3D Technologies Bring Communication to a Higher Level of Realism

The concept of 3D is not new as people had been intermittently flocking to cinema houses as early as the 60s to watch some 3D cinematic extravaganzas.

The concept of 3D is not new as people had been intermittently flocking to cinema houses as early as the 60s to watch some 3D cinematic extravaganzas. They require viewers to wear anaglyph paper or plastic glasses with red and green for each eye to decipher the three dimensional video sensation.

These days, the computer power available has increased a hundred fold allowing imaging technologies to allow moving images to be presented in high definition realism and three dimensional visual perceptions for the viewer. Using anaglyphs are a thing of the past. But goggles are often required using entirely different viewing principles like Stereoscopic 3D. Here are a couple of 3D technologies that has significant promise both for home and office use.

Tele Immersion

Holographic projection has been bandied about as the next generation video format. The computing power to make this happen has its foot on the door that promises to revolutionize the way people communicate both at home and in the office. The concept is basically a 3D holographic imaging of both parties involved in a call using an array of cameras and internet telephony.

Anyone familiar with the holodeck in Star Trek can understand tele-immersion. It allows projection in a room that allows interactivity as if the projected objects, sceneries and people are real. Tele-immersion is the current technology''s answer to the holodeck but falls short on interactivity. It is halfway towards true virtual reality sensation which is essentially what the Star Trek holodeck is.

Tele-immersion is VR but without the interactivity. It just takes video conferring a step further by simulating a projected environment where participants get together in a virtual room and see each other as if they were together in a real room. This makes business travel to attend conferences and seminar unnecessary. Rather than just a single web, an array of cameras is positioned in a room to capture relational depth that does with the telephone signal over the internet.

The application goes beyond communication to cover gaming as well virtual tourism where you get to see virtual locations of life-like intensity. You still need to wear special goggles or headgears to get into the tele-immersive experience.

Musion Eyeliner

No need for special glasses. The Musion® Eyeliner? System is a perceptual sensory imaging technology that uses existing high definition projection systems to create a spectacular 3D visual experience. The technology has been used in stage plays and presentations where holographs of characters are presented together with real characters on a stage using computer generated graphics, animation or live shots. The effect is similar to the juxtaposed animation characters over live humans in the move "Who Farmed Roger Rabbit." Even 2D materials can take advantage of the Musion Eyeliner to present convincingly immersive 3D viewing.

Endless Possibilities

Theater and movie viewing will benefit the most from these emerging 3D technologies. Business may also benefit with virtual tele and video conferencing taken to their next level of realism, but some enhancements to the current internet telephony bandwidth remains to be implemented first, such as doubling the current internet bandwidth ceilings. But it''s just a matter of time. Expect the 3D technologies to invade the homes as well. GP

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