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Holocube introduces '3D' display gizmo

Smoke and mirrors?

While some people think 3D displays are the Holy Grail of TV technology, European manufacturer Holocube has created a stylish box capable of displaying single objects in 3D.

Holocube

Holocube's 3D Holocube: sleek and sexy?

But it might not be quite what you think. The manufacturer told Register Hardware that the source images used to create a 3D picture in the 50 x 50 x 50cm cube are three-dimensional, but they're projected upward from a 2D screen onto a sheet of glass angled at 45° to both viewer and screen. The viewer's brain is essentially fooled into believing it's seeing a true 3D image.

The technique sounds similar to an established illusion, dubbed Pepper’s Ghost, which uses a glass plate and varied lighting angles to create the image of a phantom appearing and then disappearing within a room.

Whilst the Holocube may be capable of providing the illusion of a single 3D image projected against a single colour background, such as those shown above, it probably couldn’t cope with a busier scene, such as people walking through the park, where multiple items need to be shown in 3D. That's certainly why the cube's only being pitched at businesses looking for new ways to advertise, say, a mobile phone, in stores and other venues.

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However, the cube does include a 40GB hard drive, able to store about 18 hours of compressed video at a 4Mb/s bitrate, or eight hours of 9Mb/s material. The display's brightness rating is 1100cd/m², and a USB port is built-in for uploading fresh content.

Holocube brags that its display is “immune to viruses” and can reboot itself automatically, should the power supply go down. All of its operations are said to be pre-programmed and able to function automatically and independently.

The 3D Holocube is available now for €6000 (£4500/$9000).

Latest Comments

next week a better movie !

We found a track to put the camera on, so let's move.

Of course it would be the best if you could see the holocube in real and enjoy the 3D feeling.

The size of the box = 20X20X20 inch, so bigger than LC's little willie :)

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Next week new 360 movie with camera on track

Next week new 360 movie, update from the site and i also hope the people on this forum will be positive than.

You really need to see the cube in real to enjoy the 3D feeling, like the people who are stopping here in Antwerp all day in front of our window.

Thanks for the comments with best intentions.

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This is not 3D and it's not new

This is exactly the way that Autocue works!

In fact the original Space Invaders machine was the same, but without the see-thru back.

Not new, not 3D, just marketing BS!

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Alton Towers

I'm pretty sure they used this technique in the Haunted House in Alton Towers... And the old arcade games....

Who's gonna be the first one to buy one of these little boxes of naff?

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3D

Surely if it works as described then it merely projects a 2D image which appears to float in mid-air, rather than an actual 3D image.

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