Instead of Google Glass, How About a Tiny Telescope?
With the Loupe, researchers suggest, the obvious act of holding it up to your eye, rather than gazing into the distance as you would with a head-up display, makes it easier to signal to someone that you’re using it. This could make people around you more comfortable, since they know whether or not you’re paying attention to them—a common concern with devices like Google Glass.
The device includes a proximity sensor to tell when it’s being held in front of your eye, and a magnetometer, gyroscope, and accelerometer help determine its orientation and measure changes so the display can always appear upright to the user. The current version of the Loupe is also tethered to a computer running Android and an Arduino microcontroller.
Alien: Isolation in VR is Beautiful and Terrifying
The design immediately calls up memories of the first Alien (1979) movie, bright whites and distinctive sculpted walls glide past your eyes in glorious low persistence. Then it hits you; the rooms and corridors on these ships are really small! This is perhaps a statement of dazzling obviousness, but it’s not until you’re put into the ship, completely surrounded by it does it really come home. The power of VR to convey scale is really drawn upon here...
Skipping story spoilers, you eventually end up on the vast space stationSevastopol where the mood shifts sharply and where A:I excellent lighting system starts to become the real monster of the game. The station’s in trouble, broken fiery gas jets, severed electrical cables spitting sparks and, most of all, acres of dark shadows. I mention this last point as here is where the Oculus Rift DK2′s OLED panel and the enclosed nature of the headset becomes absolutely critical – when it’s dark it’s really dark! Another seemingly fatuous statement, but when you wander off the beaten track or the room’s lighting system fails and you’re plunged into blackness, it is truly terrifying even without the presence of anything or anyone nearby. In VR, your human responses are evoked much more readily and being dropped into darkness on a scary distant space station will naturally evoke fear, I just wasn’t quite prepared for how much fear.
See the full story here: http://www.roadtovr.com/alien-isolation-dk2-beautiful-terrifying/
Leap Motion ’3D Jam’ Dev Contest Offers $75k in Prizes for Leap-Based Experiences, Starts October 19th
Leap Motion is teaming up with IndieCade for a ’3D Jam’ dev contest which utilizes the company’s motion controller. Leap recently released a ‘VR Mount’ for their motion controller which connects to the front of the Oculus Rift and the company is hoping to see VR-based and desktop submissions from developers pining for $75,000 in prizes.
Leap Motion has been working to breathe new life into their compact low-latency motion controller by aligning themselves with the burgeoning VR industry.
See the full story here: http://www.roadtovr.com/leap-motion-3d-jam-indiecade-prizes-rules-hardware-hubs/
Netflix Quietly Raises its 4K Ultra High Definition Subscription Rates
The Netflix spokesperson contacted via email confirmed that new subscribers, or current subscribers with newly purchased 4K UHD TVs, now will have to pay $11.99 to receive 4K streaming content. This is a $4 increase for HD users that signed on prior to May 9th, 2014.
The 4K content is available on select models of Ultra HD TVs from LG, Samsung, Sony and Vizio, and Netflix subs with compatible sets will see an additional row displaying 4K TV shows and movies in their on-screen menus.
See the full story here: http://hdguru.com/netflix-quietly-raises-its-4k-ultra-high-definition-subscription-rates/#more-14397
Someone finally made a truly 3D movie
But whether you're interested in his avant-garde musings or not, there's one big reason to see this film: it may be the first one that really uses 3D to do something new.
Godard, on the other hand, manages to film the world in 3D very much as we see it, using a long depth of field that makes the film’s world extend far into the distance. On top of that, many of the scenes are deeply layered, making the 3D effect more prominent than usual. In one scene, there's a good seven layers from front to back (not counting the actors): a potted plant, a chair, a bike, a barrier, a house, another house, and finally some trees. It’s one of the first times in a 3D film that the image truly looks like it has depth.
He mixes 2D and 3D
The more interesting use of 2D, though, is when archival footage (or, at least, what looks to be archival footage) is interspersed with the newly shot 3D footage in the film. In many ways, this is a modernized equivalent to cutting back to a black-and-white flashback. The fact that it's 2D lets us know that it's out of the modern narrative.
He totally messes with your vision
Sometimes the 3D in Goodbye to Language looks crisp, clean, and downright gorgeous. Other times, it'll drive you cross-eyed — and that's exactly what Godard wants to do.
