MasterImage Shows 10.1-Inch Tablet With Glasses-Free 3D at CES

LAS VEGAS -- MasterImage showed us its latest 3D LCD technology at CES, a passive 3D module co-developed with ODM Truly Semiconductors and built into a 10.1-inch Truly-built tablet for demonstration purposes. MasterImage, which provided the 4.3-inch 3D LCD display for “hundreds of thousands” of Hitachi 3D phones launched in Japan in 2009, is pursuing manufacturers for a range of touch-enabled 3D displays from 4.3 to 10.1 inches, said Matt Liszt, vice president-marketing.

Liszt demonstrated the Truly-branded tablet using 3D footage from snowboarding film The Art of Flight. Straight on, we found the glasses-free technology to work well, providing impressive 3D on aerial views of snow-packed mountains recorded from a plane. MasterImage touts off-angle viewing as one of its technology strengths, although we found at off angles, images separated and the 3D effect broke up. The product is final, Liszt said, “although there are a few software tweaks we might want to do."

While traditional CE tablets are an “obvious” application, Liszt told us the company has received attention from manufacturers for children’s tablets, CAD systems, medical displays for 3D arthroscopic cameras used in surgery -- where 3D glasses are currently used -- and in three areas of automotive electronics: entertainment systems, backup cameras and dashboard instrumentation.

MasterImage’s parallax-barrier based technology uses a grid of left and right cells, positioned vertically and horizontally, which can work in either portrait or landscape orientation, Liszt said. Most parallax solutions use striped barriers, but MasterImage’s “cell-gap” approach divides the screen into switchable horizontal and vertical patterns that minimize crosstalk or ghosting, he said. Liszt said MasterImage’s cell design, along with precise alignment with the display stack, preserve a cohesive 3D image while allowing enough light pass through to create a bright picture.

MasterImage is targeting both the smartphone and tablet markets with its glasses-free 3D technology and can develop 3D LCD panels in 4.3-, 4.7-, 5-, 7- and 10-inch screen sizes, Liszt said. The company has also developed a 12-inch panel, he said. The content market has evolved to the point where a 3D tablet is a viable product, he said. On the price premium for adding 3D to a tablet, Liszt called it “marginal.” Pricing will be determined by ODM Truly, depending on volume and other factors, none of which will “make it out of the ballpark to buy,” Liszt said.

Liszt wouldn’t name companies that will deliver products using its technology citing non-disclosure commitments, but he said glasses-free 3D tablets and smartphones using MasterImage’s cell-gap technology will be on the market in 2013.