Low power, 3D-enabled portable devices can have access to 3D content, with no need for glasses when using the DA8223 2D to 3D video conversion chip. A parallax barrier screen negates the need for 3D viewing with glasses says Dialog Semiconductor. The IC analyses each 2D video frame and creates a layered depth map, isolating foreground and background objects. From this, each original image pixel is mapped into left and right eye pixels that, when viewed through a parallax barrier filter on the display module, renders the 3D image directly. The IC integrates the 3D conversion process so unlike traditional software-based solutions, there is no extra load on the host application processor and no external memory requirement. Compatible with 3D-capable displays from 3.8 to 10inches, it can be used in smartphones and tablet PCs. It will also work with any display equipped with a parallax barrier filter including OLED and TFT displays from Sharp. The 5x5mm 81-ball UFBGA chip can be mounted on the PCB, between the application processor and 3D display, or on the display module as a chip-on-flex. Device samples are available, with mass production from the second half of 2011.
