SD2421W
Color Accurate
Stereoscopic Monitor
USER’S GUIDE
Planar Systems, Inc.
1195 NW Compton Drive
Beaverton, OR 97006-1992
www.planar.com
© 2010 Planar Systems, Inc. Planar is a registered trademark of Planar
Systems, Inc. Other brands and names are the property of their
respective owners. Technical information in this document is subject
to change without notice. 11/2010
020-1067-00
User ’s Guide | iii
Usage Notice
To prevent the risk of fire or shock hazards, do not expose this
product to rain or moisture.
Do not open or disassemble the product, as doing so may
cause electric shock.
Follow all warnings, precautions, and maintenance as recommended in
this user’s guide to maximize the life and performance of your unit.
Do
• Turn off the monitors before cleaning.
• Use only a dry, soft cloth or clean room wipe when cleaning the
LCD panel surface or the half-mirror.
• Use a soft cloth moistened with water and/or mild detergent to
clean the display housing and stand.
• Use only high quality and safety approved AC/DC power adapters.
• Disconnect the power plug from the grounded AC outlet if the
product will not be used for a long period of time.
Don’t
• Do not touch the LCD panel or half-mirror surfaces with sharp or
hard objects.
• Do not use abrasive cleaners, waxes, or solvents for your cleaning.
• Do not operate the product under these conditions:
— In an extremely hot, cold, or humid environment
— In areas susceptible to excessive dust and dirt
— Near any appliance generating a strong magnetic field
— In direct sunlight
iv | SD2421W
Box Contents
The SD2421W shipping box contains the following components:
Bottom monitor assembly with
mirror support arms and mirror
adjustment screws
Bottom cable management
cover
Top monitor assembly
Top cable management cover
Beamsplitter assembly
Two power cords (6-ft and 10-ft)
User ’s Guide | v
Two DVI cables (6-ft and 12-ft)
Captain-style glasses (2 ea)
Product User Guides
Terminator-style glasses (2 ea)
Spring clip-style glasses (1 ea)
Moistened cleaning pads (6 ea)
Soft, dry cloths (3 ea)
NOTE: Both the Captain-style and the Terminator-style glasses, for use with
the SD2421W monitor, feature the Planar logo on each side and white arm
tips. These two markers differentiate the glasses from those shipped with
other stereo monitors.
Contents
Usage Notice......................................................................................................................iii
Do.......................................................................................................................................iii
Don’t .................................................................................................................................iii
Box Contents.....................................................................................................................iv
Stereoscopic Viewing.....................................................................................................1
StereoMirror™ Technology .........................................................................................2
Getting Started .................................................................................................................4
Assemble the unit.........................................................................................................4
Select a graphics card..................................................................................................6
Connect the cables.......................................................................................................7
Connect the power cords ..........................................................................................8
Check the alignment ...................................................................................................8
Product Use .........................................................................................................................9
Operating in 2D mode ................................................................................................9
Size and weight .......................................................................................................... 10
System Care ..................................................................................................................... 11
Software Compatibility.............................................................................................. 11
Accessories ....................................................................................................................... 11
Troubleshooting............................................................................................................ 12
Warranty............................................................................................................................ 13
Product Registration ................................................................................................... 13
CRT Recycling..................................................................................................................14
Important Recycle Instructions.............................................................................. 14
Stereoscopic Viewing
We live in a three-dimensional world. The human visual system can process the
slightly different views of the world and translate the views into the perception of
depth. This process is called stereopsis.
In the last two centuries much effort has been devoted to the reproduction of depth
perception, primarily with photography and more recently with computer graphic
images.
Stereoscopic/3D viewing can help a viewer make faster, more accurate, and more
enjoyable interpretations of imagery. The SD2421W StereoMirror™ monitor, in
particular, creates an unprecedented level of stereo/3D viewing quality and viewer
comfort.
The StereoMirror monitor
Stereo viewing is useful for
the following applications:
• Photogrammetry and
remote sensing
• Geospatial image analysis
• Geophysical modeling
• Molecular modeling
• Computer games
• Oil and gas exploration
• Architecture and mechanical design
• Stereo photography or videography
• Medical imaging (not as yet
FDA 510(k) approved)
• Surgical planning
• Teaching of anatomy
• Simulation
• Complex data analysis
For some individuals, prolonged use of any stereoscopic monitor
may cause discomfort. Take a break from stereo viewing if you
sense eye fatigue. Individuals who are unaccustomed to using
stereoscopic 3D monitors may require a period of adaptation.
