While the Camera and Imaging Product Association statistics have 2016 looking like the worst year for camera sales in over 15 years, one research group is anticipating growth in the industry. The biggest factor? Social media.
Source: Social Media Could Help Drive Camera Sales, Study Suggests | Digital Trends
This is not a stereoscopic 3D tour but more of a high resolution VR tour that uses wide angle, detailed imagery that you can move around and look around within, to give a sense of 3D.
This is a good example of interactive VR tech used for a tour – this same concept could be applied to any building, property – or facilities such as museums.
Source: CA3 Data Center – Virtual Reality | RagingWire Data Centers
While I created QuicktimeVR 360 still images that could be viewed online, more than a decade ago, and while I was shooting 3D video many years ago, I was a bit slow to play with VR.
What changed my mine was watching a VR 360 video from inside an aerobatic aircraft formation flight. Since I used to pilot light aircraft, I know what I want to be looking at when I am in a plane, and its usually not where the camera operator had the camera pointed! With VR 360, turns, climbs, dives, aerobatics feels natural, because I, as the viewer, can look where I need to be looking to see what I need to see. Watching one particular aerobatic video instantly convinced me that VR 360 has a future – when used properly. Of course, much of what is available to watch in VR 360 now is gimmicky – and we need much more content where VR 360 has a purpose, other than to illustrate itself!
VR 3D – that is, watching stereoscopic 3D in a VR headset is also a different experience than watching it on a 3D monitor, 3D TV or large movie theater screen. I noticed that a “walking shot” in VR 3D was sufficient to introduce a bit of vertigo (which is funny because I shot it, stabilized and I knew what was coming next!)
On Youtube, the 3D videos that have the most views are often those that display “3D extreme” as the call it, meaning they have many shots that project images in front of the screen. This is an example of a 3D gimmick, albeit, one that is popular with those watching 3D on Youtube.
I suspect this same crowd will – seriously – like extreme VR 3D – like my walking shots – that give a bit of vertigo. Kind of like being on drugs, I suppose!
On a more serious note, I have been giving thought to using both VR 360 and VR 3D perhaps in online tutorials. With VR 360, we could have several screens and the speaker all visible at the same time – just turn your head to look at the screen, or perhaps a physical mockup or the instructor. Let the student access the format that works best for the student – just by turning one’s head.
Back to reality, VR right now is in a very early infancy. Smart phones with “cardboard” style viewers work to introduce the concepts and capabilities. But the image quality is generally not yet quite good enough – splitting a 1920 x 1080 screen into two separate eye views means resolution less than 960 x 1080, and in reality, even less than that.
Smart phone batteries do not last long when used in these viewers and there are obstacles to keeping phones charged and powered while watching in VR.
Most (but not all) VR viewers lack a diopter or focusing adjustment; most (but not all) lack an interpupil distance adjustment. Most (but not all) VR viewers are unable to be used by those who must, at times, wear prescription corrective eye glasses.
These are not VR killers – they are mere obstacles that need to be overcome, and should be overcome in the next year, we presume!
Director Ang Lee is experimenting, and presenting, a 3D 4K 120 fps motion picture, but that version only shows in 5 cities, globally.
Elsewhere, IMAX is working on “theater-based VR”. The latter may begin with short (less than 15 minute) VR experiences in “IMAX VR Centres” located within theater complexes as a separate VR area – but initially as a marketing and technology experiment.
The article notes that for now, a lot of “gee whiz, I’ve got to see this VR thing” is driving interest. But eventually, VR-based content needs to deliver compelling content in the form of stories.
We attended a viewing of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, in RealD 3D.
The good news first: this movie makes excellent use of 3D and “theater space” placing not only moving objects, but occasionally actors, in front of the screen. This is perhaps the best done 3D effects and usage we have seen in 3D movies recently. Well done!
Incredibly, the movie theater handed out green/magenta analglyph glasses rather than the polarized clear glasses used for RealD. I took this photo with my smart phone to prove they did this.
As a friend put it, this is both hilariously silly and stupid at the same time. Most of us (me included) had not removed the glasses from the plastic packaging until the start of the movie. Sitting through 35 minutes of 2D commercials and previews, I did not want to smudge the glasses with my fingers.
Why does a theater even stock green/magenta anaglyph glasses? This blows the mind.
It took about 10 minutes into the movie for one staff member to hand out proper RealD glasses in place of the anaglyph glasses. We got to watch the first 10 minutes as a very fuzzy experience.
This was not a particularly “regal” viewing experience (hint hint). Sadly, this sort of mistake may discourage patrons from viewing 3D movies, for which patrons pay a premium price yet receive poor customer service. (Neither the theater nor the national chain apologized for the mistake.)
