P3D Re: Layers and Movement

[Larry Berlin <lberlin@xxxxxxxxx>]

> Date: Mon, 17 Jan 2000 
> From: John Toeppen <toeppen@xxxxxxxx>
> .........
> 
> Stereo imaging is a wonderful thing, but it is only one aspect of depth
> perception.  A slight sideways movement of a normal monocular video
> camera breaks the scene into "layers" that slide in front of one
> another.  ............

****  It's good to remember that the layers that develop are a direct
function of the effective pixel width. The layering is therefore
artificial since an infinite number of -layers- are involved in reality.
Based on this factor the way to improve the quality of stereo video
would be to increase the resolution along the x axis by some multiple.
Then the layers that develop would appear to merge with each other more
smoothly. The new HDTV is therefore a step in the right direction
relative to stereo media because of better X resolution alone.

This X-axis factor is more important in the viewing device than the
camera device, because you can use two cameras. The higher X res in the
viewing device would more smoothly blend the differences encountered by
combining the two camera signals with standard resolution. Since such
additional X res doesn't exist in any current viewing device, the
comment is theoretical.


> ........
> My parrots don't have much in the way of stereo vision (prey species
> ususally don't).  A moment before they fly they bob up and down to range
> find the distance to their target.  I found it interesting that these
> birds learned this without training or observing this behavior in other
> birds.  Apparently, creatures must learn to optimize the extraction of
> important data via experience and optimization.  This might be what make
> us pursue stereo as well.
> 
> John Toeppen
> http://members.home.net/holographics
> ........

An interesting observation! Being a tool using species, it follows that
we develop tools to enhance this optmized extraction technique, which
involves the use of cameras, and now computers and spaceships even, to
enhance and enlarge what our senses can behold.
-- 
Larry Berlin

3D Webscapes
lberlin@xxxxxxxxx
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