Planar SD2420W User manual

SD2420W
Stereoscopic Monitor
USER’S GUIDE
www.planar3d.com

Planar Systems, Inc.
1195 NW Compton Drive
Beaverton, OR 97006-1992
www.planar.com
©2007 Planar Systems, Inc. Planar is a registered trademark of Planar Systems, Inc.
Other brands and names are the property of their respective owners.
Technical information in this document is subject to change without notice.
10/07

User’s Guide | iii
Usage Notice
To prevent the risk of fire or shock hazards, do not expose this
product to rain or moisture.
Do not open or disassemble the product, as doing so may cause
electric shock.
Follow all warnings, precautions, and maintenance as recommended in
this user’s guide to maximize the life and performance of your unit.
Do
•Turn off the monitors before cleaning.
•Use only a dry, soft cloth or clean room wipe when cleaning the LCD panel
surface or the half-mirror.
•Use a soft cloth moistened with water and/or mild detergent to clean
the display housing and stand.
•Use only high quality and safety approved AC/DC power adapters.
•Disconnect the power plug from the grounded AC outlet if the product
will not be used for a long period of time.
Don’t
•Do not touch the LCD panel or half-mirror surfaces with sharp or
hard objects.
•Do not use abrasive cleaners, waxes, or solvents for your cleaning.
•Do not operate the product under these conditions:
—In an extremely hot, cold, or humid environment
—In areas susceptible to excessive dust and dirt
—Near any appliance generating a strong magnetic field
—In direct sunlight

iv | SD2420W
Box Contents
The SD2420W shipping box contains the following components:
Bottom monitor assembly with mirror
support arms and mirror adjustment screws
Bottom cable management cover
Top monitor assembly
Top cable management cover
Beamsplitter assembly Two power cords (6-ft and 10-ft)

User’s Guide | v
Two DVI cables (6-ft and 12-ft) Two Analog VGA cables (6-ft and 10-ft)
Mirror-flip PCI card
Short DVI cables (14-in)
Product user’s guide
Captain-style glasses (2 ea)
Spring clip-style glasses (1 ea) Terminator-style glasses (2 ea)
Soft, dry cloths (3 ea)
Moistened cleaning pads (6 ea)
NOTE: Both the Captain-style and the Terminator-style glasses, for use with
the SD2420W monitor, feature the Planar logo on each side and white arm
tips. These two markers differentiate the glasses from those shipped with
other stereo monitors.

Contents
Usage Notice............................................................................................................. iii
Do ........................................................................................................................... iii
Don’t ...................................................................................................................... iii
Box Contents............................................................................................................. iv
Stereoscopic Viewing .............................................................................................. 1
StereoMirror™ Technology ..................................................................................... 2
Getting Started.......................................................................................................... 4
Assemble the unit................................................................................................ 4
Select a graphics card......................................................................................... 6
Install the mirror-flip PCI card .......................................................................... 6
Connect the cables.............................................................................................. 7
Connect the power cords .................................................................................. 8
Check the alignment........................................................................................... 8
Product Use ................................................................................................................ 9
Operating in 2D mode........................................................................................ 9
User controls and OSD menu............................................................................ 9
Power management..........................................................................................10
Monitor Specifications...........................................................................................11
Displays ................................................................................................................11
Video.....................................................................................................................11
Plug and Play ......................................................................................................12
Environment .......................................................................................................12
Size and weight..................................................................................................12
System Care..............................................................................................................13
Software Compatibility..........................................................................................13
Accessories ...............................................................................................................13
Troubleshooting......................................................................................................14
Warning Signals.......................................................................................................15
Warranty....................................................................................................................15
Product Registration ..............................................................................................15
CRT Recycling...........................................................................................................16
Important Recycle Instructions ...........................................................................16

Stereoscopic Viewing
We live in a three-dimensional world. The human visual system can process
the slightly different views of the world and translate the views into the
perception of depth. This process is called stereopsis.
In the last two centuries much effort has been devoted to the reproduction of
depth perception, primarily with photography and more recently with
computer graphic images.
Stereoscopic/3D viewing can help a viewer make faster, more accurate, and
more enjoyable interpretations of imagery. The SD2420W StereoMirror™
monitor, in particular, creates an unprecedented level of stereo/3D viewing
quality and viewer comfort.
Stereo viewing is useful for
the following applications:
•Photogrammetry and
remote sensing
•Geospatial image analysis
•Geophysical modeling
•Molecular modeling
•Computer games
•Oil and gas exploration
•Architecture and mechanical design
•Stereo photography or videography
•Medical imaging (not as yet
FDA 510(k) approved)
•Surgical planning
•Teaching of anatomy
•Simulation
•Complex data analysis
For some individuals, prolonged use of any stereoscopic monitor
may cause discomfort. Take a break from stereo viewing if you
sense eye fatigue. Individuals who are unaccustomed to using
stereoscopic 3D monitors may require a period of adaptation.
T
he StereoMirror monito
r

