Holographic videos have been the ultimate dream for many scientists and manufacturers but unfortunately for consumers the technology doesn't exist outside of science fiction. Truly immersive video that is capable of creating images that are truly three-dimensional is still a fantasy. The closest developers have gotten to real holographic video displays have resulted in blurry images like Microsoft's 3D HoloDesk which used the Xbox Kinect sensor and mirrors to allow users to manipulate 3D spheres in space.

A group from European research firm Imec has a new technique that could push 3D holograms one step closer to reality. The researchers constructed holographic displays by shining laser light on a nanoscale system of moving pixels. These microelectromechanical systems move up and down like reflective pistons. The nanometer distances between the pixels interfere with the light in different ways, generating the 3D image for the human eye to see.

Imec has already tested the technique with a prototype. A chip containing the fixed image of Imec's new research building was topped with a reflective coating of aluminum. A laser light was shined on the chip. The light diffracted across the chip to create a 3D picture of the research building. The team is now trying to create moving images by moving the pixels up and down many times.

The team still has a long way to go before the first commercial application of this technology is ready. The team hopes to construct the first proof-of-concept moving structures around the middle of 2012. Even if they build a screen capable of moving picture it would still be a small-scale display. Looks like movie-goers will have to settle for traditional 3D for now.