Stereoscopic Displays and Applications (SD&A) is the pre-eminent academic technical conference in the field of stereoscopic 3D imaging. It is an annual conference that specialises in all forms of stereoscopic imaging, including stereoscopic 3D display hardware, stereoscopic 3D image capture, stereoscopic 3D image storage and processing, and also applications of these technologies. Although the name of the conference suggests that it concerns only two-view 3D images, the conference includes significant coverage of multi-view autostereoscopic displays and volumetric 3D displays. The conference is held as part of the annual Electronic Imaging: Science and Technology Symposium organised by the two technical imaging societies IS&T and SPIE.

Overview

SD&A is an academic technical conference dedicated to stereoscopic imaging topics. Its backbone is the technical presentations, which are all accompanied by a technical paper published in the conference proceedings by SPIE Press (in cooperation with IS&T). Alongside the technical sessions, the conference has its own keynote, a popular demonstration session (where 20-30 stereoscopic displays can be seen in one place at one time), the 3D theater (where the latest stereoscopic content is shown) and a discussion forum.

In January 2009, SD&A celebrated its 20th Anniversary.

Proceedings

The technical proceedings are published by SPIE press. Over 1100 technical papers have been published over the history of the SD&A conference. The full list of conference proceedings, including a compilation DVD-ROM (1990-2009), is here.

The DVD-ROM compilation "Stereoscopic Displays and Applications 1990-2009: A Complete 20-Year Retrospective - and The Engineering Reality of Virtual Reality 1994-2009 (CDP51)" released in 2010 represents a highly significant technical knowledge base containing the complete technical record of the Stereoscopic Displays and Applications conference (1990-2009), The Engineering Reality of Virtual Reality conference (1994-2009), and papers from a selection of ten other 3D related SPIE conferences (1977-1989) predating SD&A.
The disc contains 1260 individual technical papers – 816 from the Stereoscopic Displays and Applications conference, 223 from The Engineering Reality of Virtual Reality conference, and 221 papers from the SPIE 3D conferences prior to SD&A.

Videos of some of the presentations at the conference are also available online: SD&A 2008 and SD&A 2011.

Past Keynote Presenters

Over the years the SD&A conference has hosted an impressive lineup of keynote presenters. These sessions allow a leading light to focus and reflect on a particular area of stereoscopic imaging.

Year	Keynote Presenter	Title
1996	Ray Zone, The 3D Zone	The Deep Image: 3D in Art and Science
1997	Peter Anderson, Consultant (3D cinematographer)	Large-format 3D Film in Special Venues
1998	Peter Smith Peter Smith (scientist) Peter H. Smith is a Senior Research Scientist at the Lunar and Planetary Laboratory of the University of Arizona, where he holds the inaugural Thomas R. Brown Distinguished Chair in Integrative Science... , University of Arizona	Imager for Mars Pathfinder Experiment (IMP): A Multispectral Stereo Imaging System
1999	Sean MacLeod Philips, MacLeod Productions	3D Large Format Film Production
2000	Chris Condon Chris Condon Chris J. Condon was the inventor of 3D lens used by his company StereoVision, a cinematographer, and founder of Sierra Pacific Airlines.He was born in North Chicago, Illinois... , StereoVision International	Current Status of Large Screen Stereoscopic Cinema Systems
2001	Jeff Kleiser, Kleiser Walczak Construction Company	Stereoscopic Computer Animation for Location-Based Entertainment
2002	Vince Pace, Pace Technologies	Titanic in 3D HDTV
2003	Emeritus Professor Ian Howard, Centre for Vision Research, York University	Understanding stereoscopic vision
2004	Dave Cook, NVIDIA Corporation	Stereoscopic Gaming: Technology and Applications
2005	Steve Schklair, Cobalt Entertainment	Digital Technology and the Resurgence of Commercial Stereoscopic Entertainment
2006	Hugh Murray, IMAX Corporation	3D Animation in Three Dimensions - The Rocky Road to the Obvious
2007	James Fergason James Fergason James L. Fergason was an inventor of an improved Liquid Crystal Display, or LCD.Fergason graduated from Carrollton High School in Carrollton, Missouri... , Fergason Patent Properties	A Look at the Past and Future of Stereoscopic Displays Through a ‘(Liquid) Crystal Ball’
2008	Larry J. Hornbeck, Texas Instruments	Stereoscopic and Volumetric 3D Displays Based on DLP Technology
2009	Lenny Lipton Lenny Lipton Leonard "Lenny" Lipton is a well known author, filmmaker and stereoscopic vision system inventor.Lipton wrote the lyrics to the song Puff the Magic Dragon as a 19-year-old at Cornell University. He graduated from Cornell University where he majored in physics. The song was a hit in 1963 for Peter... , REAL D Corporation	Archimedes’ Tub
2010	Bob Whitehill, PIXAR Animation Studios	Three-Dimensional Storytelling
2011	Michael G Robinson, RealD	The Current Status of Stereoscopic 3D
2011	Ramesh Raskar, MIT Media Lab	Content-Adaptive Parallax Barriers and Six-Dimensional Displays: new ideas from MIT Media Lab

