philip lelyveld The world of entertainment technology

Cine Gear: Virtual Reality Stitching Can Cost $10,000 Per Finished Minute

[There’s a company] that charges $10,000 per finished minute, and that sounds like a lot but that’s a pretty fair price,” he cited as an example. “Stitching is a multistep process. You bring [the camera footage] into software where you are basically taking the multiple video streams together. Then you’re 90 percent there. But that last 10 percent is extremely hard and can involve compositing and rotoscoping.”

Added director of photography Eve Cohen: “In VR the blocking is so crucial; it’s a way to guide the viewer. You don't have specific frames anymore but you have perspective.” She added that this fall, she's embarking on a feature-length VR production.

Several speakers addressed the question of camera movement: Can you move the camera in VR, and if so, how?

"The similarity [with traditional filming] is you are drawing the viewers attention; in almost every other sense it's different," said director of photography Andrew Shulkind. "We tested Steadicam, Jib ... [but when you are shooting 360-degrees], any system for stabilization is in the shot [unless you remove it in postproduction.] That's part of the argument for 180-degree VR experiences, but that's less immersive."

Closing the session, ICG president Steven Poster asserted that "this is a cinematographers' medium and the technology is growing rapidly.

See the full story here: http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/behind-screen/virtual-reality-stitching-can-cost-899697

Microsoft HoloLens Getting Outlook Mail, Calendar Apps

[Philip Lelyveld comment: Hololens is being positioned for the infinite desktop.]

Microsoft has taken another step towards bringing HoloLens into the enterprise. This week marked the launch of Outlook Mail and Calendar apps built for the untethered augmented reality headset.

The decision to start by focusing on business apps comes as no surprise. CEO Satya Nadella noted in a 2015 interview that commercial use-cases for HoloLens would precede consumer use-cases.

See the full story here: http://www.informationweek.com/software/productivity-collaboration-apps/microsoft-hololens-getting-outlook-mail-calendar-apps/d/d-id/1325782

Scottish architects offer a new reality in Venice Biennale

In a multimedia exhibit that showcases Scottish materials alongside augmented reality technology, the chapel has been filled with a huge wooden model of Scotland, Scandinavia and the Arctic.

The exhibit presents a vision for the future in which the country is repositioned at the heart of a sustainable North Atlantic economy.

The project’s curators are encouraging visitors to interact with the exhibit, which features customised apps developed by Soluis to highlight innovative approaches to design and development across the Highlands and Islands. People can use tablet computers to overlay different types of data on the huge floormap of Scotland, and experience virtual reality renderings of locations past, present and future.

The exhibit also uses virtual reality headsets in sculpted animal heads representing creatures associated with the north, including a polar bear and a unicorn. Visitors use them to transport themselves to rural Scotland.

See the full story here: http://www.scotsman.com/lifestyle/scottish-architects-offer-a-new-reality-in-venice-biennale-1-4146155

Virtual Reality Arachnophobia Therapy Is A Definite Nope

Arachnophobia is a VR application within the field of health and psychology, a ‘self-controlled’ virtual reality exposure therapy session where you gradually expose yourself to spiders.

It bears noting that just about everyone gradually exposes themselves to spiders at some point in their life. They are everywhere.

Arachnophobia basically ties you to a chair and glues your hands to a desk. A comforting sign warns you that you are about to be exposed to some of the most venomous and aggressive creatures on the planet. This is not how you begin date.

If your office is filled with deadly creatures, leave the office. Do not glue your hands to the desk and just sit there.

See the full story here: http://kotaku.com/virtual-reality-arachnophobia-therapy-is-a-definite-nop-1780550604

Project Soli: Google’s new experiment to put gesture controls everywhere

At a time when most gesture-sensing technology is unreliable and clunky, Project Soli, one of Google latest cutting-edge experiments from its secretive Advanced Technology and Projects group (ATAP), provides an enticing example of the type of powerful motion controller that could actually change how we interact with everything from smartwatches and tablets to appliances and other everyday objects.

Project Soli's gesture-tracking takes a particularly unique approach in that it depends on radar.

Of course, gesture-based controllers are not, in themselves, new. Companies like Leap Motion and, more recently, Intel (via RealSense) have been experimenting with motion controllers for some time. But these systems rely on cameras for their motion-tracking abilities, which limits the effectiveness and accuracy of the devices, says Schwesig.

Since Soli's sensors can capture motion at up to 10,000 frames per second, it is much more accurate than camera-based systems, which track motion at much lower frame rates, Schwesig says. And unlike cameras, radar can pass through certain types of objects, making it adaptable to more form factors than a camera.

In its current form, its radar tech lives in a single tiny chip that can be embedded in about any type of device, even objects that don't have a traditional display.

"It's in chip form, [since] there are no moving parts involved it can be embedded inside devices, it can work through some materials, we can reimagine this in everyday objects or even with existing products," Schwesig said.

Imagining gesture interfaces on everyday objects is particularly intriguing: ATAP used the example of an analog radio where gestures control the volume and station.

But the size and flexibility of the chip itself leaves many, many, more possibilities open.

See the full story here: http://mashable.com/2015/05/30/google-project-soli-analysis/#zwdXWObRrqqF

Augumenta introduces a new augmented reality interface

The company unveiled the Augumenta SmartPanel, an augmented reality (AR) interface that uses hand-gesture controls and visual display panels to provide an AR display surface.

