Techniques for controlling switching of a barrier component for efficiently displaying various types of 2-D content and 3-D content on a projector screen are presented. A barrier control component detects an optical signal in a control region of the projector screen that is providing visual content to the barrier component, and identifies the type of visual content, such as 2-D content or 3-D autostereoscopic content, based on the optical signal. The barrier control component identifies a control signal based on the identified content type, and transmits the control signal to the barrier component via a wireline or wireless connection. The barrier component is controlled to automatically switch to a desired mode, such as 2-D mode or 3-D autostereoscopic mode, and employ a desired barrier pattern, in response to the received control signal. The barrier component is powered using a solar cell component that generates power using the optical signal.