Vacuum-deposited form-birefringent films are of special interest today due to their potential use as trim retarders for front and rear projection TV systems. The presentation reviews basic computational methods, deposition geometries, and experimental techniques for characterizing nanostructures, optical performance and physical properties. As well several related developments are discussed, including multilayered birefringent coatings, birefringent arrays and chiral coatings deposited as twisted stacks of birefringent layers.