Holovideo for Everyone

Daniel Smalley MIT Media Lab, United States Play (14min) Download: MP4 | MP3

Current holographic video displays are more like science experiments than they are like tools. Their complexity, cost or lack of important features like video rate refresh make them unsuitable for mass consumption. This work presents an architecture for a low-cost, pc-driven holovideo monitor. The geometry uses minimal optics and is built to host a multi-channel Acousto-Optic Modulator that can be driven by up-converted VGA signals. Target specifications include standard vertical resolution (480 lines), 30Hz refresh-rate and multiple color operation. The goal is to create a small but functional holographic display that can be readily replicated and provide basic monitor functionality with a bill of materials in the hundreds of dollars.