2 | SD2421W
StereoMirror™ Technology
A StereoMirror™ monitor consists of two AMLCD (Active Matrix Liquid Crystal
Display) units, oriented at a 110º angle and mounted on a specially designed
stand. A passive beamsplitter mirror bisects the angle formed between the two
monitors, and there is a fine mechanical adjustment for the mirror angle between
the two displays. One side of the glass mirror has a reflective coating, and the
other side has an anti-reflective coating to minimize secondary reflections. The
mirror has been treated with a hard top coating to accommodate cleaning.
In general, the objective of a stereoscopic display is to efficiently present a left eye
image solely to the left eye while the right eye image is directed to the right eye.
This allows the human visual system to merge the two images and results in the
perception of depth, or
stereopsis. In the
StereoMirror™ design this
stereo separation is achieved
using the principle of
conservation of polarization.
Liquid crystal displays
operate based on the ability
of liquid crystal material to
modulate plane-polarized
light. The two AMLCDs in the
SD2421W model have been
manufactured so that the
polarized light emitted from
the top monitor is 90° rotated from that of the bottom monitor. The image from
the lower monitor is seen through the mirror, as shown in the illustration above.
When stereo pair images from the two monitors are viewed through crossedpolarizing glasses (glasses with polarizing films mounted on the eyepieces with
their planes of polarization at a right angle to one another), the user only sees the
left eye image with the eyepiece having the 135°-oriented polarizer and the right
eye image with the eyepiece having the 45° polarizer. Light with a perpendicular
polarization is not transmitted. The result is a single, fused stereoscopic image.
One of the benefits of StereoMirror's use of light polarization properties is the
ability to utilize a 3rd, non-stereo monitor in conjunction with the stereo system.
Any flat panel monitor with a 0°, 90°, or 180° polarization angle can be used while
wearing the SD glasses.
Operating principle of the StereoMirror monitor
User ’s Guide | 3
A block diagram describing the process of driving a StereoMirror™ monitor
with a computer is shown in the illustration below. The left eye and right eye
images are sent to their respective AMLCDs independently and without any
special treatment (with the exception of accommodating for the fact that the
upper monitor is seen in a mirror; see discussion below). Presenting the stereo
pair of images requires a setup or software application that accommodates
dual-monitor stereo viewing. No additional modification is needed for use
with the StereoMirror™ monitor design.
Any software application that uses the OpenGL quad-buffered stereo features
is compatible with the StereoMirror.™ Quad-buffered stereo is a feature of the
OpenGL 3D graphics library that allows an application to define two separate
right/left eye viewpoints instead of the normal single monoscopic viewpoint.
The two viewpoints are defined to give the correct parallax separation for the
proper stereo effect. Once the
two view-points have been
defined the 3D scene is
rendered identically for each
of the two view-points. Many
commercial 3D applications
already have stereo viewing
modes using the OpenGL
stereo features.
Since the upper
display of the monitor is seen
in reflection, a mirror-flip
operation must be performed
on that data path. In the
current product this is
accomplished using an
auxiliary signal processing
board in the data path to the upper monitor. Driving a StereoMirror™ monitor
is identical with driving a pair of projection displays used to show stereoscopic
images with crossed polarizers in the two separate light paths. An off-theshelf, dual-output graphics card is employed to drive the two monitors, again
with no special preparation.
For more information on StereoMirror™ technology, go to
www.planar.com/advantages/whitepapers.
Driving the StereoMirror monitor
4 | SD2421W
Getting Started
Read all instructions before assembling the monitor. Improper assembly can
result in damage to the display components.
Assemble the unit
1. Remove the bottom
monitor assembly from
the shipping box and
place it on a sturdy
table or desktop. To
keep the display
surface clean, avoid
touching the screen.
2. Remove the top
monitor assembly from
the shipping box.
Loosen the two screws
on the cover of the
cable management
compartment and
remove the cover.
3. Slide the aluminum
flanges of the upper
assembly into the holes
on the cross bracket of
the bottom monitor
assembly until fully
seated. Continue to
support the top
monitor assembly and
tighten the four thumb
screws.
User ’s Guide | 5
4. Thread the cables from
the top monitor
through the
rectangular hole in the
cross bracket.
5. Replace the top and
bottom cable covers,
if desired.
6. Remove the
beamsplitter from the
shipping case. With the
StereoMirror™ logo
oriented to the lower
right, insert the pins
located on either side
of the mirror frame into
the corresponding slots
on the mirror support
arms. The pins should
rest in the fully forward
position of the
mounting arm slots.
