MasterImage 3D

About MasterImage 3D

MasterImage 3D developed and supplied stereoscopic 3D systems for the cinema industry and autostereoscopic (glasses-free) displays for mobile devices. The company was originally founded in South Korea as MasterImage Co., Ltd. in December 2004 by Younghoon Lee. In 2011, it was established as a Delaware corporation, MasterImage 3D, LLC, after receiving a $15 million investment from backers including Samsung Ventures, and moved its headquarters to Hollywood, California.

The company operated in two primary markets. For theatrical exhibition, it provided digital 3D cinema systems to theaters in over 70 countries. Its flagship cinema product, the MI-CLARITY3D system, utilized a spinning polarized filter wheel synchronized with the projector to create the 3D effect, which audiences viewed with passive polarized glasses. This technology competed with other systems like RealD and Dolby 3D. The business model for its cinema division focused on selling equipment directly to theater owners, offering an ownership-based model with no ongoing royalties, which contrasted with the licensing fee models of some competitors.

In the mobile device sector, MasterImage 3D was known for its patented Cell-Matrix Parallax Barrier technology. This technology was an LCD overlay that directed light differently to each eye, allowing for glasses-free 3D viewing on smaller screens, such as those on smartphones and tablets. It was engineered to work in both portrait and landscape modes while aiming to increase brightness and reduce ghosting effects. A notable early application of this technology was in the Hitachi Wooo, one of the first glasses-free 3D mobile phones, released in Japan in 2009.

Throughout its history, MasterImage 3D was involved in significant patent disputes with its main competitor, RealD. After several legal victories by RealD, the company acquired the assets of MasterImage 3D, including its intellectual property and technology.