Controlling light sources of a directional backlight

A telecommunication system for providing teleconferencing, comprising:

• a source telecommunication device that comprises a stereoscopic pair of cameras;
• and
• a destination telecommunication device that comprises a display device that is capable of displaying stereo images autostereoscopically;
• the telecommunication system being arranged to transmit delivery stereo images that are video images of a head and, optionally, a torso, captured by the stereoscopic pair of cameras of the source telecommunication device from the source telecommunication device to the destination telecommunication device over a telecommunication network,
• the telecommunication system being arranged to process each of the stereo images, by segmenting the head and, if present, the torso from the backgrounds, thereby producing segmented backgrounds and by replacing the segmented backgrounds by respective replacement images that have a first degree of perceived stereoscopic depth within the replacement images that is lower than a second degree of perceived stereoscopic depth within the original backgrounds, and
• the destination telecommunication device being arranged to display the stereo images having the replaced, segmented backgrounds on the display device autostereoscopically.

A source telecommunication device for providing teleconferencing, comprising:

• a stereoscopic pair of cameras;
• and
• an image processing section arranged to process each of stereo images that are video images of a head and, optionally, a torso captured by the stereoscopic pair of cameras, by segmenting the head and, if present, the torso from the backgrounds, thereby producing segmented backgrounds, and by replacing the segmented backgrounds by respective replacement images that have a degree of perceived stereoscopic depth within the replacement images that is lower than degree of perceived stereoscopic depth within the original backgrounds,
• the source telecommunication device being arranged to transmit the stereo images having the replaced, segmented backgrounds to a destination telecommunication device over a telecommunication network.

A destination telecommunication device for providing teleconferencing, the destination telecommunication device being arranged to receive stereo images that are video images of a head and, optionally, a torso captured by a stereoscopic pair of cameras of a source telecommunication device over a telecommunication network, the destination telecommunication device comprising:

• a display device that is capable of displaying stereo images autostereoscopically;
• and
• an image processing section arranged to process each of the received stereo images, by segmenting the head and, if present, the torso from the backgrounds, thereby producing segmented backgrounds, and by replacing the segmented backgrounds by respective replacement images that have a degree of perceived stereoscopic depth within the replacement images that is lower than degree of perceived stereoscopic depth within the original backgrounds,
• the destination telecommunication device being arranged to display the stereo images having the replaced, segmented backgrounds on the display device autostereoscopically.

A teleconferencing method comprising:

• a source telecommunication device that comprises a display device of the source telecommunication device and a stereoscopic pair of cameras positioned outside opposed sides of the display device at the same level partway along those sides;
• and a destination telecommunication device that comprises a display device of the destination telecommunication device and at least one camera, the source telecommunication device and the destination telecommunication device being capable of communication over a telecommunication network, the method comprising:
• transmitting delivery images captured by one or both of the stereoscopic pair of cameras of the source telecommunication device from the source telecommunication device to the destination telecommunication device, and transmitting return images captured by the at least one of the camera of the destination telecommunication device from the destination telecommunication device to the source telecommunication device;
• detecting a face in the return images;
• shifting the return images vertically to position an eye-line of the detected face at the level of the stereoscopic pair of cameras of the source telecommunication device upon display of the shifted return images on the display device of the source telecommunication device in a predetermined orientation in which the vertical sides of the image are aligned with said opposed sides of the display device;
• and
• displaying the shifted return images on the display device of the source telecommunication device in said predetermined orientation.

A telecommunication system for providing teleconferencing, comprising:

• a source telecommunication device that comprises a display device of the source telecommunication device and a stereoscopic pair of cameras positioned outside opposed sides of the display device at the same level partway along those sides;
• and
• a destination telecommunication device that comprises a display device of the destination telecommunication device and at least one camera,
• the telecommunication system being arranged to transmit delivery images captured by one or both of the stereoscopic pair of cameras of the source telecommunication device from the source telecommunication device to the destination telecommunication device over a telecommunication network, and to transmit return images captured by the at least one of the cameras of the destination telecommunication device from the destination telecommunication device to the source telecommunication device over the telecommunication network;
• the telecommunication system being arranged to detect a face in the return images and to shift the return images to position an eye-line of the detected face at the level of the stereoscopic pair of cameras of the source telecommunication device upon display of the shifted return images on the display device of the source telecommunication device in a predetermined orientation in which the vertical sides of the image are aligned with said opposed sides of the display device of the source telecommunication device;
• and
• the source telecommunication device being arranged to display the shifted return images on the display device of the source telecommunication device in said predetermined orientation.

A source telecommunication device for providing teleconferencing, comprising:

• a display device;
• a stereoscopic pair of cameras positioned outside opposed sides of the display device at the same level partway along those sides,
• the source telecommunication device being arranged to transmit delivery images captured by one or both of the cameras of the source telecommunication device to a destination telecommunication device over a telecommunication network, and to receive return images captured by the at least one camera of a destination telecommunication device over the telecommunication network;
• and
• an image processing section arranged to detect a face in the return images and to shift the return images to position an eye-line of the detected face at the level of the stereoscopic pair of cameras upon display of the shifted return images on the display device in a predetermined orientation in which the vertical sides of the image are aligned with said opposed sides of the display device,
• the source telecommunication device being arranged to display the shifted return images on the display device in the predetermined orientation.

A destination telecommunication device for providing teleconferencing, comprising:

• a display device of the destination telecommunication device;
• at least one camera,
• the destination telecommunication device being arranged to transmit return images captured by the at least one camera to a source telecommunication device that comprises a display device of the source telecommunication device and a stereoscopic pair of cameras positioned outside opposed sides of the display device at the same level partway along those sides, over a telecommunication network, and to receive delivery images captured by the at least one camera of a source telecommunication device over the telecommunication network;
• and
• a processing section arranged to shift the return images to position an eye-line of the detected face at the level of the stereoscopic pair of cameras upon display of the shifted return images on the display device of the source telecommunication device in a predetermined orientation in which the vertical sides of the image are aligned with said opposed sides of the display device of the source telecommunication device.