Sony 'RayModeler' 360-degree 3D Display at SIGGRAPH 2010

[one]

http://blog.discover.sonystyle.com/raymodeler-3d-prototype-will-be-showcased-at-siggraph

This Japanese article has some show floor pics of the PS3 game demo for the RayModeler.
A PC or PS3 connected to a RayModeler via HDMI sends 360 different images (96 * 128 pixels) for all 360 degrees @ 30hz.
http://www.4gamer.net/games/116/G011649/20100728054/

 

[pcchen]

This looks very similar to Actuality Systems' 3D volumetric display system.

 

[goonergaz]

lol @ the game demo...other than that it was quite impressive

 

[Grall]

Terrible demonstration. Awful way to show off your 360 degree display by fixing the camera to one spot and then rotating the image on the device itself...

That said, I wonder how the tech behind it works. I assume - since it's cylindrical - that it's some kind of rotating, strobing display.

 

[Danalys]

These things always seems pretty pointless to me for home entertainment purposes. Films would have to become stage plays and games would have to be like isometric or top down games in design. No more grandeur or scope.

 

[boommoob1]

With respect people this would be aimed at CEO's, Marketeers, Analysts, Shopping malls etc etc etc at this point. Not gaming console fanboys etc. Pretty standard prototype stuff which Sony along with other Electronics giants release regularly. Not a "Terrible demonstration. Awful way to show off your 360 degree display by fixing the camera to one spot and then rotating the image on the device itself". I

 

[eastmen]

Much perfer a wider aspect ratio esp for computers. Its much easier on my desk to have a 180 degree monitor set up for me to use then in the living room.

 

[Grall]

Not a "Terrible demonstration. Awful way to show off your 360 degree display by fixing the camera to one spot and then rotating the image on the device itself". I

Fixing the camera so that you DON'T show off the 360 degree aspect of your 360 degree wraparound display is a pretty terrible way to demonstrate a 360 degree display.

My impression stands as-is.

 

[JB9861]

Fixing the camera so that you DON'T show off the 360 degree aspect of your 360 degree wraparound display is a pretty terrible way to demonstrate a 360 degree display.

My impression stands as-is.

Pretty much. Wasted 5 mins looking at the demo.

 

[Shifty Geezer]

Fixing the camera so that you DON'T show off the 360 degree aspect of your 360 degree wraparound display is a pretty terrible way to demonstrate a 360 degree display.

Firstly, the 2D footage doesn't show off the 3D depth of the projected hologram. What the users see is a Star Wars style 3D object made of light, which cannot be conveyed no matter you present it (well, I suppose they could have recorded a cross-eye cam vid!). But secondly, within the first two minutes there are several examples of the viewer moving around the display, and the display rotating! What more can they do??

 

[Billy Idol]

Interesting, this could be good for science!

Visualising 3D vortices in flows...this could be interesting if it is a good tech behind.

I once tried stereoscopic 3D stuff in this cave-like facilities...besides being extremely costly, it is kind of too much.

If there is a small cheap display, which can be used in every day situations - well, this could be interesting to visualize computer simulation data!

 

[MfA]

Firstly, the 2D footage doesn't show off the 3D depth of the projected hologram.

Hologram is usually reserved for flat displays using diffraction to shape the light, this would be more commonly termed a light field display.

 

[Shifty Geezer]

Yeah, but in the realsm of hollywood tech, it's a hologram. (PS - I didn't know that.)

 

[patsu]

I'd rather they use the money on the translucent/transparent LCD concept:
http://www.engadget.com/2009/12/30/sony-ericsson-xperia-pureness-hands-on/
http://www.engadget.com/2010/02/01/somy-x5-basically-a-sony-ericsson-pureness-for-a-tenth-the-pric/

If they can make the transparent screen high res with color or "mold" it into a pair of stylish glasses/clip-on, I'd be all over it.

 

[MfA]

Wouldn't work, you can't focus that close. You need something like this for transparent overlays :
http://www.digilens.com/Eye_Display.html

 

[patsu]

Yeah, that one. Go for it !

 

[ShootMyMonkey]

Fixing the camera so that you DON'T show off the 360 degree aspect of your 360 degree wraparound display is a pretty terrible way to demonstrate a 360 degree display.

My impression stands as-is.

You didn't happen to notice that before they did that, they moved the camera and kept the display fixed (at ~1:00 mark)? I saw this live as well, but my biggest problem was that in order to get anything out of it, you needed a terrible amount of data/preprocessing to be done. Comparatively, I was actually more moved by Sharp's 5-primary (RGBYC) display, partly because it looked a lot closer to fruition, while this struck me more as a minor proof of concept.