6 | SD2421W
Select a graphics card
The SD2421W unit requires a dual-output graphics card to drive the two
monitors with a DVI signal. For professional applications that use OpenGL
quad-buffered stereo, the graphics card should support OpenGL stereo as
well. Typically, the two monitors should be in clone mode for these
applications.
There are several compatible graphics card families. The NVIDIA Quadro FX,
and the ATI FirePro GL are the recommended graphics cards for OpenGL
stereo applications. The NVIDIA GeForce line offers dual-DVI output graphics
cards that work well for PC gaming and DirectX applications.
Visit www.planar3d.com for more details on graphics cards, software
configuration, and using side monitors with the SD2421W unit.
User ’s Guide | 7
Connect the cables
The SD2421W unit comes with one 6-foot DVI cable and one 12-foot DVI cable.
1. Plug one end of the 6-foot DVI cable into the primary port of the dual-
channel DVI graphics card. Plug the other end into the bottom monitor of
the SD2421W unit.
2. Plug one end of the 12-foot DVI cable into the other graphics card and
then plug the other end into the top monitor of the SD2421W unit.
The two monitors must be connected with an off-the-shelf
video cable to comply with FCC regulations. Ferrite-core
interface cables are provided. This device will not be in
compliance with FCC regulations when a non-ferrite-core
video cable is used.
8 | SD2421W
Connect the power cords
Two power cords shipped with the unit. Use only the power cords supplied
with the unit.
1. Plug the 10-foot cord into the AC power jack of the top monitor. Plug the
6-foot cord into the bottom monitor. Then plug the power connectors
into a grounded outlet.
2. Turn on the soft power switch located on the front bezel of the two
LCD monitors.
3. Power up the computer.
Check the alignment
Although the SD2421W unit is aligned during manufacturing, it may require
realignment after reassembly at your site. There are two fine adjustment
screws located on the mirror support arms. Rotating these screws raises or
lowers the beamsplitter mirror. Adjust the screws so that the corners of the
reflected image of the upper monitor are aligned with the corners of the
transmitted image from the lower monitor.
You may want to use a test image during the alignment process. A sample is
available at www.planar3d.com.
Perfect alignment between the two images is not required for stereo viewing.
The human visual system is typically adept at "fusing" two images that are
slightly shifted relative to each other. This is especially true for horizontal
alignment. In a careful manner, try to achieve vertical alignment as closely as
possible. Coarse vertical misalignment can cause eye fatigue or headaches
since the eyes are accustomed to seeing stereo images from the same vertical
position.
User ’s Guide | 9
Product Use
Operating in 2D mode
Your SD2421W unit can operate either as
a 3D stereoscopic monitor or in the
standard 2D mode. Converting to 2D
viewing can be accomplished by either
turning off the power to one of the
monitors or by putting the mirror into
the locked upright position. To move the
mirror to the raised position, use two
hands to slide it up the mirror support
arms and then raise it until it drops into
the locked position. To lower the mirror,
use two hands to lift it out of the locked
slot and then lower it down onto the fine
adjustment screws.
The mirror should not be forced down. This can break the
glass and damage the mirror frame. The mirror must be
pulled forward before lowering.
User Controls and OSD Menu
Please consult PX2491W Owners Guide for instructions concerning
monitor functions, controls and PX2491W specifications.
Power Management
This LCD monitor complies with the VESA DPM Power Management
guidelines. The VESA DPM provides a power-saving mode through
detection of a horizontal or vertical sync signal.
StereoMirror in 2D mode
10 | SD2421W
Size and weight
System width
23.5" (596 mm)
System depth
24.7 " (628 mm)
System height
29.7" (754 mm)
System weight
64 lb (29 kg)
Dimensions of monitor unit, front and side
User ’s Guide | 11
System Care
Monitors - Turn off the monitors before cleaning. Use a dry, soft cloth, clean
room wiper, or compressed air when cleaning the LCD panel surface. A soft cloth
moistened with water and/or mild detergent can be used to clean the display
housing and stand. Do not touch the LCD panel surfaces with sharp or hard
objects. Do not use abrasive cleaners, waxes, or solvents for cleaning.
Mirror - Use a dry, soft cloth, clean room wiper, or compressed air when cleaning
the mirror surface. A soft cloth moistened with glass cleaner, water, and/or mild
detergent can also be used to clean the mirror. Do not touch the half-mirror
surfaces with sharp or hard objects. Do not use abrasive cleaners, waxes, or
solvents for cleaning.
