VR 3D, VR 180 stereoscopic cameras shown at #CES2018

I will do a post at some point on re-formatting conventional 3D video for use in VR Cardboard viewers.

Conventional 3D video typically used side-by-side or top over bottom encoding of 3D content.  Top over bottom does not work at all for conventional VR viewing apps, and side-by-side displays a horizontally squished/vertically stretched image perspective. Consequently, neither works with standard VR viewers. Side by side is also sometimes called “half side by side”.

Some apps do correctly recreate a side by side image but do so only in a small portion of the phone’s screen centered in front of the cardboard viewer’s lenses. Unfortunately, this small image cuts the image resolution so low that the image quality suffers tremendously and the original 3D content is nearly useless.

IF Cardboard viewing apps provided reformatting of standard 3D formats into VR 3D formats properly, this would not be a problem. But for now, it is a big problem.

A possible solution, based on my tests, is to take one’s original stereoscopic 3D and recompress an output file as full size, side by side. Upload the full size, side by side video to Youtube.

When played back on the Youtube viewer, these videos display using most of the phone screen, such that image resolution remains very good. Each eye sees an original image in a 960×540 resolution (roughly) which is far better than perhaps half of that seen on conventional side by side Cardboard viewing apps.

More on this another time.

 

#Ricoh introduces software development kit, APIs for Theta V #VR camera #VR360 #CES2018

Yay! Ricoh announces a software development kit and partner program for third parties to add features to their Theta V camera.

This is exciting – 4-5 years ago, I approached all the camera makers at CES about adding an SDK for their cameras. Panasonic was interested, Sony and Canon did not blow me off, but Nikon was stuck on stupid.

Nikon told me that allowing third parties to add features to their products would ruin the Nikon brand.

I said, “Just like how third party software ruined the Apple iPhone?”

The Nikon staff did actually laugh at that and noted they understood what I was saying but they had to speak the company line and management would never go for something like that. Since then, Nikon has been suffering significant financial challenges – oh well!

GoPro to end Karma drone product #GoPro #Drone #Drones

GroPro says that regulations in the U.S. and Europe are “hostile” to the drone business, without offering an  explanation. GoPro is getting out of the drone business.

Here is a survey of regulations in Europe, including Russia range from hostile to drone usage to straight forward, depending on the country. Some countries require a commercial license if the drone takes any pictures at all, for example, and Sweden bans all photography from drones over everything except private property. Some countries require a pilot’s license or commercial pilot’s license (not a US Part 107 drone certificate but an actual pilot’s license, including passage of a medical exam) for any commercial use, which may include merely taking photos. Some countries require registering your drone, even if for hobby use, with a government agency (and paying fees), while some requiring filing a flight plan with the aviation authorities prior to each flight.

There are efforts underway to establish an EU-wide drone regulation framework so that the rules would be consistent throughout the EU.

South Africa has strict regulations as well.

Will virtual reality lead to more effective propaganda? | SocialPanic.org – Occupy Propaganda

By “effective” we mean, propaganda that is more successful at persuading someone to adopt someone else’s agenda:

“What really makes people trust VR more is that it creates a greater sense of realism compared to text and that creates the trustworthiness,” said Sundar.

Source: Will virtual reality lead to more effective propaganda? | SocialPanic.org – Occupy Propaganda