philip lelyveld The world of entertainment technology

17Mar/12Off

New Technique Lights Up the Creation of Holograms

A red apple with green leaves -- it seems real enough to pick up in one's hand, but there is nothing there to actually touch. This is because the apple is a hologram, a three-dimensional image projected by light. In April 2011, Chief Scientist Satoshi Kawata of RIKEN, the head of the Nanophotonics Laboratory at the Advanced Science Institute in Wako, along with his colleague Miyu Ozaki, a visiting scientist of RIKEN, succeeded in developing a novel holography principle distinct from conventional methods which makes it possible to reconstruct a full-color three-dimensional object. The key to their success resided in superposing a thin silver film on which surface plasmons -- collective oscillations of free electrons within a metal -- were excited. In recent years, research on surface plasmons has rapidly expanded against a background of remarkable advances in nanotechnology, helping establish the subject as a field of engineering. In addition to holograms, Kawata has also undertaken groundbreaking research on surface plasmon applications in metallic nano-lens technology. ...

"The key to successfully extracting RGB separately from white light resides in superposing a thin silver film onto light-sensitive material. In doing so, surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) are excited on the thin film," says Ozaki. ...

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17Mar/12Off

Oreo: 3D

1952 | First 3D movie

This year, OREO turns 100 years young.
Celebrate the kid inside at oreo.com/birthday.

Advertising Agency: Draftfcb, USA
Executive Creative Director: Darren Moran
Creative Director: Megan Williams
Group Creative Director: Jill Applebaum
Creative Director / Art Director: Megan Sheehan
Copywriters / Art Directors: Jill ApplebaumBob Neuman
Executive Producer: Anthony Nelson
Photographer: Richard Pierce
Concept: Pierre-Marie Faussurier, Sebastien Zanini
Designers: Yego MoraviaJohnny Por TaingBangwool Han
Art Producer: James Kozyra
Published: March 2012

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17Mar/12Off

EON Experience Fest 2012 (by Philip Lelyveld)

[by Philip Lelyveld]

I attended the EON Experience Festival last Thursday and Friday, March 15, 16, in Irvine, CA.  EON develops software and offers services for 3D modeling and stereo 3D display technology.  They work with heavy industry, educational systems, and university researchers, and are branching into theme park experience design.

 

Here are a few stand-out discoveries from the event.

 

“Eric Hodgson*, Diretor of the Smale Interactive Visualization Center, Miami University, Ohio, is researching how to control people navigating a virtual world in a limited physical space (e.g. a room, gym, or field).  Using head mounted displays that isolate the person for any external visual cues, his team is researching the effective limits of fooling people into thinking they are traveling great straight distances when in fact they are arcing and circling within a space.

 

Jean Castonguay at CogniSens** and Dr. Fauert at the University of Montreal have developed 3D congnitive and spatial perception exercises that are currently being used by a number of professional sports clubs, including Manchester United and the New England Patriots.  They are working on commercializing the technology for the general public.

 

SPEC Services+ uses equipment that combines laser distance scanners and high resolution cameras, positioned in multiple 360-degree spherical scanning positions, to produce true color models of complex industrial facilities.  When combines with areal photos, surface penetrating radar, and other tools, their software is able to produce models that includes all elements (e.g. walls, wiring, pipes, foundation) with very high accuracy.

 

Geological and Historical Virtual Models, LLC++ uses similar tools to produce models with 3mm accuracy from as far as 80m away.

 

 

 

* Eric Hodgson, PhD, eric.hodgson@muohio.edu, 513 593 9804

** www.cognisens.com

+ Chris Todd, SPEC Services, Fountain Valley, CA

++ Geological & Historical Virtual Models · Dallas, TX United States

 

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16Mar/12Off

World’s 2nd largest 3D/2D IMAX theatre

CINEMAGOING in Sheffield took a giant leap forward last week with the opening of an IMAX screen at the Cineworld multiplex at Valley Centertainment in Attercliffe.

The larger and slightly curved screen which aims to fill the viewer’s entire peripheral vision was unveiled at a gala screening of Disney 3D fantasy adventure John Carter.

The £1m investment also provides enhanced clarity of digital projection and digital sound olus customised seating lay-out to maximise the audience’s field-of-view.

At 70ft x 39ft 5in, it is the second biggest digital IMAX screen in the world sited in what is claimed to be the biggest IMAX auditorium with nearly 600 seats. ...

 

You pay an extra £4.50 for the privilege and the cinema is confident that there will be a ready market for the ultimate 3D experience. And the enthusiastic response to the frankly unremarkable opening film, John Carter, would indicate that the sheer scale of the vision does make it especially exciting. ...

“What you find,” added O’Reilly, “is that real fans will want to see their favourite movie in all its formats and won’t be satisfied until they have seen it in IMAX, 3D and 2D.”

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16Mar/12Off

Belfast launches landmark attraction

The world's biggest Titanic visitor attraction opens in the ship's Belfast birthplace this month, 100 years to the day since the doomed liner was completed in the same yards. ...

A ride carries visitors through the sights, sounds and smells of the Harland and Wolff shipyard, while the liner's launch is seen on a glass screen which then reveals a view of the actual slipway outside where Titanic was built.

An ingenious “3D cave” allows visitors to 'travel' straight up from the giant engine room through the ship's decks to the bridge.

In the section on the sinking, the lights dim, the temperature plunges; the horror and heroism is retold, though here it is cast as just one part of Titanic's story.  ...