Polarized glasses - Use a dry soft cloth, clean room wiper, or compressed
air when cleaning the polarized glasses. A soft cloth moistened with water and/or
mild detergent can also be used to clean the glasses. Do not touch
the surfaces of the polarized glasses with sharp or hard objects. Do not use
abrasive cleaners, waxes, or solvents for cleaning.
Software Compatibility
OpenGL - The SD2421W unit is compatible with OpenGL stereo. An appropriate
graphics card is required to drive the two monitors with DVI signals. For
professional applications that use OpenGL stereo support, the graphics card
should support OpenGL stereo as well. Stereo viewing of professional
applications is typically done in the so-called clone mode where most of the same
information is duplicated on the left and right monitor, except for the stereo
imagery. In other words, the desktop, windows, and menus are identical, but the
bottom monitor shows the left-eye image while the top monitor exhibits the
right-eye image.
DirectX - The SD2421W unit is compatible with the DirectX application
programming interface.
Accessories
For repetitive transportation of the SD2421W unit, a reusable, ruggedized
shipping case is available from Planar Systems. The case features a tough plastic
shell, locks, customized foam inlay, and wheels.
Additional polarized glasses are available from Planar in three styles:
Captain, Terminator, and Spring-Clip (for attaching to prescription glasses).
12 | SD2421W
Contact Planar via the web site (www.planar3d.com) or toll free at
1-866-475-2627. Accessories can also be purchased through Planar resellers.
Troubleshooting
Problem
Possible Solution
No image
appears on the
screen.
• Check that all the power cord connections are secure.
• Check that the power buttons on both monitors are
switched on and that the power indicator light is
illuminated.
• Check that the DVI cables are securely fastened to the
graphics card and the two monitors.
• Make sure that the pins of the DVI connectors are not
bent or broken.
Partial image
or incorrectly
displayed image.
• Check to see if the resolution of the computer/graphics card
is higher than that of the LCD panels (1920 x 1200).
• Check to see that the output timing of the video signals
is within the synchronous range of the LCD panels.
Both displays
work but there is
no stereo
functionality.
Be certain the graphics card is properly set up for the dualmonitor stereo mode. If you are using a professional
application, make sure that OpenGL settings are enabled.
Refer to the owner’s manual for the graphics card.
The stereoscopic
image appears to
be inverted.
Be certain the video cable to the bottom display is the left
channel and the cable to the top display is the right channel.
Also make sure that the image sent to the top monitor is
mirror-flipped by the flip function within the upper PX2491W
monitor.
Only one display
is showing an
image.
Be certain that your graphics card is configured for two
monitors. Use clone mode, horizontal span (also called stretch
mode), or dual-monitor mode configuration. Be sure that all
video cables are securely connected.
User ’s Guide | 13
Warranty
Go to www.planar.com for the complete details of the warranty, including
support procedure, returning a nonfunctioning unit, extended warranty
limitations, and exclusion of damages.
Product Registration
To register your product, go to www.planar.com/support/cust.asp.
14 | SD2421W
CRT Recycling
If your new Planar monitor is replacing a CRT unit, keep the following in mind:
• If the CRT unit is in good working condition, consider donating it to
a school or nonprofit organization. It may qualify as a charitable tax
deduction.
• Do not throw away a CRT unit. Cathode Ray Tubes contain hazardous
materials and cannot be discarded with other refuse. A number of recycling
programs are available. Do an online search of “CRT Recycling” for potential
service providers in your area.
Important Recycle Instructions
LCD lamps inside this product contain mercury. This product
may contain other electronic waste that can be hazardous if
not disposed of properly. Recycle or dispose in accordance
with local, state, or federal laws. For more information,
contact the Electronic Industries Alliance at www.eiae.org.
For lamp specific disposal information, check
www.lamprecycle.org.
Planar Customer Service
Online Support
For support available 24/7, visit our Online Technical Support web page at
www.planar.com/support. Online Technical Support is where you can find
solutions for common problems, download documentation, view answers to
frequently asked questions (FAQs), and get troubleshooting advice. Visit
www.planar3d.com for specific questions about configuring the stereo
monitor.
Customer First™ Technical Support
Call a customer service representative at 1-866-PLANAR1 (1-866-752-6271).
Service is available Monday through Friday, 8 A.M. – 5 P.M. Pacific time
(11 A.M. – 8 P.M. Eastern time).
E-mail Support
Send your inquiries to planarsupport@planar.com.
Planar Systems, Inc.
1195 NW Compton Drive
Beaverton, OR 97006-1992
Customer Service
E-mail: planarsupport@planar.com
Online: www.planar.com/support
Voice: 1-866-Planar1 (1-866-752-6271)
020-1067-00
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