ENLIGHTEN3D

By Joshua Koopferstock

Frequent readers of this blog are familiar with Presto3D, a 3D model marketplace that we built and launched a few months back.  The main distinguishing feature of that site was that artists could upload 3D models in a standard Maya or 3dsmax format, and we would automatically convert it to a form of COLLADA so that we could show a 3D preview of it within the browser.

In our latest update, you can now embed the 3D viewer with a specific model anywhere on the web.  A one time plug-in download is required, but it is definitely worth it.  The 3D rendering and speed is impressive, as is the artwork by hundreds of talented artists.  The artist is credited and their models are linked to in the embedded window, to provide extra promotion.  And anyone can embed the models anywhere, provided the artist grants permission.

Right now, the plug-in works on Windows in Internet Explorer and Firefox browsers.  For those interested, the plug-in is a web-enabled version of the Feeling Engine.

By Joshua Koopferstock

I’ve spent a good portion of the last few weeks getting up to speed on the latest developments in the 3D display and 3D broadcasting industries.  Here are three of the articles I read this week that I’ve found the most interesting:

Paramount ponies up 3-D deal (Variety, Jan. 22)

Anxious to see more theaters converted to digital 3-D screens before DreamWorks Animation’s “Monsters vs. Aliens” opens in March, Paramount is offering to pay print fees directly to exhibitors who have the means to finance the conversion.

3D: is this the resurgence that counts? (Engadget HD, Jan. 23)

So, the big question is what are 3D backers doing now to revive interest in a format that most people already shrug off as a joke, and how on Earth do they plan to improve it enough to not only make it viable again, but downright desirable?

BCS title game going 3-D (Variety, Dec. 2)

“I hope the TV industry doesn’t get conned again the way we did with HD,” [Fox Sports TV Group chairman-CEO David] Hill said. “And we got conned. It cost us a fortune to go to HD, but do we get a penny more from the advertisers? Do we get an extra rating point? No. Everybody benefited but the broadcasters.”

By Joshua Koopferstock

Saw this over on TechCrunch and thought it was so visually impressive that I had to mention it here.  Google has teamed with New York City tourism to launch NYCgo.  The ultra-modern tourism office, powered by Microsoft Surface (UPDATED) technology similar to Microsoft Surface created by Canadian Gesturetek and New York-based VideoSonic, and the high quality 3D model of NYC in Google Earth, looks amazing; I’ll definitely check it out next time I’m in NYC.  Jump about two-thirds of the way into the video to see it.

Montreal, can we get an office like this, pleeeeeease?

By Joshua Koopferstock

I’m not a World of Warcraft player (anymore), but I think that today might be an important day for the future of 3D displays.  The latest patch of World of Warcraft, played worldwide by over 11.5 million people, now supports stereoscopic 3D if you have the requisite hardware.  This hardware includes: a pair of 3D shutter glasses, a 120 Hz, 22″ monitor from Samsung, and a USB infrared emitter to sync.  This will run you $598.  Then, of course, you have to have a good NVIDIA graphics card and be running Windows Vista.

So, don’t expect hundreds of millions of people to have things jumping out of their monitors tomorrow.  Still, if you are a WoW player who is looking to get a new system, this price is reasonable since a good 22″ monitor will already cost you $200-$300.  I got to try out this setup at the NVIDIA booth at CES (not WoW, but some other RPG), and it was pretty impressive.  If I was getting a new gaming computer, I’d definitely spring for the extra few hundred bucks to be able to play in 3D.  Especially since this system doesn’t work exclusively with World of Warcraft; NVIDIA has a list of over 100 games which it says play well in 3D.

One other thing to note: there is apparently a control on the infrafred emitter for you to toggle the “depth effect” which should be helpful if you are particularly headache-prone when viewing stereoscopic 3D content.

I want one!  But I will be holding off for now, hoping that I can somehow turn my XBOX 360 into a 3D gaming station at a reasonable price sometime soon.

More info at the NVIDIA site

By Joshua Koopferstock

Some of you may have heard about Intel Larrabee, a long-term strategic project by Intel to move into the GPU space.  Apparently, even with minimal promotion to date, word is starting to get around about the possibilities that this new chip will open up.

