Planar SD2220W, User Manual, Page: 9 / 28

User’s Guide | 3
A block diagram describing the process of driving a StereoMirror™ monitor
with a computer is shown in the illustration below. The left eye and right eye
images are sent to their respective AMLCDs independently and without any
special treatment (with the exception of accommodating for the fact that the
upper monitor is seen in a mirror; see discussion below). Presenting the stereo
pair of images requires a setup or software application that accommodates
dual-monitor stereo viewing. No additional modification is needed for use
with the StereoMirror™
monitor design.
Any software application that uses the OpenGL quad-buffered stereo features
is compatible with the StereoMirror.™ Quad-buffered stereo is a feature of the
OpenGL 3D graphics library that allows an application to define two separate
right/left eye viewpoints instead of the normal single monoscopic viewpoint.
The two viewpoints are defined to give the correct parallax separation for the
proper stereo effect. Once
the two view-points have
been defined the 3D scene is
rendered identically for each
of the two view-points. Many
commercial 3D applications
already have stereo viewing
modes using the OpenGL
stereo features.
Since the upper
display of the monitor is seen
in reflection, a mirror-flip
operation must be performed
on that data path. In the
current product this is
accomplished using an
auxiliary signal processing
board in the data path to the
upper monitor. Driving a StereoMirror™
monitor is identical with driving a
pair of projection displays used to show stereoscopic images with crossed
polarizers in the two separate light paths. An off-the-shelf, dual-output
graphics card is employed to drive the two monitors, again with no special
preparation.
For more information on StereoMirror™ technology, go to
www.planar.com/advantages/whitepapers .
Driving the StereoMirror monitor
Computer and
Software Application
Dual Output
Graphics Card
Mirror-flip
PCI Card
Left Eye
Image
Right
Eye
Image
Top
Monitor
Lower
Monitor
Computer and
Software Application
Dual Output
Graphics Card
Mirror-flip
PCI Card
Left Eye
Image
Right
Eye
Image
Top
Monitor
Lower
Monitor