Forget multiple or split-screen technology. Enter the new MirraViz MultiView capability that permits viewing in different perspectives all at once, and showed off at CES 2018.
MultiView Screen technology, according to MirraViz, is a solution that allows content viewing in simultaneous instances at different angles. It could be that two gamers play on the same large display screen while a third person watches a clip. All three are on the same monitor, enjoying and undistracted from their respective perspectives.
"The solution is glasses-free and each user sees their own content without seeing what the other users are seeing. Anywhere from 4-6 perspectives can easily be accommodated in a typical living room environment," MirraViz said in a statement.
Using the same technology, projector viewing will get an enhanced display brightness of up to 100 times. It will allow the beaming of the moving images to display screen of up to 100 inches while remaining at an optimal level, the company said, adding there is no magic involved in MultiView Screen. The tech employed is governed by plain and fun physics.
Projector Reinvented
In simple terms, MirraViz is repurposing the trusty projector in order to accommodate multiple viewing on a shared display screen. The specific physics in play is the use of retro-reflection (RR) optical elements normally found on bicycle reflectors or traffic signs.
"The basic idea behind retro-reflection is that light reaching one of the RR elements will be reflected back to the source of the light regardless of the incident angle. This is different from typical reflective surfaces that reflect light at an angle equal to the incident angle," explained the startup firm, which operates from California.
When in action, MultiView Screen conveys the source image back and forth on a constant path, which in turn, delivers an extraordinary viewing experience on a determined angle. The same applies to the other perspectives and the technology involved mitigates any possibility of interference between the multiple viewers.
The company is convinced MultiView will prove a game changer, something that will redefine the business of content viewing in various platforms and industry segments.
Widespread Deployment
However, MultiView becoming a ubiquitous device like the regular projector or a television remains a remote scenario at the moment. For one, while MirraViz retails the technology at the relatively affordable price of $499, the requisite hardware setup to make it work is rather pricey.
It is estimated that one will need to shell out no less than $5,000 for all the high-end equipment such as DLP optics, multiple projectors, and audio gears to make MultiView layering work in the basic form. The cost will only get higher for better results, indicating it will take time before the technology takes off for commercial purposes.
