Evaluating the angular resolution of a simulated light field display in regards to three-dimensionality, motion parallax and viewing experience

Abstract

This paper investigates how the angular resolution of a simulated light field display affects the viewing experience of a 3D rendered scene. The effect of three-dimensionality, helpfulness of motion parallax, and overall viewing experience are evaluated by mean of a quantitative user study. A total of 32 results are recorded and evaluated. The quality metrics show a logarithmic trend, improving with an increasing number of views. A plateau at 0.25° per view can be found in two of the three evaluated questions. Moreover, the participants preferred the viewing experience of a conventional 2D-display over the simulated light field displays with more than 0.5° per view (less than 360 views at 180° FOV). This shows, that light field displays have to have a certain minimum angular resolution to create a pleasant viewing experience.