Spreety TV Online Blog

July 13, 2010

The following entertainment article was written for Spreety TV Online by professional journalist Carolyn Giardina.

CubicVue Takes 3D to Mobile Phones and Portable Media Players

By Carolyn Giardina

Randal Kleiser — the director behind films such as the musical Grease — believes that consumers will be soon be watching content on portable devices including mobile phones, tablets, gaming consoles and netbooks in stereoscopic 3D.

In addition to working as a director, Kleiser is a partner in startup CubicVue, which has developed a color filter that allows a viewer to see 3D without glasses. The filter could be installed in a consumer device or layered over a portable screen.

“The tremendous advantage of the CubicVue filter is that is extremely inexpensive and requires no new software or hardware,” said Kleiser, who got his start in 3D when he directed Disney’s 70 mm 3D theme park film Honey I Shrunk the Audience. “Any flat screen with 3D content that has simply been encoded into this magenta/green format will work. It can be used on existing devices, instead of having to go buy costly new equipment.”

The CubicVue technology uses magenta and green as the two colors in the system, though CubicVue partner and chief technology officer Michael Mehrle said the technology could be developed to support other colors. Mehrle, who invented the technology, added that the currently-supported format is available in a range of existing content on the Internet, meaning that it could be viewed in 3D using the CubicVue system. Additionally, Mehrle said that a free open source code would be available for companies or consumers who wish to encode their own 3D content. This could include short films, video games, or even 3D content from new consumer 3D camcorders that are coming to market.

“Available 3D content is growing by the day,” Mehrle said.

Suggested CublicVue partner and chief development officer Robert Auten, who is a video game industry veteran: “Movies will likely be first to the party. It’s easier to provide a better passive experience, but the level of excitement people will have from stereo gaming will in a sense mean the killer app for mobile 3D will be games.”

CubicVue aims to identify partners to bring the technology to market before the end of the year.