Survey of perceptual quality issues in three-dimensional television systems

Three-dimensional television (3DTV) is often mentioned as a logical next step following high-definition television (HDTV). A high quality 3-D broadcast service is becoming increasingly feasible based on various recent technological developments combined with an enhanced understanding of 3-D perception and human factors issues surrounding 3DTV. In this paper, perceptually relevant issues, in particular stereoscopic image quality and visual comfort, in relation to 3DTV systems are reviewed. We discuss how the principles of a quantitative measure of image quality for conventional 2-D images, based on identifying underlying attributes of image quality and quantifying the perceived strengths of each attribute, can be applied in image quality research for 3DTV. In this respect, studies are reviewed that have focussed on the relationship between subjective attributes underlying stereoscopic image quality and the technical parameters that induce them (e.g. parameter choices in image acquisition, compression and display). More specifically, artifacts that may arise in 3DTV systems are addressed, such as keystone distortion, cross-talk, cardboard effect, puppet theatre effect, and blur. In conclusion, we summarize the perceptual requirements for 3DTV that can be extracted from the literature and address issues that require further investigation in order for 3DTV to be a success.