Technicolor’s Rennes Research & Innovation Lab Summons High-Tech Future
The virtual reality room, where work around visual effects is done, has that crazy-scientists-at-work feel. Among the advanced tech tools developed there is Interactive on-set PreviZ, a prototype augmented-reality plug-in for Maya delivering real-time image compositing and rendering during shooting, haptic feedback for actors, depth-maps for 3D and more, all in a single software package.
The Rennes lab is working on tech for consumers, too. One eye-opening experiment: The Immersive Experience, used to enhance movies, combines 360-degree stereoscopic video, 3D audio (sounds that seem to emanate from specific points in space, no matter how they’re played back), haptic feedback (which engages the sense of touch) and augmented reality.
“End users today have a real appetite to get effects and augmented reality into the content they consume, so we are going to see more and more professional and consumer technology blending together,” says Cristina Gomila, head of the Rennes hub.
The Rennes lab is also been focusing on “the Internet of things” — specifically, connected home services. Among its innovations: Ultra HD 4K set-top boxes which deliver more pixels, a high-dynamic range (HDR) and 3D audio technology simulating a 5.1 sound ambiance with a simple pair of speakers Although basic HDR is already available on iPhones, Rahier said the HDR technology which will soon be standardized will better handle contrast and will be combined with 4K.
See the full story here: http://variety.com/2014/film/news/technicolors-rennes-research-innovation-lab-summons-high-tech-future-1201346615/
Meta Spaceglasses
[Philip Lelyveld comment: Spaceglasses have a lower resolution and narrower field of view than competitors, and the price point is 3X higher than competitors. They'll have to make significant change if they want to compete.]
Meta was founded by Meron Gribetz, a former member of the Israeli Defense Forces technology unit.
The Spaceglasses will be available starting this fall on the company's website for $3,000.
Gribetz admits the bulk of the initial applications will be designed for businesses. And while it's still early days for augmented reality technology, Meta does have a few competitors, including Recon Instruments, creator of Jet sports-oriented smart eyewear and Vuzix, which makes video-based smart glasses.
The meta website is here: https://www.spaceglasses.com
See the full story here: http://www.cnbc.com/id/101581712
Alert! Websites Will Soon Start Pushing App-Style Notifications
What some call the smartphone era might better be termed the notification era.
The pop-up windows that inform you of a new message or tweet have become a central part of using mobile devices. And wearable devices such as Google Glass and the Apple Watch have been designed largely as conduits for notifications. Now, ordinary websites are going to send them to you too.
In 2015, most leading Web browsers will be set to support what are known as push notifications. Sites using the technology will be able to ask visitors if they wish to opt in to receive notifications. The site can then deliver them, even if that site is not open in the browser at the time. A news site might use Web notifications to alert users to a breaking story, for example. The technology should become available on both PCs and mobile devices.
James Cameron Talks ‘Avatar’ Sequels Budget and Underwhelming Virtual Reality
Cameron didn't appear impressed with recent hype spurred by Oculus Rift, the virtual reality startup that made headlines in March when Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg announced that his company would acquire the brand for $2 billion.
"There seems to be a lot of excitement around something that, to me, is a yawn, frankly," he said
"The question that always occurred to me is, when is it going to be mature, when is it going to be accepted by the public at large, when are people going to start authoring in VR and what will that be?" Cameron said.
"What will the level of interactivity with the user be other than just ‘I can stand and look around,'" he elaborated, adding: "If you want to move through a virtual reality it’s called a video game, it’s been around forever."
"Oculus Rift is fine, it’s got a good display and that sort of thing," he said offhandedly.
Cameron was also prompted to discuss 1995's virtual reality themed Strange Days, which grossed only $8 million and spurred a call from Murdoch at the time because of its disappointing box office.
"I got a call from Rupert after that one came out, it went like this: 'No more like that please.' That’s all that was said, and I thought that was very gentlemanly," Cameron recalled.
See the full story here: http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/james-cameron-talks-avatar-sequels-744806
Virtual Reality Storytelling Is Trending in Hollywood: Felix & Paul Studios Leading the Charge
Lajeunesse also argues that Virtual Reality creates a sense of immediacy that conventional filmmaking cannot provide. “Cinema is efficient. You have to move a story forward in a certain amount of time. Virtual Reality operates in a different zone of time. You don't want to be rushed. With a movie, it might take 15-20 minutes for you to care because you fall into a story gradually and we have to win the viewer over. There's nothing immediate about it. You have to earn it. With Virtual Reality, you have immediate empathy for a character because you create a raw emotional connection.”
This is the Beginning of VR Education, and It Will Only Get Better
World of Comenius, a project which started life with that goal (to enrich the learning experience) in mind, recently installed seven PCs each with the Oculus Rift DK2 VR headset, with mounted Leap Motion sensors, into a classroom at Mendel Grammar School in Opava City, Czech Republic. The school has a history of adopting progressive technologies that allow them to focus on the needs of their students and explore new and interesting ways to teach.
For this event, pupils were treated to a virtual biology and anatomy lesson. Donning the Oculus Rift, they’re transported to a virtual classroom with a skeletal model complete with interactive components, like bones and organs. The students reach into this world and can manipulate parts of the model at will, using just their hands.
The Leap Motion controller, a device which captures infrared light, picks up the movement of your hand and interprets gestures as commands within the application.
See the full story here: http://www.roadtovr.com/world-of-comenius-virtual-reality-education-biology-lesson-leap-motion-oculus-rift-dk2/
‘Zero Point’ Is the First 3D 360 Degree Documentary for the Oculus Rift, Available now
[Philip Lelyveld comment: Mark Bolas is a featured speaker at the ETC's upcoming roundtable on VR.]
Zero Point is the first 3D 360 degree documentary film to be released for the Oculus Rift VR headset. The film is not only shot for virtual reality, it’s also about virtual reality. Academy Award nominated director Danfung Dennis talks with virtual reality pioneers about the medium as he uses VR itself to bring viewers closer than ever to the subjects.
Dennis and his team shot Zero Point using a number of different camera rigs and processes. Viewers will see footage in 180 degrees, 360 degrees, and even some CGI—all of it is in 3D. The film engages VR pioneers Jeremy Bailenson, Mark Bolas, and Palmer Luckey, whose voices act as a backdrop to varied scenery.
See the full story here: http://www.roadtovr.com/zero-point-first-3d-360-degree-documentary-oculus-rift-available-now/