See the full story here: http://www.theverge.com/2014/9/21/6563495/goodbye-to-language-godard-messes-with-3d-and-its-awesome
A Preview of Oculus’ Newly Licensed Audio Tech Reveals Stunning 3D Sound
Audio is absolutely vital to the dramatic impact of almost all forms of entertainment.
Oculus made it clear last month at its inaugural developer event ,’Oculus Connect’, that audio is in their sights. Not only was the new Crescent Bay prototype revealed sporting top-quality integrated headphones, but also a high quality audio pipeline utilising RealSpace 3D Audio, a proprietary 3D audio mixing and processing technology developed by a company calledVisisonics.
Visisonics offers a wide array of solutions for capturing, mixing and processing 3D sound stages, including a neat ‘Audio Panoramic Camera’, an 8-inch sphere with 64 mics and 5 cameras embedded for capturing panoramic video with expansive sound to match.
The company has close ties to theUniversity of Maryland, an institution attended (and subsequently dropped out) by Oculus CEO, Brendan Iribe.
Visisonics are a spinout company from the school, currently holding exclusive licensing rights to technology developed on campus. They’ve focussed on the capture, mixing and processing of spatial audio, specialising in systems based around HRTF (head-related transfer function)
See the full story here: http://www.roadtovr.com/oculus-rift-dk2-realsense-3d-audio-preview-download/
3D ‘Interstellar’ in Oculus Rift virtual reality exhibit
The most stunning view of Christopher Nolan'sInterstellar to date is now available — through the immersive Oculus Rift Interstellar Experience.
The virtual Oculus Rift world was revealed on Monday in New York City and will travel throughout the country ahead of the film's opening Nov. 7.
The Oculus Rift experience allows participants to don high-tech headsets (known as the Oculus Rift development kit) to feel as if they are traveling, even floating in zero gravity through the Endurance spacecraft from the film.
Mike Woods, executive creative director of the effects house Framestore, says theInterstellar Oculus Rift experience is even "a considerable step up" from the Game of Thrones experience his company created this year to wide acclaim.
The project required a team of 15-20 people over the span of two months to painstakingly re-create the world and "the exact ship" from the movie.
The tour will hit participating AMC IMAX theaters in New York, Houston, Los Angelesand the Washington, D.C. area. As part of the Oculus exhibit, the smaller Ranger ship from Interstellar will make its world-wide debut at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum's Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Va. The exhibit will be open to the public Nov. 6-20.
See the full story here: http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/movies/2014/10/06/interstellar-oculus-rift/16806167/
Augmented Reality Glasses Review: Epson Moverio BT-200
Images are projected in front of both eyes, using 2 projectors. The resolution is 960 x 540 and it’s transparent. 3D images are possible so great for the gamers, the entertainment lovers and also for industry.
Built-in motion sensors detect your head movements. With additional motion sensors on the controller. Yes, there’s a controller.
The controller has a textured touchpad and a micro-sd card slot. Connection to Wi-Fi and Bluetooth is via the controller. Battery life is 6 hours. The micro-USB charger connects to the controller.
With a front-facing camera and the dual-screen combination then yes, these smart glasses are made for AR.
Field of view is approximately 23 degrees. You get built-in GPS, Accelerometer, Microphone, Compass and Gyroscope. Audio is via Dolby Digital Plus Surround Sound. You’ll need the earbuds (supplied) to use it.
The Epson Moverio BT-200 runs on Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich), with an OMAP 4460 1.2ghz dual-core processor and 1GB RAM. Add to this 8GB of internal memory, expandable to 32GB, then you’ve got the makings of a decent pair of smart glasses.
Apps
Present count is 17 built-in apps and 13 available from the Moverio “ apps market”. Not a huge yield but it’s a start.
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Thumbs Up?
- Considerably cheaper than its main competition, Google Glass.
- Dual-purpose smart glasses. Can be used in industry and by the consumer market.
- Dolby Digital Surround Sound
- Battery life is 6 hours.
- 8GB internal memory that you can extend to 32GB with a Micro SDHC
Thumbs Down?
- Uncomfortable to wear over your own glasses.
- The controller and cord. Not great.
- Reports of issues with clarity.
- The resolution, at 960 x 540 could be better.
Verdict
These transparent, binocular smart glasses are a step in the right direction by Epson. When you’ve got the likes of the Vuzix M-100 and Golden-i in your field, it’s good that they have had a rethink and moved away from the BT-100. There’s less emphasis on industry and more on the consumer, gamers in particular.
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See the full review here: http://www.techglasses.com/smart-glasses-review-epson-moverio-bt-200/