philip lelyveld The world of entertainment technology

ETC Publishes White Paper on C4 Cloud Production Framework

Not only is the C4 ID universally unique, it is also universally consistent. This means that given identical files in two different organizations, both organizations would independently agree on the C4 ID, without the need for a central registry or any other shared information. This allows organizations to communicate with others about assets consistently and unambiguously, while managing assets internally in any way they choose.

This can be done without prior agreement or communication of any kind. This ‘agreement without communication’ is an essential feature of C4 IDs and a key differentiator between it and other identification systems.

See the full story here: http://www.etcentric.org/etc-publishes-white-paper-on-c4-cloud-production-framework/

Augmented reality expert explains how AR will help humanity

Gaia Dempsey, managing director of DAQRI, which makes an AR-enabled smart hard hat, offers up a strong case for why augmented reality is more than just hype. In a new video for the upcoming Future of Storytelling Summit (which also produced the stunning video of animation legend Glen Keane drawing in VR), Dempsey explains how AR could fundamentally change the way we learn and experience the world. For example, it's one thing to be told how the mechanics of a clock works in text or video, it's an entirely different experience to be able to manipulate a moving set of clock gears in three dimensions.

"If you want to control the entire view, VR is best. AR on the other hand puts digital information into the real environment so you can see it in context of the world around you."

See the full story here: http://www.engadget.com/2015/09/15/gaia-dempsey-ar/

ABC News Says It’s Taking Virtual Reality Seriously

In a release timed to coincide with a story on “Nightline” this evening, ABC created a special 360-degree video companion piece, intended to be viewed on a mobile phone with a Google Cardboard-style headset. It’s said to be the first of many VR projects that will live at ABCNews.com/VR.

ABC’s first VR story takes viewers on a tour of Damascus, Syria, led by reporter Alexander Marquardt. It examines how in some parts of the war-torn country’s capital, normal life goes on; in others, Syrians are scrambling to keep ancient art and religious sites safe from destruction.

To produce the VR component of the story, ABC partnered with virtual reality film startup Jaunt. Silver said Jaunt processed and stitched together the raw video files — a necessary step whenever video shot by several cameras is combined into one file — but that ABC still did all the narrative video editing, as it would for any other story.

See the full story here: http://recode.net/2015/09/16/abc-news-says-its-taking-virtual-reality-seriously/

Cortana and HoloLens in your Windows car

According to the exec, Microsoft’s Cortana will be an important part of autonomous and smart vehicles in the future as the company is working hard to try and integrate the virtual assistant seamlessly into the Windows in-car experience. Cortana and tech used in the Microsoft HoloLens will let drivers project the virtual assistant’s interface right onto their windshield and work from there.

With Google Car in development and to be widespread in just 4 years, Microsoft will have to consider the new developments that Google is doing with Android Auto and the AI software that they use for the Google Car. If Cortana and HoloLens work seamlessly throughout a driving experience, Microsoft has a change at securing itself a more sturdy place in the future.

See the full story here: http://www.geeksnack.com/2015/09/17/cortana-and-hololens-in-your-windows-car/

Norse Theme Parks is blending traditional attractions with virtual reality and augmented reality experiences at its new Copenhagen park.

According to Peter Franklin Wurtz, co-founder of startup Norse Theme Parks, The Legendary World of Norse Mythology: Yggdrasil will blend traditional rides and attractions with virtual reality and augmented reality experiences when it opens in 2019.

Wurtz and his team are designing five to six virtual reality Conquest Rooms, which will employ VR head-mounted displays like Oculus Rift and HTC Vive coupled with Virtuix Omni multi-directional treadmills and interactive props like swords and shields to immerse guests in Norse mythology. And 4D domed screens blended with special effects will allow guests to battle giants with laser swords and voyage aboard a Viking ship on the storm-swept seas battling against the Midgard sea worm.

There will also be augmented reality Mental Quest rooms, which give groups of guests 20 minutes to solve a puzzle within a themed room filled with props. Sample missions could be finding the key to the location where Loki hid Thor’s hammer, or searching for the elf king’s magical bow and arrow. Guests will uncover hidden clues using a tablet featuring AR.

Wurtz expects the theme park to attract half a million visitors per year over the first few years and over a million guests afterward.

See the full story here: http://fortune.com/2015/09/16/norse-theme-parks-vr-park/

Kudan Launch Next-Generation Augmented Reality Engine, Announce Senior Executive Team and Time Inc. Discussions

Technology

The Kudan AR SDK offers developers significant differentiators to existing solutions.

