The effect of crosstalk on depth magnitude in thin structures

Abstract

Stereoscopic displays must present separate images to the viewer's left and right eyes. Crosstalk is the unwanted contamination of one eye's image from the image of the other eye. It has been shown to cause distortions, reduce image quality and visual comfort and increase perceived workload when performing visual tasks. Crosstalk also affects one's ability to perceive stereoscopic depth although little consideration has been given to the perception of depth magnitude in the presence of crosstalk. In this paper we extend a previous study (Tsirlin, Allison & Wilcox, 2010, submitted) on the perception of depth magnitude in stereoscopic occluding and non-occluding surfaces to the special case of crosstalk in thin structures. Crosstalk in thin structures differs qualitatively from that in larger objects due to the separation of the ghost and real images and thus theoretically could have distinct perceptual consequences. To address this question we used a psychophysical paradigm, where observers estimated the perceived depth difference between two thin vertical bars using a measurement scale. Our data show that crosstalk degrades perceived depth. As crosstalk levels increased the magnitude of perceived depth decreased, especially for stimuli with larger relative disparities. In contrast to the effect of crosstalk on depth magnitude in larger objects, in thin structures, a significant detrimental effect was found at all disparities. Our findings, when considered with the other perceptual consequences of crosstalk, suggest that its presence in S3D media even in modest amounts will reduce observers' satisfaction.

Predicting Visual Discomfort Using Object Size and Disparity Information in Stereoscopic Images

“…When the width of a stimulus was very small, the crosstalk was visible even with small disparities wherein no effect of crosstalk was observed with larger stimulus widths [28], [29]. Human perceives the crosstalk as ghost, shadow, or double contours and their visibility becomes less severe as the disparity decreases [28]- [30].…”

“…Human perceives the crosstalk as ghost, shadow, or double contours and their visibility becomes less severe as the disparity decreases [28]- [30]. When a visual stimulus has large width and very small disparity, the perception of crosstalk tends to be more of blurring rather than ghosting [28], [30]. As a result, in this case, the effect of crosstalk on the perceived depth can be negligible [28], [30].…”

“…As a result, in this case, the effect of crosstalk on the perceived depth can be negligible [28], [30]. On the other hand, if the stimulus width is very small enough to separate the ghost image from the original image, the visibility of the crosstalk can become more severe even with small disparities [28].…”

“…Stimulus width is also known to influence the perception of crosstalk [28], [29]. When the width of a stimulus was very small, the crosstalk was visible even with small disparities wherein no effect of crosstalk was observed with larger stimulus widths [28], [29].…”

“…When a visual stimulus has large width and very small disparity, the perception of crosstalk tends to be more of blurring rather than ghosting [28], [30]. As a result, in this case, the effect of crosstalk on the perceived depth can be negligible [28], [30]. On the other hand, if the stimulus width is very small enough to separate the ghost image from the original image, the visibility of the crosstalk can become more severe even with small disparities [28].…”