History

SD&A was founded in 1990 by John O. Merritt

John O. Merritt

John O. Merritt is an expert in the applications of stereoscopic 3D displays and remote-presence systems.He has co-chaired the annual SPIE/IS&T Conference on Stereoscopic Displays and Applications since co-founding it in 1990...

 and Scott Fisher

Scott Fisher (technologist)

Scott Fisher is Professor and Chair of the Interactive Media Division in the USC School of Cinematic Arts at the University of Southern California, and a Fellow of the Annenberg Center for Communication there...

, and has been held annually since. Holography pioneer Stephen Benton

Stephen Benton

Stephen A. Benton was a Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor and the inventor of the rainbow hologram and a pioneer in medical imaging and fine arts holography.- Biography :...

 was also an SD&A conference chair from 2000 until his death in 2003. The conference committee and conference chairs are summarised here.

Year	Conference (Name and Number)	Location	Proc. SPIE Vol.	Published in Volume (name)	SD&A Conference Chairs
1990	Stereoscopic Displays and Applications	Santa Clara	1256	Stereoscopic Displays and Applications	John O. Merritt, Scott S. Fisher
1991	Stereoscopic Displays and Applications II	San Jose	1457	Stereoscopic Displays and Applications II	John O. Merritt, Scott S. Fisher
1992	Stereoscopic Displays and Applications III	San Jose	1669	Stereoscopic Displays and Applications III	John O. Merritt, Scott S. Fisher
1993	Stereoscopic Displays and Applications IV	San Jose	1915	Stereoscopic Displays and Applications IV	John O. Merritt, Scott S. Fisher
1994	Stereoscopic Displays and Applications V	San Jose	2177	Stereoscopic Displays and Virtual Reality Systems	Scott S. Fisher, John O. Merritt
1995	Stereoscopic Displays and Applications VI	San Jose	2409	Stereoscopic Displays and Virtual Reality Systems II	Scott S. Fisher, John O. Merritt
1996	Stereoscopic Displays and Applications VII	San Jose	2653	Stereoscopic Displays and Virtual Reality Systems III	Scott S. Fisher, John O. Merritt
1997	Stereoscopic Displays and Applications VIII	San Jose	3012	Stereoscopic Displays and Virtual Reality Systems IV	Scott S. Fisher, John O. Merritt
1998	Stereoscopic Displays and Applications IX	San Jose	3295	Stereoscopic Displays and Virtual Reality Systems V	Scott S. Fisher, John O. Merritt
1999	Stereoscopic Displays and Applications X	San Jose	3639	Stereoscopic Displays and Virtual Reality Systems VI	John O. Merritt, Scott S. Fisher
2000	Stereoscopic Displays and Applications XI	San Jose	3957	Stereoscopic Displays and Virtual Reality Systems VII	John O. Merritt, Stephen A. Benton, Andrew J. Woods
2001	Stereoscopic Displays and Applications XII	San Jose	4297	Stereoscopic Displays and Virtual Reality Systems VIII	Andrew J. Woods, John O. Merritt, Stephen A. Benton
2002	Stereoscopic Displays and Applications XIII	San Jose	4660	Stereoscopic Displays and Virtual Reality Systems IX	Andrew J. Woods, John O. Merritt, Stephen A. Benton
2003	Stereoscopic Displays and Applications XIV	Santa Clara	5006	Stereoscopic Displays and Virtual Reality Systems X	Andrew J. Woods, John O. Merritt, Stephen A. Benton
2004	Stereoscopic Displays and Applications XV	San Jose	5291	Stereoscopic Displays and Virtual Reality Systems XI	Andrew J. Woods, John O. Merritt, Stephen A. Benton
2005	Stereoscopic Displays and Applications XVI	San Jose	5664	Stereoscopic Displays and Virtual Reality Systems XII	Andrew J. Woods, John O. Merritt
2006	Stereoscopic Displays and Applications XVII	San Jose	6055	Stereoscopic Displays and Virtual Reality Systems XIII	Andrew J. Woods, Neil A. Dodgson, John O. Merritt
2007	Stereoscopic Displays and Applications XVIII	San Jose	6490	Stereoscopic Displays and Virtual Reality Systems XIV	Andrew J. Woods, Neil A. Dodgson, John O. Merritt
2008	Stereoscopic Displays and Applications XIX	San Jose	6803	Stereoscopic Displays and Applications XIX	Andrew J. Woods, Nick S. Holliman, John O. Merritt
2009	Stereoscopic Displays and Applications XX	San Jose	7237	Stereoscopic Displays and Applications XX	Andrew J. Woods, Nick S. Holliman, John O. Merritt
2010	Stereoscopic Displays and Applications XXI	San Jose	7524	Stereoscopic Displays and Applications XXI	Andrew J. Woods, Nick S. Holliman, Neil A. Dodgson
2011	Stereoscopic Displays and Applications XXII	south San Francisco	7863	Stereoscopic Displays and Applications XXII	Andrew J. Woods, Nick S. Holliman, Neil A. Dodgson
2012	Stereoscopic Displays and Applications XXIII	south San Francisco	8288	Stereoscopic Displays and Applications XXIII	Andrew J. Woods, Nick S. Holliman, Gregg Favalora