“Augumenta’s goal is to provide simple and intuitive interaction environments for augmented reality,” said Tero Aaltonen, cofounder and CEO of Augumenta.

“The SmartPanel was developed at the request of an industrial machinery company that wanted to eliminate physical control panels,” said Aaltonen. “This potentially lowers cost of the equipment (fewer moving parts) while concurrently providing the flexibility of a configurable display and improving security.”

See the full story here: http://sdtimes.com/augumenta-introduces-new-augmented-reality-interface/

Sorry games industry, but VR won’t wait—Hollywood is coming for it

But here's the thing: while the games industry might be abandoning VR, that couldn't be further from the truth for Hollywood and the VFX industry. Arguably, they're producing the best VR content right now.

VFX companies started early. Before the HTC Vive was even announced, Framestore created the first fully motion tracked VR experience, using its expertise in film VFX to graft existing motion capture technology onto a headset. The result, dubbed Merrell TrailScape, took players on a 4D virtual hike, complete with a physical rope bridge, rock wall, and wind machine. It scared the heck out of users as they were made to shimmy across the edge of a virtual chasm. Framestore later made an experience for the film Interstellar on Oculus Rift—built in Unreal Engine 4 no less—that took players on a impressively detailed tour of the Endurance space ship. It's far more detailed than anything a games company has yet produced in VR.

What is and isn't a video game?

While these aren't gaming experiences, the games industry would be wise to watch what VFX companies like Framestore are doing. These are companies with vast experience in storytelling—far more than any games studio—and expertise in graphics technologies. Plus with VR being so young as a medium, who's to say what is and isn't a VR video game? Just as Sony would unexpectedly come to dominate 3D gaming in the '90s with the launch of the PlayStation, so too can other companies come in and upset the status quo with VR. Headset sales might not be there just yet, but for the games industry's biggest publishers to sit it out now, early or not, risks more than just short term losses—it risks losing the market altogether.

See the full story here: http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2016/06/hollywood-will-win-virtual-reality-industry

Moosejaw Bets On Outdoor Retail With Virtual Reality App

The Moosejaw Virtual Reality App offers a unique experience,delivering breathtaking interactive landscapes filmed with 360-degree cameras in Moab, Utah. In a bold move, Moosejaw has put substantial development behind the project and is hoping to see 100,000 downloads to engage outdoor consumers in a whole new way.

Get the free app for your for iPhone now (Android version still in the works).

The VR ‘Experience’

Four virtual “experiences” are available through the app: rock climbing, trail running, backcountry hiking, and hangin’ by a river. (Spoiler alert: this one turns into a wacky dance party, in true Moosejaw fashion.)

The video is clear, the gear is high-end, and it truly makes you want to book a flight to Utah. For an even more immersive experience, grab a Moosejaw Google Cardboard (free at Moosejaw.com with any purchase), slide your phone in the back, and look through the lens at a three-dimensional southern Utah.

Gamification

Moosejaw gamified the experience by offering five questions on each video. Once you sign in, you’re able to enter the contest to earn badges and compete against others to win a $500 Moosejaw Gift Card and gear.

See the full story here: https://gearjunkie.com/moosejaw-virtual-reality-app

AMD Moves Aggressively to Drive Virtual Reality at an Amazing Computex

There are three problems delaying the ramp of virtual reality. One is content—and that is slowly being sorted—two is hardware, including the need for complete solutions that include controllers, and third is cost. Currently it is estimated that to get an acceptable video game experience you need both a headset bundle costing in excess of $600 and a PC with enough power to run the thing which typically prices out at $1,500 or more.

Well, this week AMD aggressively drove a stake through that third problem by launching the Radeon RX 480, a VR-ready video card expected to cost under $200 so you can make your existing PC powerful enough to make the grade.

AMD RX 480

According to AMD this packs the VR performance of a $500 card because it is tuned for VR. That’s not to say that it won’t play other video games as well, but that for VR it is one hell of a bargain. As noted above, this allows you to enter the VR segment for a lot less money than otherwise would have been required and the end result is one of the biggest bargains of the year. The card includes High Dynamic Range, AMD’s FreeSync, and it uses AMD’s new Polaris architecture to pack a lot into a very small package.

This could be just the ticket to get you started on VR and I can hardly wait for my card to show up so I can play the games I’ve listed above.

See the full story here: https://techspective.net/2016/06/03/amd-moves-aggressively-drive-virtual-reality-amazing-computex/

Canada’s First Virtual Reality Arcade Opens Its Doors

Ctrl V, a virtual reality arcade based in Waterloo, Canada, opened its doors to the public on May 30. CEO Ryan Brooks said it was the first of its kind to open in Canada, and highlighted the hundreds of people that had attended the arcade’s previous soft opening.

The arcade features 16 gaming stations, each of which can be reserved for $20 an hour and has a selection of 10 games. Ctrl V’s owners are hoping to entice students at the University of Waterloo to create more content for the arcade, tapping into a growing interest in developing for VR systems.

See the full story with links here: http://www.replaymag.com/canadas-first-virtual-reality-arcade-opens-its-doors-2/