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Seeing the Future Commentary by Bob Perkins January 2011 Is this the future of digital electronics? The vendors at the 2011 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas certainly appeared to count on it. But, I remain skeptical.
Everything digital is now 3D, but the question remains whether the public will truly embrace it for the long term or whether is will be the 1950s all over again. The novelty of 3D appeals to people who missed the 1950s, but the same problems are likely to reoccur or new problems linked to the technology will come up. The image above is one of the new Sony video cameras, among a variety of 3D tools to be available to consumers. Will buyers eventually regret recording treasured moments in a format that might be a dead-end or at least difficult to transfer? Can you say "Betamax"? Glasses: Many of the 3D delivery systems require some kind of glasses to deliver separate images to each eye. The most prevalent digital technology currently uses an electronic shutter system to separate left-eye and right-eye images, but it can also deliver full 1080 high definition to each eye. The glasses require power, so some versions are wired, but the most useful models are wireless and are rechargeable. The systems are still subject to synchronization problems ... and the glasses may not appeal to many viewers. Polarized lenses are the simplest delivery system, where the left-eye/right-eye images are filtered by the corresponding lenses in those glasses now familiar to a new generation of movie-goers. It works, but again the glasses may not appeal to everyone. Anaglyphic -- red/green -- glasses are still out there! Kodak demonstrated a 3D camera and 3D printing. The system produces color prints with the red/green separation for depth. Anaglyphic systems -- which were used more than half a century ago for 3D comic books -- are the shakiest form of 3D. Supposedly the brain merges the images into a single, dimensional color picture, but practical experience suggests the viewer is going to be bothered by red and green tints. 3D without glasses sounds like a good idea -- among the products on display -- but so far viewers find that it only works well from limited viewing angles. In related technology, several vendors exhibited video glasses, where the image appears inside the glasses in front of the user's eyes. Unfortunately, among the sea of high definition video products, these gadgets provided a disappointingly low-resolution image in a tiny field. Why, the public should wonder, would anyone want this? That's a question that could apply to many products on display at CES. Eyes: 3D enthusiasts believe the binocular images are the single, or at least the single most important, factor in 3D. The reality is much more complex and explains why digital 3D may be a commercial disappointment. The brain uses a number of visual cues to create dimensional images, such as focus, shadows, movement and relative size. The combination of large-screen video and high definition images has already delivered dimensional viewing. High resolution images make the difference between the subject in focus and the unfocused background appear as depth. Of course cinematographers have played with this since the beginning of film. Movies shot with shallow-focus lenses can enhance the separation between subject and background, if that's what the filmmaker intends. But European cinema long ago introduced deep-focus photography where foreground and background are equally sharp. Forced perspective is used to create depth, where the relative size of sets and background make them look more dimensional than they are. The binocular view is just one of many cues that supply dimension ... and it doesn't work for many people. Perhaps 3D is mainly a young person's technology. As people age, their eyesight changes and often deteriorates, unequally between the two eyes. They learn to interpret that physical world they see, but 3D images confront them with twin images that don't merge in the mind. The variability of viewers' eyes, along with the limits or flaws of the image presentation, cause unpleasant results for many in the audience. Many viewers soon develop eye strain or headaches or begin to see the twin images as separate pictures. Everything 3D: Almost every visual technology at CES featured some 3D. Cameras, video screens, printers, laptops, cell phones ... even audio, in a sort of rediscovery of stereophonic sound and surround sound, now "3D sound."
For instance, this Sony Handycam above, featured a sophisticated stereo microphone as standard equipment. Audio cues, as owners of home theater systems can tell you, are an important part of dimensional experience, so maybe "3D sound" isn't a bad description. That Handycam above also features an optional shotgun microphone with windsock and an optional external view screen. External video viewfinders like this, once the province of professional video equipment, can be adapted to many video and digital still cameras. The quality, affordability and capability of consumer products continues its rapid improvement. From Sony, http://www.sony.com/index.php.
