The Dome Corner 005
Published: Friday, May 8, 2009Field of View
May 08 2009
| “Field of View” (FOV) is an important factor in any visual presentation. The Field of View can be defined as the measure in degrees of how far you can see to the left and right without turning your head. For most people, this is about 180° horizontally. The area to the extreme left and right is perceived with our peripheral vision. Our peripheral vision has evolved in such a way that many of our most important visual cues come from the periphery of our Field of View.
Most flat screen displays (computer monitors, TV screens, movie screens, even flat printed material such as posters) can only display around 60° or so of imagery. This is because the edges of the screen form a kind of “window” through which we view the larger world. The edges of the screen cut off our FOV, like blinders. This can be a real problem in many applications such as first person shooter games where the ability to see from side to side without turning one’s head can make all the difference. Dome displays, because they sweep out to either side of the viewer, can display a much larger FOV than traditional flat screens. Most domes will display around 180°, mimicking the natural human FOV, and some dome systems can display much more imagery–up to full wraparound “globes” that completely immerse the viewer! This is a very important point about dome displays that sometimes gets lost in translation. A dome does not just show a larger picture, like a desktop projector; it displays more picture, more actual data on screen. |
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| The portion of this image that would be visible on a flat screen is in color. As you can see, most of the image will not be displayed. |
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| The full 180° image is visible on a dome screen. |
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