscape
is different. Stereoscopic three-
dimensional (3D) monitors and lap-
tops are rare, and none of the big
camera manufacturers offer a ste-
reoscopic model. Stereoscopic 3D
TVs are still on sale, but 3D support
is rather an additional gadget, irrel-
evant for most clients. Heavy invest-
ment in research and development
of 3D certainly proved unprofitable,
and further advancement of this
technology has slowed down.
We analyze the main reasons for
this, and present possible future
solutions. We will try to find out if
the 3D market collapsed because
of imperfections of technology, or
because there is no real demand
for stereoscopy. The answer is
important especially for manu-
facturers, because it will help to
decide about fur ther investments
in research and development of
3D technology.

A

The Present and Future
of Stereoscopy
Stereoscopy

attempts by Hollywood to use 3D
Stereoscopy is a technique for cre-
technology in the 1950s and 1970s
ating the illusion of depth based
failed as well [4].
on binocular vision. It is almost as
Several years ago another wave
old as photography: the first stereo-
of stereoscopy popularity appeared,
scope was built in the 1830s, only
but this time the situation was
a few years after production of the
different. Modern stereoscopy is
first permanent photograph [1].1
based on digital images, displayed
Soon stereoscopes become
popular gadgets for home
entertainment, and by the
end of the nineteenth cen-
tury there were millions of
Stereoscopy is a technique for
images in circulation [3].
creating the illusion of depth
In 180 years of the his-
tory of stereoscopy, there
based on binocular vision; it is
have been many waves
of popularity, alternating
almost as old as photography.
with periods when it was
considered obsolete. Simi-
larly, 3D movies had several short
on screens of considerable size.
periods of popularity, which all
The quality of both still and motion
ended rapidly: the first commercial
images is incomparably better. At
3D movie premiered in the 1920s
the beginning of the 2010s it was
but was unsuccessful, and later
difficult to find a new TV model
without 3D technology, and many
1
A stereoscope was described by Charles Wheat-
laptops and even mobile phones
stone in 1838. This date is often reported as the
were equipped with stereoscopic
beginning of stereoscopy, but Wheatstone actually
constructed the first device in 1832.
displays. The era of 2D imaging

Digital Object Identifier 10.1109/MTS.2017.2654294
Date of publication: 6 March 2017

march 2017

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IEEE Technology and Society Magazine

81
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