Ultra-D™ is a proprietary combination of hardware and software working in perfect sync to create the world’s most natural, comfortable, and immersive Glasses-Free 3D viewing experience.
Resulting from years of research and development in the field of 3D optics, multi-view rendering and content development solutions, Ultra-D solves the two biggest limitations of the market’s current 3D technology: the need to wear special glasses and the scarcity of 3D content.
Ultra-D™ is the backbone of state-of-the-art displays that allow the unassisted human eye to enjoy depth, detail and clarity in a totally immersive viewing experience free of clumsy glasses. The experience is like opening a window to a world that is just beyond reach. After years of technology development, mass production of Ultra-D displays is ready to commence, serving clients across Asia, Europe and North America.
Hardware: The Ultra-D 3D Module
The Ultra-D 3D Module consists of two key elements: front end optics and a multi-view render engine.
The Optical System is a proprietary multi-layer stack consisting of a precisely-calibrated lens, specially-formulated optical glue, and a high-resolution 2D display panel. Lens design is unique to the panel’s pixel layout and provides refractive and diffractive qualities to create a 140-degree continuous light field.
The Rendering Processor decodes Ultra-D formatted content and assigns depth values to the millions of sub-pixels for a natural and immersive effect. A key feature of Ultra-D rendering is adjustability; viewers can set the amount of depth to any level that is comfortable for them just like they would change audio volume. From minimal depth to maximum pop, the choice is yours at the touch of a button.
Optical Bonding
Bonding the proprietary 3D lens to high-resolution video panels requires precision at the sub-pixel level. Working with a technology partner, Stream TV developed mass production bonding equipment that delivers an unrivaled 96% yield rate that keeps productivity high and bonding costs low.
Multi-View Rendering
The Ultra-D Render Engine uses depth data in our proprietary content format to create millions of “new” 3D pixels. When viewed through the Optical Stack, these pixels create an immersive and comfortable Glasses-Free 3D experience for everyone in the room.
Look for Ultra-D 8K products from device makers in the near future.
Benefits to the Display Industry
Our Render Engine offers a huge benefit to panel and device makers as well. While 8K screens have arrived and 16K is coming soon, matching high-resolution content won’t be available any time soon due to lack of production tools and robust distribution pipelines. Ultra-D uses current HD/4K content and readily available distribution, then creates tens of millions of 3D pixels within the display to take advantage of the ever-increasing resolution. The result is more and more depth, providing consumers with an enhanced viewing experience and a reason to buy new devices.
3D Module Integration
As a technology provider, Stream TV offers its 3D Module for integration into finished goods of all kinds. Consumer electronics manufacturers simply integrate our 3D Optical Stack instead of a traditional 2D panel, add our Render Engine hardware, then continue with standard assembly to create Ultra-D powered products.
Replace 2D Panel with 3D Module
Software: Proprietary Content Format
The Ultra-D content format includes a high-definition 2D picture image, depth information and additional authentication data. Bona fide Ultra-D files and content streams are transcoded by the Rendering processor for proper pixel distribution to the Ultra-D Display. Content can be converted or created natively in the Ultra-D format.
Ultra-D Content Conversion
Ultra-D devices may be enabled with Stream TV’s seeCube® RTC, a real time conversion feature that converts all source content (2D or 3D) into Glasses-Free 3D with stunning and realistic detail. In just milliseconds, the incoming signal goes through an algorithmic processor and is converted to the Ultra-D format. Currently the RTC is integrated on a Qualcomm System on Chip (SoC) housed inside the display. The future plan is to be SoC agnostic and integrate seeCube RTC as a regular feature on any chip supplier’s SoC or ASIC.
2D
3D Side-by-Side
3D Top-Bottom
Frame-Packed 3D
Content Creation
In addition to RTC in-display conversion, Stream TV has created toolsets that enable pre-conversion or native creation of content in the Ultra-D format. 2D or 3D-with-glasses content can be converted automatically, semi-automatically, or manually “offline” by software teams and developers. Tools for the content development community include plug-ins and software development kits (SDK’s) for popular software and platforms like After Effects®, NUKE™, Unity®, Unreal Engine®, DirectX®, and OpenGL®.
LIVE
Additionally, Stream TV has created the seeCube Pro to facilitate real time conversion of live events at the broadcast head-end. Designed for use at either the event location or broadcaster’s network operating center, the seeCube Pro allows for customized depth creation of the main event signal separate from the graphics feed for maximum creative options.
Video game developers and other content creators using Unreal Engine or Unity for interactive experiences are enthusiastic to experience the easy integration of Ultra-D into their creation pipeline using Stream TV’s plug-in tools. Because those game engines are already creating the necessary 3D data, the integration process is extremely quick and painless; a single engineer can get Ultra-D up and running in a day.
Through this ecosystem approach, Stream TV offers the benefit of its Ultra-D format to advertisers, game developers and publishers, live event producers, content owners, and distributors with film and television libraries.
Devices: Every Size and Kind
As a core technology, Ultra-D can be applied to panels of nearly any type and size and is compatible with touch screen features as well. This means that consumers can have a seamless Glasses-Free 3D experience with virtually any device – televisions, tablets, smartphones, portable game players, laptops, all-in-one computers, and more.