Tablet computers were everywhere at CES, running Android and positioned to compete with Apple's iPad. The Azpen tablets offered dual-boot Windows 7 / Android systems. From Azpen, http://www.azpenpc.com/. The most intriguing products at CES, including tablets, were the models under glass. Manufacturers displayed tantalizing prototypes that were out of reach from show attendees, hinting at features and capabilities that might be available in the coming year. Of course some prototypes were available to handle, but what a disappointment to discover exciting features that wouldn't work yet. Then again CES vendor display varied in quality of maintenance. The big vendors, like Sony or Samsung, made sure their display items delivered. But others seemed to pay little attention when their product exhibits shut down or lost functionality, leaving attendees to wonder about the reliability of their products. Why -- that question echoes again -- would someone want a product that fails in its first public debut?
The ability to write or paint directly onto display screens, as in digital pads like the P-Active LCD monitor and pen tablet for professionals above left, or, above right, onto large video displays like this full HD interactive whiteboard TV, appeals to users including educators, artists and designers, but the CES displays suggested capabilities and intuitive controls need to be improved. Touch screens and even touchless screens hinted at ways the technology may grow.
Internet television showed how the web is changing viewer access. Several vendors offered systems that would access video content via the web, promising changes in the business models of satellite and cable providers. Google TV, which had been primed to be the big news at CES, pulled out weeks before the show, leaving doubts about both Google products and the technology. Google's name wasn't entirely missing, but the expected flood of Google-related products was a no-show. The display above featured Hisense electronic products, although the Internet TV product is not listed on the company's website. From Hisense, http://www.hisense-usa.com/.
Does your Swiss Army Knife have Bluetooth capability? In a stunning display of the reach of digital ideas, the iconic brand now offers "knives" that don't necessarily have blades. The product above, which includes a fingerprint scan for security, incorporates USB memory storage and Bluetooth connection for the PowerPoint Ranger who needs to be ready to present at a moment's notice. Other Victronix products included a flashdrive "knife" and the more familiar Swiss Army Knives with extra flashdrive tools. From Victronix, http://www.victorinox.com/.
After decades of putty-colored boxes and nerdy gadgets, digital devices are developing style. The necklaces above provide fashion-accessory USB flash drives for around $600. Now that's value-added! From Beta International Corporation Limited, http://www.betaintlcorp.com/. Another company, Novero, offers fashion-styled Bluetooth headsets as designer necklaces. When not in use, the earpiece is concealed as part of the necklace. From Novero, http://www.novero.com/#.
The popularity of e-readers has generated some style of their own. CES featured a flood of e-reader covers, in handsome leather-tooled designs and even in "your-own-favorite-photo" models. See a selection at M-Edge, http://www.medgestore.com/. Some displays at CES would have been at home in high-fashion malls.
Say what? As manufacturers look for ways to jump on the digital bandwagon, they create solutions that don't seem to have problems. Sears' Kenmore home appliances promise wi-fi connectivity and USB ports. Why -- that perennial question again -- would buyers pay extra to keep in touch with their dishwasher, washing machine or dryer? From Kenmore, http://www.kenmore.com/. There may be some merit in the capabilities. The machines will be able to alert owners when they have done their work, or in the case of a refrigerator, when the temperature is incorrect, and Kenmore promoted the idea of long-distance service calls. One manufacturer showed a refrigerator that could inventory its contents and tell the owner what to put on his or her shopping list. Of course, some people would rather their appliance not know so much.
The high definition revolution has reached all kinds of cameras, including sports cameras. Camsports offers a selection of small HD cameras that are waterproof and self-contained with power and memory, handy for uses like the helmet-cam displayed above. Among the intriguing models on display was an LED flashlight with built-in camera. From Camsports, http://www.camsports.com/index.php.
Exemplifying the concepts of cross-marketing, Sony's giant CES display promoted its 3D products and its 3D movie, "The Green Hornet," with a 3D video display and movie prop, below. Techies like to have fun too.
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E-mail BobPerkins@redshift.com Wednesday, November 09, 2011 12:09:55
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