2 | SD2420W
StereoMirror™ Technology
A StereoMirror™monitor consists of two AMLCD (Active Matrix Liquid Crystal
Display) units, oriented at a 110º angle and mounted on a specially designed
stand. A passive beamsplitter mirror bisects the angle formed between the
two monitors, and there is a fine mechanical adjustment for the mirror angle
between the two displays. One side of the glass mirror has a reflective
coating, and the other side has an anti-reflective coating to minimize
secondary reflections. The mirror has been treated with a hard top
coating to accommodate cleaning.
In general, the objective of a stereoscopic display is to efficiently present a
left eye image solely to the left eye while the right eye image is directed to
the right eye. This allows the human visual system to merge the two images
and results in the perception of depth, or stereopsis. In the StereoMirror™
design this stereo
separation is
achieved using
the principle of
conservation of
polarization.
Liquid crystal
displays operate
based on the ability
of liquid crystal
material to
modulate plane-
polarized light.
The two AMLCDs in
the SD2420W
model have been manufactured so that the polarized light emitted from the
top monitor is 90° rotated from that of the bottom monitor. The image from
the lower monitor is seen through the mirror, as shown in the illustration
above. When stereo pair images from the two monitors are viewed through
crossed-polarizing glasses (glasses with polarizing films mounted on the
eyepieces with their planes of polarization at a right angle to one another),
the user only sees the left eye image with the eyepiece having the 90°-
oriented polarizer and the right eye image with the eyepiece having the 0°
polarizer. Light with a perpendicular polarization is not transmitted. The
result is a single, fused stereoscopic image.
Operating principle of the StereoMirror monitor

User’s Guide | 3
A block diagram describing the process of driving a StereoMirror™monitor
with a computer is shown in the illustration below. The left eye and right eye
images are sent to their respective AMLCDs independently and without any
special treatment (with the exception of accommodating for the fact that
the upper monitor is seen in a mirror; see discussion below). Presenting
the stereo pair of images requires a setup or software application that
accommodates dual-monitor stereo viewing. No additional modification
is needed for use with the StereoMirror™monitor design.
Any software application that uses the OpenGL quad-buffered stereo features
is compatible with the StereoMirror.™Quad-buffered stereo is a feature of
the OpenGL 3D graphics library that allows an application to define two
separate right/left eye viewpoints instead of the normal single monoscopic
viewpoint. The two viewpoints are defined to give the correct parallax
separation for the
proper stereo effect.
Once the two view-
points have been
defined the 3D
scene is rendered
identically for each
of the two view-
points. Many
commercial 3D
applications already
have stereo viewing
modes using the
OpenGL stereo
features.
Since the upper
display of the monitor
is seen in reflection, a mirror-flip operation must be performed on that
data path. In the current product this is accomplished using an auxiliary
signal processing board in the data path to the upper monitor. Driving
a StereoMirror™monitor is identical withdriving a pair of projection displays
used to show stereoscopic images with crossed polarizers in the two separate
light paths. An off-the-shelf, dual-output graphics card is employed to drive
the two monitors, again with no special preparation.
For more information on StereoMirror™technology, go to
www.planar.com/advantages/whitepapers.
Driving the StereoMirror monitor
Computer and
Software Application
Dual Output
Graphics Card
Mirror-flip
PCI Card
Left Eye
Image
Right
Eye
Image Top
Monitor
Lower
Monitor
Computer and
Software Application
Dual Output
Graphics Card
Mirror-flip
PCI Card
Left Eye
Image
Right
Eye
Image Top
Monitor
Lower
Monitor

4 | SD2420W
Getting Started
Read all instructions before assembling the monitor. Improper assembly can
result in damage to the display components.
Assemble the unit
1. Remove the bottom
monitor assembly from
the shipping box and
place it on a sturdy table
or desktop. To keep the
display surface clean,
avoid touching the
screen.
2. Remove the top monitor
assembly from the
shipping box. Loosen the
two screws on the cover
of the cable management
compartment and
remove the cover.
3. Slide the aluminum
flanges of the upper
assembly into the holes
on the cross bracket of
the bottom monitor
assembly until fully
seated. Continue to
support the top monitor
assembly and tighten
the four thumb screws.