What Is an Autostereoscopic Display?

An autostereoscopic display is a glasses-free 3D display that delivers different images (or different view slices) to each eye so the brain perceives depth—without requiring polarized/shutter glasses.

How it works (core principle)

Autostereoscopic systems use directional light control so that:

• the left eye receives the “left” view, and
• the right eye receives the “right” view (or adjacent views in a multi-view system).

Main flat-panel approaches

1) Parallax barrier (mask-based)

• A patterned barrier with slits/stripes placed in front of the panel blocks/steers pixels so each eye sees a different set of pixels.
• Pros: simpler optics; can be switchable in some designs.
• Cons: brightness loss (light is blocked) and “sweet spots”/dead zones if not tracked.

2) Lenticular lens (micro-lens array)

• A sheet of cylindrical micro-lenses refracts light from interlaced subpixels into different angles, sending different views to each eye.
• Pros: generally better light efficiency than barriers (less blocking).
• Cons: view-zone artifacts (crosstalk, moiré) if alignment/pitch is off; resolution per view drops in multi-view mode.

3) Multi-view + eye tracking (tracked autostereo)

• The display generates/steers only the views needed for the detected eye positions, expanding the usable viewing zone for one primary viewer.

Key engineering tradeoffs (what limits performance)

• Resolution per view: Multi-view autostereo splits panel pixels across views, reducing effective resolution seen by each eye/view.
• Crosstalk/ghosting: Imperfect separation causes each eye to leak parts of the other view.
• Viewing zones (“sweet spots”): The 3D effect depends on where your eyes are relative to designed view angles; eye tracking can help but adds complexity.
• Vergence–accommodation conflict (VAC): Like most stereoscopic displays, many autostereo panels still focus light at the physical screen distance while presenting binocular depth cues, which can cause discomfort for some users.

How it differs from a “true holographic display”

• Autostereoscopic: primarily view steering (different rays/views to each eye).
• Holographic (CGH): aims to reconstruct the full optical wavefront of a 3D scene.

If you tell me your target use (phone/tablet, automotive, signage, near-eye AR/VR), I can recommend which autostereo architecture is realistic and the key specs to lock (panel PPI, lens/barrier pitch, viewing distance, allowed eyebox, and acceptable crosstalk).