In brief: Holographic display startup Looking Glass has introduced numerous products to facilitate the creation and viewing of images with three-dimensional depth over the past several years. The company's latest attempt to popularize the technology is a series of 3D-capable screens that resemble traditional PC monitors.
Pre-orders are now open for a series of screens that display holographic 3D media without requiring viewers to wear glasses. The new "Hololuminescent" displays from Looking Glass might be suited for signage, 3D rendering, or delivering presentations.
The screens, no thicker than traditional monitors, utilize the company's proprietary hybrid technology, which adds three-dimensional volume to digital objects with embedded holographic layers. A demonstration video (below) shows someone being displayed in 3D while being filmed live, suggesting that the technology might enable new kinds of showcase formats.
Looking Glass designed the system for maximum compatibility with existing hardware and workflows to improve accessibility compared to the company's earlier Light Field Displays. The screens support standard CMS platforms, video distribution software, HDMI, and USB.
To begin, users record a live or animated subject against a solid green or white background. Then, they can convert the footage using Cinema 4D, Unity, or Adobe Premiere Pro before exporting to the Hololuminescent display. Additionally, the 3D holograms can contain traditional 2D videos.
Looking Glass has introduced numerous methods for displaying holograms over the last several years.
In 2018, the company released a desktop display that connects to PCs to help 3D modelers view their creations from multiple angles. To broaden the technology's appeal, Looking Glass later introduced a smaller, more affordable version that captures 3D images from an iPhone camera.
The company also created a file format for displaying 3D animated images on PCs, smartphones, and VR headsets. It even attempted to hop onto the AI bandwagon by integrating a holographic display with an animated character powered by ChatGPT.
The screens are available in three sizes: a 16-inch 1080p monitor starting at $1,500, a 27-inch 4K screen ($3,000), and an 86-inch 4K display for full-body presentations ($15,000). The 16- and 27-inch monitors are expected to begin shipping in November and December, while the 86-inch variant ships in February. Pre-orders for the largest screen come with a 16-inch model at no additional cost. All variants display images in 9:16 portrait orientation only.