SPECIAL AWESOME - stereoscopic resource

We at SPECIAL AWESOME are keeping this blog up to date with all the exciting news coming in the world of 3D with special attention to small screens, mobile, consumer devices, and of course - AUTOSTEREOSCOPIC (glasses free). Please dig deep, so much is happening that articles of monumental importance quickly fall down the list into obscurity. Interested in Apple 3D? The latest on touch-screen 3D hand-held devices? Intel 3D? Nokia 3D? ESPN? It's all here and more.

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Apple 3D Game Controller patent


Apple have a patent for a Wii like
3D game controller.



In May 2009 Apple published its patent for a 3D remote-control system. The report suggests that the remote-control system will be able to detect the absolute position of the remote on an X, Y and Z axes, similar to Nintendo’s Wiimote.

AppleInsider suggests that Apple TV would serve as the game console. Supporting AppleInsider’s speculation, PopCap vice president of video game platforms Greg
Canessa said in a Wired interview that he would be "customizing [PopCap's] user interface and display for Zune, ipod, [and] Apple TV."

Details on the 3D-gaming experience itself are scarce; when questioned about gaming in interviews, Steve Jobs has been tight-lipped as usual. But keep in mind that Apple is an overachiever and strives to be revolutionary. Jason Schwarz, a writer at Seeking Alpha, suspects that Jobs is going to blow us away with true 3D gaming: "You actually want to learn to fly a plane, to sail, to race Nascar, or to improve your golf swing? 3D Apple could bring these real life simulations to the mainstream," he wrote in a Mar. 14 blog.

Among Windows-PC enthusiasts, the most echoed criticism of Apple is its relatively diminutive grip on the gaming industry; despite the ability to run Windows on Apple’s Intel machines, gaming remains a concern.
Will the digital-music giant strive to conquer new territories by revolutionizing 3D gaming? Or will Apple TV just let us play crappy iPod games like The Sims Pool? We’ll keep you posted.

Photo courtesy AppleInsider

Sunday, October 11, 2009

3D EYEWEAR


Premium RealD 3D Eyewear

RealD are finally getting the designer eyewear out there. What took them so long? Not only are designer frames potentially an extremely lucrative niche. It's not that they're going to sell that many pair of specs - they're more of a luxury item it's good for 3D's image. The names bandied about by people who know at the 3D Summit this August are impressive (think: French - designer) and Ray-Ban are in there with their classic Wayfarer look.

Here's the story:

Look3D, a leading 3D vision company, and RealD, the world's leading 3D cinema technology company, have reached a licensing agreement for Look3D to design, manufacture and distribute RealD 3D certified premium eyewear. Look3D eyewear will offer the same crisp, clear RealD 3D experience as eyewear currently distributed at RealD equipped theatres and will be compatible with all RealD theatres worldwide.

"Moviegoers will be able to pick from a full line-up of premium RealD 3D glasses in cool designs with shapes and styles that hug the face like regular glasses," said Rhett Adam, director of Look3D. "3D movies are booming and we're excited for the millions of fans of RealD 3D around the world to experience the next film in Look3D style."

"Moviegoers are flocking to theatres in record numbers to experience RealD 3D movies and now they'll be able to have their own pair of premium RealD 3D glasses in a style that's all their own," said Joseph Peixoto, RealD president of worldwide cinema. "Like people having a pair of sunglasses, movie fans will have a pair of RealD 3D glasses personalized in style and fit, and certified by RealD to assure a fantastic movie experience. We look forward to additional announcements about the introduction of designer 3D glasses from top fashion brands and prescription RealD 3D eyewear in the near future."

Look3D will create multiple RealD compatible eyewear collections for adults and children, including a premium collection of glasses of the highest quality with styles matching today's most popular eyewear designs. Look3D will also offer a themed collection of glasses with colors, shapes and other design elements matching a variety of upcoming 3D major motion picture releases.

Look3D RealD eyewear will be available for purchase beginning in December with sales through Look3D, at movie theatres and online retail sites. Check out Look3D's website at www.look3d.com for a sneak peak of what is to come in 2010.

RealD 3D movies are the new generation of entertainment, with crisp, bright, ultra-realistic images so lifelike moviegoers feel like they've stepped inside the movie. A driving force in this year's elevated box office totals delivering three to four times per screen revenue of the same film on 2D screens, RealD 3D adds depth that puts moviegoers in the thick of the action, whether they're joining favorite characters in a new world or dodging objects that seem to fly into the theatre. RealD pioneered today's digital 3D and is the world's most widely used 3D cinema technology with over 9,000 screens under contract and nearly 4,000 screens installed in 48 countries.

About RealD: RealD is the global leader in 3D, bringing the most advanced and realistic digital 3D experience to cinemas worldwide. RealD's new generation technology, deployed across the world's largest 3D platform, provides a stunningly lifelike viewing experience. Beyond cinema, RealD is the worldwide inventor and provider of key stereoscopic technologies used in science, manufacturing, marketing, and other industries, with 30 years of scientific development behind its systems. RealD's mission-critical 3D visualization technologies are used by organizations such as NASA, Pfizer, BMW, Boeing and more. Visit www.realD.com for more information.

About Look3D: Look3D Eyewear is a specialist eyewear company assisting studios, cinemas and movie lovers in the transition into Digital 3D by creating seamless vision solutions which allow the audiences to engage the on-screen story like never before. Our goal is to ensure movie lovers experience Digital 3D as intended by film makers. Look3D Eyewear guarantees that all its glasses meet the specific RealD engineering specifications.

LOS ANGELES and MELBOURNE, Australia, Oct. 28, 2009 /PRNewswire/ --

Wednesday, October 7, 2009

VESA DisplayPort 1.2


VESA DisplayPort 1.2


DisplayPort 1.2 with its added bandwidth will allow for 3D at 2560x1600.


Display standards group VESA has revealed early details of DisplayPort 1.2, the next generation of its interface for computer screens. The technology doubles the amount of available bandwidth and lets the format produce images better than either the current 1.1 standard or dual-link DVI. At a minimum, the technology would allow a near-4K resolution of 3840x2160 at 60 frames per second and more advanced 30-bit color; the current specification is limited to 2560x1600 at the same quality.


Apple's DisplayPort mini-connector: soon to be standard


The advancement will also allow the extra bandwidth to be used for either a faster image or multiple images. It could be used for 120 frames per second images at 1080p and reduce the loss of detail in fast movement, similar to modern 120Hz HDTVs; that same speed could also be used to maintain two separate images in a stereoscopic 3D effect for displays like the ViewSonic FuHzion and NVIDIA's matching GeForce 3D Vision glasses. In 2D, the bandwidth could be split into daisy-chained displays and include as many as four 1920x1200 screens or two 2560x1600 examples.

Version 1.2 should also make DisplayPort more practical for notebooks and is expected to use Apple's Mini DisplayPort as the official standard, shrinking the connector to provide more space. The output format is already being made available by Apple under a free license but would now be officially encouraged for use by the VESA group.

Confirmation of Apple's participation and the full standard's specifications should be published in mid-2009; devices using 1.2 should be available shortly afterwards.

Source: Electronista