• A built-in suite of modern tracking capabilities including on unlimited, local marker (image) based and markerless tracking (SLAM, Arbi-Track).
• A 3D rendering engine facilitates realistic, animated 3D models and HD video.
• The SDK has a very small footprint, meaning that devices with limited storage space, for example Smart Glasses, Machine Vision applications and Internet of Things (IoT) sensors, will also benefit from the lightweight SDK.

Please see https://www.kudan.eu/products/ for full technical specifications.

See the press release here: http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/kudan-launch-next-generation-augmented-reality-engine-announce-senior-executive-team-and-time-inc-discussions-528028681.html

THE VIRTUAL ROAD TO THE PROTO AWARDS PART IV: JOHN ROOT

Root’s own vision of tomorrow is tempered by his decades of experience. While most of The Virtual Reality Foundation are millennials, Root is a Gen Xer—he’s watched VR’s steady march in the film production industry long before it retuned to consumer interest.

“As a motion capture guy for the last 25 years now I’ve been using virtual reality. Like real time computer graphics. We used the virtual cameras on the big productions for [Robert] Zemeckis. So I guess i’ve seen this coming for a while now. It’s cool to see it blow up like this.

“I think that this has been a great way to reinvent this economy in a way. So were seeing a lot of people get away from visual FX and get into VR.”

According to Root users an education campaign is going to need to go hand in hand with the marketing efforts in the coming years, because the computers people use for VR are, given the costs involved, not going to be dedicated.

“What does a virus do to your computer running in the background when you’re trying to run around in VR?

See the full story here: https://turnstylenews.com/2015/09/17/the-virtual-road-to-the-proto-awards-part-iv-john-root/#more-44999

Virtual reality wins its first Emmy

For the first time, a virtual reality movie has won an Emmy award, as hardware such as the Oculus Rift and HTC's Vive comes closer to the commercial market. Sleepy Hollow, a short virtual reality experience based on the TV show of the same name, won the Emmy for user experience and visual design — not one of the more well-known of the awards offered by the Television Academy, but an indication that VR is moving closer to the mainstream.

Sleepy Hollow was created by Canadian studio Secret Location, in partnership with Fox, and was first shown off at Comic-Con this year. Attendees were asked to put the Oculus Rift DK2 headset on, before the show's decapitated antagonist appeared in front of their eyes, raising its axe to lop their heads off. The video closes with the viewer's "head" lifted from its resting place on the floor by the hair. Videos show the appropriately terrified reactions of people who braved the experience, clutching at their necks, double-checking that the visual feedback their eyes were seeing wasn't translating to the real world.

See the full story here; http://www.theverge.com/2015/9/15/9328673/virtual-reality-wins-first-emmy-sleepy-hollow

Canon reveals virtual reality prototype that you hold instead of wear

the device offers dual 2560x1440 displays (for a total of 5k resolution) and 120 degrees field of view.

In addition to the visual features, the device also delivers content with multi-directional sound that Canon claims (via its on-site promotional materials) will offer "a sense of orientation aligned with viewing direction."

The VR viewer doesn't appear to have a commercial name just yet, and by all accounts the device is just a prototype.

See the complete story here:http://mashable.com/2015/09/12/canon-virtual-reality/#AFn5uiMoyaku

Marriott uses virtual reality for tours of Chile, China and Rwanda

Called "VRoom Service," the new offering allows guests to call a dedicated VRoom Service extension or use Marriott's Mobile Request app to request a VR headset and headphones, which they can borrow from the hotel for 24 hours. Using the available gear, guests can then access "VR Postcards," which Marriott describes as "intimate and immersive travel stories that users experience in 360 3D" via their VR headset. Each story followers a real traveler on a journey to a unique destination, such as the Andes Mountains in Chile, an ice cream shop in Rwanda, or the bustling streets of Beijing.

The program is currently being tested for two weeks at the New York Marriott Marquis and London Marriott Park Lane properties, after which the brand hopes to scale it. The locations have 300 and 100 sets each, which are available for guests to use for up to 24 hours. The VR Postcards will not only be available to guests at these select properties, but also to the general public. Those technology aficionados who own a Samsung Gear VR headset can access the postcards through the Samsung Milk VR app.

See the full story here: http://www.successfulmeetings.com/News/Hotel-Updates/Marriott-Introduces-In-Room-Virtual-Reality/

and here: http://digiday.com/brands/virtual-reality-marriott/