Holographic television, or “holo-video”, has been seen by many as the ultimate development not only of holography but of electronic visual communication generally. To make widespread, successful holo-video, four things are needed: 1) content, 2) a distribution mechanism, 3) sufficient processing at the receiver, and 4) suitable electro-optics at the display, and all of these must be available at prices suitable for consumers. In the past one to two years, there has been a great interest in 3-D television, but few researchers seem to have noted that many of the recent developments in 3-D TV are also solving — or at least pointing the way to solving — problems associated with holo-video. I will examine particularly relevant developments in content capture/creation, content representation (including standardization activities), and the increased suitability of graphics processors for 3-D applications, and connect these with work at the MIT Media Laboratory in developing a holo-video display suitable for consumer use. Keywords: 3-D television, synthetic holography, electro-optics, graphics processors, consumer electronics