From 1990 to 1993, papers from the SD&A conference were published in its own self-titled proceedings volume. From 1994, the papers from the SD&A conference were co-published with papers from The Engineering Reality of Virtual Reality conference (which was co-located with SD&A) in a volume series titled Stereoscopic Displays and Virtual Reality Systems. From 2008, SD&A went back to the publication of papers in its own self-titled proceedings volume.

Of course, stereoscopic 3D imaging was also a major topic of discussion at SPIE conferences before the first Stereoscopic Displays and Applications conference:

• SPIE Vol. 120, Three-Dimensional Imaging, S. A. Benton, Editor, 25-26 Aug. 1977, San Diego, Calif.
• SPIE Vol. 212, Optics and Photonics Applied to Three-Dimensional Imagery, M. H. Grosmann and P. Meyrueis, Editors, 26-30 Nov. 1979, Strasbourg, France
• SPIE Vol. 367, Processing and Display of Three-Dimensional Data, J. J. Pearson, Editor, 26-27 Aug. 1982, San Diego, Calif.
• SPIE Vol. 402, Three-Dimensional Imaging, J. P. Ebbeni and A. Monfils, Editors, 21-22 Apr. 1983, Geneva, Switzerland
• SPIE Vol. 507, Processing and Display of Three-Dimensional Data II, J. J. Pearson, Editor, 23-24 Aug. 1984, San Diego, Calif.
• SPIE Vol. 761, True Three-Dimensional Imaging Techniques and Display Technologies, D. F. McAllister and W. E. Robbins, Editors, 15-16 Jan. 1987, Los Angeles, Calif.
• SPIE Vol. 902, Three-Dimensional Imaging and Remote Sensing Imaging, W. E. Robbins, Editor, 14-15 Jan. 1988, Los Angeles, Calif.
• SPIE Vol. 1083, Three-Dimensional Visualization and Display Technologies, S. S. Fisher and W. E. Robbins, Editors, 18-20 Jan. 1989, Los Angeles, Calif.

External links

• www.stereoscopic.org: Official website of the Stereoscopic Displays and Applications conference