Seamless Display Distortion Correction Processor – DCP

The DCP is an all-in-one processor that performs geometric correction, edge blending, and color and intensity uniformity correction for a multi-projector display, resulting in a high resolution, seamless front or rear-projected display.

The DCP allows projectors with “overlapped” beams to render a seamless, uniform, high resolution display. The DCP shares video between adjacent projectors to allow smooth blending zones. The DCP also performs bilinear interpolation techniques to correct geometric distortions. Finally, the DCP applies color and intensity correction processes to remove color and intensity variations that occur across separate projectors.

Geometric and color / intensity corrections are created by a third-party, camera-based calibration system. These corrections are then downloaded and stored in the DCP. Conversely, the customer may determine desired correction values and download these values to the DCP in easy-to-understand file formats.

The picture below shows a typical 6 projector display before DCP corrections (top) and after corrections are applied (bottom). The top projectors are mounted upside down. This is corrected by the DCP.

The DCP maps multiple video inputs to an internal source image plane. This source image plane is then mapped to a high resolution display composed of multiple, loosely aligned projectors. Based on the multi-projector installation, each projector output is programmed to a specific area-of-interest within the source image plane, allowing edges to be blended smoothly and seamlessly. The source video may originate in a PC with multiple video cards, or the video may come from disparate sources.

In a typical 3x2 projector array application, there would be (6) 1080P video sources and a 1-to-1 correspondence between a video source and a projector. Each of (6) DCP projector outputs is programmed to a specific area-of-interest within the source image plane. The area-of-interest includes appropriate overlap regions, allowing the projectors’ overlapping beams to be corrected and smoothed into a continuous image plane. At 1080P resolutions, the overlap region may typically be 160 lines on top or bottom, and 160 pixels on the left and/or right.

From the customer’s perspective, the display is a single, high resolution, uniform, rectangular display. A typical calibration process uses a camera and test images to determine appropriate distortion, color, and uniformity corrections. These corrections are downloaded to the DCP and stored in non-volatile memory. Upon power-up, the DCP auto-configures based on its latest calibration data. The corrections translate the source image plane to the screen, while correcting distortions due to projector warping, overlap and color and brightness differences.

The DCP supports up to six (6) 1080P video streams for up to (6) projectors. Input and output video formats are unencrypted DVI or HDMI video. For more detailed specifications on the DCP, click here to download a brochure, email our technical sales staff, or call us at (636) 300-5164.