Sony puts a glass-free 3D anime display on your desk with ELF-MN1

Sony has just launched the ELF-MN1, a compact but screenless 3D LCD for viewing compatible digital figures, special content, and anime avatars without glasses or a headset. The 6-inch glass-free display is based on a transparent acrylic stand and allows you to view media from a laptop or smartphone.

The ELF-MN1 display is designed to use eye-tracking that allows the best view of the 1,080×2,160 3D image to the viewer. According to Sony, the new media display, with a pixel density of 403ppi, which is easily the highest among Sony’s Spatial Reality Devices, measures 77mm wide, 154mm high, and 94.5mm deep. It has an approximate weight of 300g, making it compact and convenient to place on a desk or side table.

Designer: Sony

The new one is easy to connect to a smartphone or laptop, but it would require them to have a certain configuration. For instance, the phone needs to have a fast processor and a USB-C port with DP Alt Mode, or a desktop/laptop with at least 16GB RAM and USB-C supporting 4K 60P output. A compatible, fast processor is a prerequisite as well. If you have the conditions checked, you can get the ELF-MN1 home with its 3,840 x 2,160-pixel, 60 Hz LCD panel that touts a 1,350:1 contrast ratio.

Interesting to the viewer, the display has a maximum brightness of 470 nits and offers a premium 403 ppi pixel density. But the 3D image can be created for one user looking at the screen only; for others, the displayed anime avatar may look distorted. The built-in IR sensor on the display tracks the viewer’s eyes in real time to detect their position in the environment and then accordingly adjust the stereoscopic image.

The stereoscopic image is created with real-time video generation technology that can be viewed best from 30cm to 80cm away. According to the information, the eye tracking presents different perspectives to each eye, creating the appearance of depth without the need for glasses or a headset. And the 3D effect thus created can hold its effect and image clarity when the viewer changes position.

Sony says the ELF-MN1 supports HoloModel digital figures from Gugenka. So, you get licensed anime characters from the service’s content library as 3D collectibles that can appear on the display without a physical model. The display features a one-watt stereo speaker so that you can even hear the sounds that the digital figures and anime avatars make.

According to information shared by Sony, the ELF-MN1 will be available for in-person testing in Sony Stores in Japan starting November 20. It will, however, go on sale in Japan on December 11 for 54,000 yen (approximately $340).

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