Inside Colin's Head

Once the two images have been presented to your retinas, they pass back through the optic nerve to various visual systems, where an incredibly robust real-time analysis of the raw data is performed by several areas of the brain at once. Some areas look for straight lines, some for motion, some perform shortcut operations based on experience and tell you that yes indeed, the person did go behind that wall, they did not disappear into the wall, and that sort of thing. Eventually (within perhaps 15 microseconds) all this information filters up into your consciousness and you are aware of color, depth, movement, patterns, and distinct objects within your field of view, informed mainly by the differences between the images hitting each of your retinas. It’s important to note that vision is a learned process, and these areas in your visual cortex are “programmed” by experience as much as by anatomy and, for lack of a better term, instinct.

This is a really well-written article on 3-D technology that includes both a basic explanation as well as a science-filled explanation of how it all works. I especially liked the explanation of how vision works as well as the note about how vision is partly a learned ability.

Personally, I enjoy 3-D but won't be interested in bringing it into my home until it is much better.