Watch conventional DVD movies in 3D on ‘glasses free’ displays

Real time conversion of conventional DVD movies to 3D

Santa Monica, Calif. (May 11, 2004) – DDD Group plc (AIM: DDD), the 3D software and content company, today announces the completion of the development of a ground breaking 3D conversion solution capable of playing conventional DVD discs in 3D on the latest ‘glasses free’ 3D displays. The new TriDef® DVD Player allows any [Hollywood] movie to be viewed in 3D without requiring special pre-formatting of the DVD disc.

From today, the TriDef DVD Player will be offered to licensees of DDD’s TriDef software products and it marks an important milestone in the future development of consumer markets for 3D displays by enabling real time conversion to 3D.

The TriDef DVD Player draws on the advanced image analysis technologies developed for DDD’s offline 3D media conversion service. The real time conversion feature delivers immediate access to 3D DVD blockbuster movies for owners of 3D display and complements DDD’s high quality offline conversion process by delivering an easy to view 3D effect that is based on the availability of 3D depth cues in the original movie.

In addition to the play back of conventional DVD movies in 3D, the TriDef DVD Player is capable of playing original 3D movies including the library of 3D feature length movies that were recently licensed from nWave Pictures. This combination is designed to offer the widest possible choice to 3D display owners.

Chris Yewdall, Chief Executive of DDD, said: “The TriDef DVD Player has received an extremely positive reaction from our licensing partners and represents our response to the need for a ‘killer application’ that will drive consumer adoption of 3D displays in a variety of product categories including the PC and DVD player. We’ve delivered a solution that is as simple as loading your favorite DVD disc and pressing the Play button. This level of ease of use allows our display partners to address a completely new audience of potential 3D display owners.”

Phil Harman, Chief Technology Officer of DDD, added: “We could not have achieved this without the unique technologies that we developed to improve our offline 3D conversion process. The initial reaction of most customers when they see the results for the first time is to remove the DVD and check that it really is a store bought DVD and that we haven’t converted the movie to 3D using our offline processes!”

About DDD

DDD, also known as Dynamic Digital Depth, is transforming the viewing experience with applications for glasses-free 3D displays. Its patented technologies enable 3D viewing without glasses; simple integration of computer graphics applications with 3D displays; supply of 3D content through 2D to 3D conversion; and 3D transmission over existing networks. DDD is quoted on the London Stock Exchange’s Alternative Investment Market (AIM: DDD). More information is available at www.ddd.com.

TriDef is a registered trademark of DDD Group plc. All other trademarks mentioned herein are the property of their respective owners.