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Perceptual photometric seamlessness in projection-based tiled displays

Published: 01 January 2005 Publication History

Abstract

Arguably, the most vexing problem remaining for multi-projector displays is that of photometric (brightness) seamlessness within and across different projectors. Researchers have strived for <i>strict photometric uniformity</i> that achieves identical response at every pixel of the display. However, this goal typically results in displays with severely compressed dynamic range and poor image quality.
In this article, we show that strict photometric uniformity is not a requirement for achieving photometric seamlessness. We introduce a general goal for photometric seamlessness by defining it as an optimization problem, balancing <i>perceptual uniformity</i> with <i>display quality</i>. Based on this goal, we present a new method to achieve <i>perceptually seamless high quality displays</i>. We first derive a model that describes the photometric response of projection-based displays. Then we estimate the model parameters and modify them using perception-driven criteria. Finally, we use the graphics hardware to reproject the image computed using the modified model parameters by manipulating only the projector inputs at interactive rates.
Our method has been successfully demonstrated on three different practical display systems at Argonne National Laboratory, made of 2 × 2 array of four projectors, 2 × 3 array of six, projectors, and 3 × 5 array of fifteen projectors. Our approach is efficient, automatic and scalable---requiring only a digital camera and a photometer. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first approach and system that addresses the photometric variation problem from a perceptual stand point and generates truly seamless displays with high dynamic range.

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Reviews

Abel Joao Padrao Gomes

The idea behind photometric seamlessness is to make a multi-projector tiled display behave like a single projector, "such that we cannot tell the number of projectors making up the display." This allows us to build inexpensive, high-quality multi-projector tiled displays for smart information murals, tele-collaboration walls, high-resolution scientific visualization, and high-quality virtual reality applications in defense, entertainment, simulation, and training. Various research groups have addressed this topic. However, their contributions have mainly focused on developing blending or feathering techniques to smooth color transitions across the tiling overlap regions. That is, these techniques seek to soften seams, rather than removing them. Seams mainly result from geometric misalignment and intra- or inter-color variation across the constituent displays of a multi-projector display. Several algorithms have already been implemented to achieve geometrically undistorted and aligned multi-projector tiled displays, but color variation remains a significant obstacle to photometric seamlessness. Color can be defined as a three-dimensional quantity, consisting of a one-dimensional luminance (defining brightness) and two-dimensional chrominance (defining hue and saturation). This means that the color variation across a multi-projector display depends on the spatial variation in both luminance and chrominance. As the authors have shown, "most current tiled displays made of projectors of the same model show large spatial variation in luminance while the chrominance is almost constant spatially." Besides, it is known that "humans are at least an order of magnitude more sensitive to luminance variation than to chrominance variation." Therefore, perceptually, color variation essentially depends on luminance variation (photometric variation). The main contribution of this paper lies in the approach the authors used to tackle the unsolved problem of color variation. Instead of using the generically accepted concept of absolute photometric uniformity, the authors exploit the limited visual capabilities of the human eye in perceiving luminance to achieve perceptual photometric seamlessness in multi-projector displays. However, the authors believe that their "work is just the first step towards solving the more general problem of color seamlessness in multi-projector displays." In summary, this paper is worth reading for those who want to learn about developments in display technologies in the last decade.

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Published In

cover image ACM Transactions on Graphics
ACM Transactions on Graphics  Volume 24, Issue 1
January 2005
179 pages
ISSN:0730-0301
EISSN:1557-7368
DOI:10.1145/1037957
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Association for Computing Machinery

New York, NY, United States

Publication History

Published: 01 January 2005
Published in TOG Volume 24, Issue 1

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Author Tags

  1. Projection-based displays
  2. color calibration
  3. tiled displays

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  • (2024)3D Gamut Morphing for Non-Rectangular Multi-Projector DisplaysIEEE Transactions on Visualization and Computer Graphics10.1109/TVCG.2023.327743630:8(4724-4738)Online publication date: 1-Aug-2024
  • (2024)X-SITE CAVE: Evolution of High-Resolution Immersive Display Towards a Cost-Efficient and Open-Source DesignExtended Reality10.1007/978-3-031-71707-9_5(74-93)Online publication date: 4-Sep-2024
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