WOWvx

WOWvx was a Philips product brand associated with glasses-free, or autostereoscopic, three-dimensional displays. Its technology was designed to present stereoscopic depth to viewers without conventional 3D glasses, positioning the brand within the early commercial development of glasses-free 3D signage, visualization, and display systems. A central element of the WOWvx technology family was the 2D-plus-Depth video format. Rather than transmitting two complete stereoscopic images, this representation combined an ordinary two-dimensional image with a grayscale depth map. The depth map encoded the relative position of image regions in front of or behind the display plane. A compatible display could then use the image and depth information to generate multiple viewing perspectives, supporting an autostereoscopic effect across a viewing area. The format was intended to provide a comparatively efficient bridge between conventional video infrastructure and 3D presentation. Because the additional depth information could be compressed and carried alongside a 2D image, it offered a lower-bandwidth alternative to transmitting full left-eye and right-eye video streams. The approach also allowed content to be rendered for displays with different sizes and optical configurations. Philips described related processing and content-creation methods in technical materials, including tools for converting conventional or stereoscopic material into 2D-plus-Depth data. WOWvx also became associated with an enhanced format called Declipse. This extension added information about image regions hidden behind foreground objects, together with corresponding depth information. Such data was intended to improve the quality of view synthesis when the display generated multiple perspectives and previously concealed areas became visible. The approach addressed some of the image-disocclusion problems inherent in deriving several views from a single image and depth map. The underlying technology had limitations. It required compatible displays and was not directly usable by ordinary 2D screens or generic 3D-ready displays. Depth precision was constrained by the available grayscale representation, while transparent, reflective, refractive, and occluding objects could be difficult to model accurately. High-quality depth creation could also be expensive and technically demanding, particularly when converting ordinary monocular footage. These constraints were part of the broader challenge facing early autostereoscopic display systems, which depended not only on display hardware but also on suitable 3D content and conversion workflows. Philips discontinued work on the WOWvx line in 2009, citing current market developments. The discontinuation placed the brand among the early commercial 3D-display initiatives that did not continue as an active Philips product line. Reference material indicates that related Philips technology was later used by SeeCubic, a company associated with former Philips 3D engineers and scientists, in autostereoscopic displays accepting 2D-plus-Depth input. This later use represents technological continuity rather than evidence that the WOWvx brand itself remained active.

WOWvx emerged from Philips' work on autostereoscopic, or glasses-free, three-dimensional display systems. The brand addressed a longstanding problem in consumer and professional 3D presentation: how to create a perception of depth without requiring each viewer to use special eyewear. Its displays used optical and image-processing techniques to produce multiple views of a scene, allowing viewers to perceive stereoscopic effects from different positions in front of the screen. The technology associated with WOWvx was closely connected to Philips' 2D-plus-Depth representation. In this system, each conventional image frame was supplemented by a grayscale depth map. Bright and dark values represented the relative depth of image regions, while intermediate values allowed gradual depth transitions. Processing in the display used these two components to synthesize the multiple views needed for an autostereoscopic presentation. This design differed from conventional stereoscopic delivery, which generally transmitted separate complete images for the left and right eyes. The 2D-plus-Depth approach offered several practical advantages. The depth map could be compressed and transmitted with a relatively modest increase in bandwidth compared with ordinary 2D video. It was also compatible with existing production and compression workflows more readily than some fully stereoscopic approaches. Because the display generated views from depth information, the same source representation could support systems with differing screen sizes and optical designs. Depth maps could be generated during the conversion of ordinary footage, which was potentially valuable at a time when native stereoscopic content was limited. Philips developed associated content tools and technical methods for converting 2D and stereo material into the format. However, the process remained difficult in demanding scenes. A depth map could not always represent transparency, reflections, refractions, or areas revealed when a foreground object shifted relative to its background. The WOWvx Declipse extension sought to improve this situation by adding background imagery and additional depth information for areas that would otherwise be hidden. This gave view-generation algorithms more information for filling disoccluded regions. The system also had broader format and content limitations. It required a compatible display, did not function as a normal 2D or generic 3D-ready format, and could not provide the same resolution potential as two complete stereoscopic images. Accurate depth estimation from a single camera view was often difficult, making semiautomatic conversion and manual refinement important for high-quality results. Philips discontinued work on the WOWvx line in 2009, citing current market developments. No later active WOWvx product program is established in the supplied reference material, so the brand is treated as defunct. The underlying technical work nevertheless had a later connection to SeeCubic, which was described as using Philips technology in autostereoscopic displays and as being led by former Philips 3D engineers and scientists. That later activity indicates that concepts associated with WOWvx and 2D-plus-Depth continued to influence glasses-free 3D development after the Philips-branded line ended.

• 2009

  Philips discontinued WOWvx development

  [1]2D-plus-depthen.wikipedia.org

  Philips ended work on the WOWvx line, citing current market developments.

• 2007

  2D-plus-Depth entered MPEG standardization as a 3D extension

  [1]2D-plus-depthen.wikipedia.org

  The 2D-plus-Depth representation associated with Philips' 3D-display work was standardized in MPEG as an extension for 3D under ISO/IEC 23002-3:2007.

An early Philips glasses-free 3D display and video-technology brand focused on autostereoscopic presentation, multiview rendering, and more efficient delivery of depth-enhanced video.

• 3D display hardware

  WOWvx autostereoscopic displays

  Philips displays sold or developed under the WOWvx brand were designed to create a glasses-free three-dimensional viewing experience. They used display-side processing and multiview rendering to present different image perspectives across the viewing area. The supplied material does not identify individual model numbers, launch dates, screen sizes, or commercial sales figures.

• 3D video format

  2D-plus-Depth

  This representation combines a conventional 2D image with a grayscale depth map. A compatible display interprets the depth information and generates multiple views for autostereoscopic presentation. Its main proposed benefits were comparatively modest bandwidth overhead, compatibility with established video workflows, and the ability to support display systems with different sizes and designs.

• 3D video-format extension

  WOWvx Declipse

  Declipse extended the basic 2D-plus-Depth representation by adding background regions hidden by foreground objects and depth information for those regions. The added data was intended to improve the accuracy of synthesized views when changes in viewpoint exposed image areas that were not visible in the original frame.

• 2009

  Philips ended the WOWvx lineStrategy

  Background

  Philips' WOWvx program operated in the developing market for autostereoscopic 3D displays, which depended on compatible hardware, suitable content, and technically demanding depth-generation workflows.

  Action taken

  Philips discontinued work on the WOWvx line and cited current market developments as the reason.

  Aftermath

  The WOWvx brand ceased to be an active Philips product line. Reference material indicates that related Philips technology was later used by SeeCubic, but this does not establish continued operation of the WOWvx brand.

  Source

1. 12D-plus-depthen.wikipedia.org