Anne Sweeney, president of the Disney-ABC Television Group, went out of her way to mention Intel during her Industry Insider presentation at CES this past week.  Discussing ways in which technology could push her business forward, she exclaimed her excitement over how technological advancement, such as new products from Intel, would bring her viewers closer to the content her company produces.  According to her, Disney-ABC is highly receptive to technology that creates innovative ways for viewers to interact with and establish a more personal relationship with the shows that they watch.

While not referencing Larrabee directly, this is my best guess on the new technology from Intel that she was talking about.  In my own opinion, Larrabee is the Intel product with the most market-disruption potential, so I will be closely following the new developments around it.  No launch date has been set, but the target is loosely described as “2009 or 2010″.  I’d bet more on the latter, and I’ll keep you up to date when I hear more.

Update: Actually, this is not a mention of Larrabee.  Apparently this is a reference to the Intel CE3100 chip, a processor and multi-channel, multi-format decoder for TV’s or set-top boxes, which will help provide access to Yahoo’s Widget Engine and add more interactivity to TV.  Good catch from Barnes in the comments!  I guess I was just too eager for Larrabee news, but it should start to pour in soon enough.

By Joshua Koopferstock

After having done an initial walk-through of most of the show floor in days 1 and 2, the remaining time was left to go back and see the gadgets that were getting the most buzz.  Any time I had mentioned “3D” to someone at the show, I would consistently get the response “Have you seen the Panasonic theater?”.  I hadn’t.  So I went back on the last day to their booth and checked it out.

A small corner of the hockey-rink-sized Panasonic booth

If I wasn’t a believer in 3D displays before, consider me a convert now.  Seeing their 10-minute 3D demo on a 103″ Plasma TV using active shutter glasses, I was blown away.  In particular, they had clips of a Lakers basketball game and a football game that were truly amazing.  The Lakers game looked convincingly similar to what you see if you’re actually in the stands, except you have the advantage of the best seats provided by multiple cameras and professional production crews.

A crowd watching the first-ever NBA game broadcast in 3D, in Dallas.

The 3D clips of live sports and other events (such as concerts) really impressed me.  Movie theaters may be in a prime position to capitalize on these events, since the large screen + 3D gives a truly “immersive effect”, and having a crowd for these kinds of shows is a plus, too.  In what I’ve seen so far, 3D adds a lot to the feeling of immersion, and this effect grows exponentially as the display size increases.

They were playing this at the (I think) LG booth on a 3D display.  It was amazing.

Thus, small displays may not benefit significantly from 3D, but in the higher-end display market, 3D will make a big splash.  Perhaps it would be more accurate to say “percentage of field-of-view,” rather than big or small, since 3D gaming on a 20″ display, sitting up close, is quite convincing.  Either way, expect at-home 3D displays for movies and gaming to start making more buzz come fourth-quarter 2009, and especially approaching next Christmas season.

Overall, what impressed me most during CES was the same thing that struck me during day 1: how much people are excited about 3D.  Perhaps more than anything else, this is a great sign for the new generation of 3D entertainment.

By Joshua Koopferstock

To start off the day, I sat down with the folks from IZ3D, the company that is probably the closest to putting 3D monitors into the hands of gamers.  The company’s 22″ monitor is actually 2 layers of LCD, each with linear polarization to give a 3D effect when wearing off-the-shelf polarized glasses.  The monitor is already being sold at Fry’s Electronics and Microcenter, and they promise that we’ll see it at Best Buy “soon”.

At $399 and already in retail, this is the best bet for gamers who want to start playing in 3D today.  There is a already a long list of games that are compatible with the system, and the IZ3D monitor requires no special video card other than dual monitor output.

In the afternoon, I made my way to the Central Hall, where the home theater and display companies were showing off their wares.  And were they ever!  The big players like Samsung and Panasonic must have splurged on CES, since they each had booths the size of a small Wal-Mart.

I doubt that, outside of their factories, there have ever been so many flat panel displays in the same building at once.  Both the 3D displays and the Ultra High-Def displays (a prototype) at the Samsung booth were visually astounding.

I finished off the day looking over some of the newest camera technology at the Lumix and Canon booths.  Facial recognition has become common place in the last few years in still cameras, and Canon announced that in their Vixia videocam line, they will now have autofocus based on facial recognition as well, allowing you to focus on many faces, or the one of your choice (because YOUR kid is the star of the 8-9 year old soccer league).  Plus they had a sweet dance to tell you all about it.