Panasonic Corp and Panasonic Healthcare Co Ltd exhibited a 3D LCD monitor for use in endoscopic operation at International Modern Hospital Show 2011, which runs from July 13 to 15, 2011, in Tokyo.
It was made by attaching the “Xpol,” Arisawa Manufacturing Co Ltd’s polarizing filter, to a 32-inch full-HD (1,920 x 1,080 pixels) LCD panel. 3D video can be seen by using circularly-polarized glasses. The monitor is scheduled to be released at the and of 2011.
For use in endoscopic operation, the demand for 3D monitors is increasing, Panasonic said.
“By using 3D video, it becomes easier to check, for example, positional relation in stitching, making operation faster and reducing the patient’s burden,” the company said. “Medical staff has high hopes for it, and it is expected to be widely used.”
As for the reason why Panasonic decided to use the circularly-polarized method for 3D display, the company said, “It can naturally reproduce depth, causes less flickering and enables all medical staff to watch video at the same time.” Also, to enhance color reproducibility (reality), it employed an image processing method different from that used for TVs.
At its booth, Panasonic demonstrated an endoscopic operation by using Shinko Optical Co Ltd’s 3D endoscope and control unit (converter). The 3D endoscope has two lenses at its tip. A movie shot by the endoscope was converted to 3D with the control unit and displayed on the new 3D monitor.
In the demonstration, 3D video was displayed by using the “side-by-side method.” This method horizontally arranges images that are for the right and left eyes and whose video signals are horizontally compressed by half.
In addition to the side-by-side method, the 3D monitor supports (1) the “line-by-line method,” which alternately arranges images for the right and left eyes in each line, (2) the “top-and-bottom method,” which vertically arranges images that are for the right and left eyes and whose video signals are vertically compressed by half and (3) the “simul method,” which transmits images for the right and left eyes in two signal lines.