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16Mar/12Off

‘Jurassic Park 3D’ Re-Release: Date Set For Steven Spielberg Retrofitted Classic

"The only movie that I would ever even consider retrofitting is the first 'Jurassic Park,'" Steven Spielberg told Moviefone last year. "I think would look pretty spectacular in 3D." Looks like the acclaimed director is ready to put his money where his mouth is:Universal has set a 3D re-release of "Jurassic Park" for July 19, 2013.

Originally released on June 11, 1993, "Jurassic Park" earned over $357 million at U.S. theaters and another $557 million abroad. With the re-release, "Park" could become Spielberg's first $1 billion global hit;the dinosaur adventure currently stands at $914.6 million worldwide.  ...

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15Mar/12Off

NATO CEO Predicts ‘Substantial’ 2012 Box Office Improvement

John Fithian says that after last year's public "food fight" over premium VOD releases, studios and exhibitors have held private talks about how to grow the business together and says 3D has settled into a stable growth pattern.

... He pointed to the strong box office start to 2012 as latest proof that film product is the key factor in the short-term ups and downs of the industry. Last year's movies were good, but the industry did not have enough good product and did not spread it well enough across the year, he said. That is why it was wrong that after a 3.7 percent box office decline and lower attendance last year, some observers once again started writing obituaries for the theatrical film business. "The epitaphs were in," Fithian said. ...

Discussing 3D, Fithian said it is "settling into a very important value-add for our members." Expectations for 3D were very high after Avatar, then crashed to the floor as some studios released weak 3D product. But now Hollywood seems to understand that "you can't just slap 3D on a bad movie," and exhibitors have learned how to get light sources and other theatrical factors right for 3D showings, the NATO boss said. Overall, 3D has now settled into a "very good stable growth pattern," is doing good business, and it looks like the industry will be able to grow here long-term.

Digital cinema is now at critical mass, with just shy of 27,000 U.S. theater screens out of 39,000 or so now digital, according to Fithian. That opens up new opportunities for alternative content, and the NATO boss said that exhibitors are particularly "looking to get more sports up on screens" in negotiations with sports leagues.
Predicting that this is "a big potential ticket seller," he said that "we haven't cracked that nut yet." ...

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14Mar/12Off

Interview – 3D Sound (Sonic Emotion)

...

What is 3D Sound?

 

3D sound is a unique audio technology developed by sonic emotion in Switzerland and sold on an audio chip.3D sound technology provides consumer audio and home entertainment devices with the ability to create a virtual 3D soundfield in any listening area, immersing listeners in their favourite music, movies and games in previously unheard dimensions.

 

How does the technology work?

Unlike conventional surround technologies, sonic emotion 3D sound uses wavefield synthesis to create the illusion of sounds originating from all around – even where there’s no loudspeakers. sonic emotion 3D sound technology uses real soundfield reproduction to create the illusion of rich, high quality sound around all listeners, from just a single device! Now you can enjoy the finest audio no matter where you are in the room – without the clutter of cables and speaker setups. In a matter of simply plugging and playing your listening area is instantly enlarged and transformed into highly realistic 3D audio environment accentuated by outstanding clarity.

 

What products/brands currently use 3D sound?

sonic emotion 3D sound has already been integrated in a range of product models including a docking stations, towers, compact home theatre system, DAB radio and soundbars. In the past year, since its conception, sonic emotion has teamed with brands Coby USA, Haier America, Lenco, Pinell and Scott. sonic emotion is currently working with other well-known international brands: product launches with these brands are expected later this year and early next. Due to non-disclosure agreements with these companies, the names cannot yet be released.

...

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14Mar/12Off

A Walk Through IPG’s Gallery of Emerging Tech

[Philip Lelyveld comment: this is a good overview of some location-based marketing technology concepts.]

The IPG Media Lab on West 33rd St. is like a mini-Consumer Electronics Show on the doorstep of New York's Penn Station. Opened four months ago in New York, after a nine-year run in L.A., it provides IPG Mediabrands clients and partner agencies with a hands-on survey of the latest personal gadgets, interactive displays, wearable devices, embedded retail tech, and set-top boxes.

But unlike CES, the Media Lab exists not only to paint the future's picture for each guest, but to translate the tangle of technology into a strategic marketing plan. ...

Among the gadgets and digital baubles Lab visitors will see:

  • A tool that uses WiFi connections to measure people walking outside Media Lab's front door. When someone comes in, that action is treated as a "conversion." In addition to being a nifty tool, the idea has a clear application for storefront marketers.
  • A "mobile bar" with QR codes, near field communication (NFC) apps, and other uses. Rosenberg says, "It's inevitable that NFC will take off. There's too much momentum behind it, and the frictionless tapping versus the download of a QR reader."
  • A facial recognition camera for retail locations. A small camera embedded in a store shelf can guess a visitor's mood by reading facial expressions. "Unlike a focus group, your face doesn't lie. The ability to use this as part of a retail case study is interesting," said Rosenberg.
  • Life-sized video chat. This installation enables face-to-face customer interactions near product displays. What brands might benefit? Think Blackberry and other advertisers that struggle to sell products at the shelf level.
  • A 3D video display that doesn't require glasses. Rosenberg: "It's good for outdoor, but you can only look at it for about 20 seconds."  ...

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14Mar/12Off

Ray Kieser: Seven key trends for packaging and branding in 2012

6. Extreme sensory experiences

From 3D media and augmented reality to Smell-O-Vision and ‘feelscreens’, we are starting to be offered new sensory expenses within our leisure time and Anthem believes that brands are going to start to think about how to innovate by making brand experiences more immersive, real and exciting.

For instance augmented reality can enable people to see the contents of a pack without opening it or play a video game from a cereal box.  This approach will be particularly valuable at point of purchase, making product experiences more real and powerful at the critical point when the consumer makes their purchase decision. ...

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