It seems that those of us who haven't bought a glasses-free 3D gadget yet may have the opportunity to try one anyway. Announced at the Virtual Reality Exhibition in Tokyo, Pic3D is a thin sheet of transparent film, which enables a glasses-free 3D effect after being applied to any screen. Global Wave, the Japanese company that makes the product, claims that it utilizes a lenticular lens system instead of parallax barrier, achieves 90 percent of light transmission, and has a 120-degree of field view.
Using Pic3D film is reportedly quite easy, although a special application needs to be downloaded from Pic3D's website. After installing it on a digital media device, the user must view their footage using the app's built-in video player, to see the stereoscopic 3D effect. Pic3D works with the side-by-side (SbS) 3D video format only, and will work for SbS content on sites such as YouTube.
According to Global Wave, Pic3D can be used on any type of PC or smartphone, the only barrier being the size of the screen. It will first be launched for 12.1'', 15.6'', 21.5'' and 23'' screens, as well as for iPad 2, iPhone and iPod touch. The application will be compatible with both Windows and iOS.
The iPhone version will be priced at JPY2000 (around US$25) and the most expensive 23-inch sheet will cost JPY15,000 (US$186). Global Wave says that sales will begin online in early August through its website
