3D

Buzz Out Loud 730: Tom is a pervert

We're sorry to inform you that Tom has been kicked off Buzz Out Loud for being 37 years old, because you just can't tell by looking. Well, OK, not BOL, but he did get kicked off Faceparty. In other news, Twitter gets some funding, but we're asking for a better Twitter. Also, the future has arrived, and it's a future with health insurance, no matter what your genetic markers might suggest. Listen now: Download today's podcast EPISODE 730

Sony to distribute ‘live’ shows to theaters http://online.wsj.com/article_email/ SB121142408161613141-lMyQjAxMDI4MTIxMjQyMjI0Wj.html

Twitter reportedly closes $… Read more

Regal, Real D partner in 3D theater upgrade

Regal Entertainment Group, the nation's largest movie theater chain, said Tuesday it has reached an agreement with Real D to upgrade 1,500 screens with 3D technology.

The Regal deal is the largest commitment to 3D by any theater chain, the companies said, raising the number of screens running Real D's 3D technology to more than 3,500.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed. The launch will allow most U.S. markets to have 3D capability and will commence upon the completion of the Digital Cinema Implementation Partners (DCIP) initiative, the companies said.

"We look forward … Read more

James Cameron: 3D heading beyond movies

REDMOND, Wash.--Filmmaker James Cameron sees the world in stereo. So does everyone else, though, and that's exactly his point.

"When you are viewing in stereo, which is what we do," Cameron said, "more neurons are firing. More blood is pumping through the brain."

Cameron has been a big proponent of making movies in 3D, but he said that the digital projectors going into movie theaters are capable of showing more than just movies. Cameron's talk came as part of Microsoft's Advance 08 advertising conference, which runs through Wednesday.

"That digital image … Read more

Google gathers 3D data with Street View

Google confirmed today it's gathering 3D data along with the photographs it takes for its online Street View service, a potential boon for those of us who fantasize about flying like Superman through urban landscapes, at least virtually.

"The imaging technology includes lasers that collect 3D geometry data," the company said Thursday in a statement. However, for now at least, the 3D information is just experimental, Google said.

Savvy observers, looking at Flickr pictures of Google Street View cars gathering images in Milan, had identified the 3D laser scanners in April. At the time, Google didn't … Read more

New 3D display may soon ship, sans glasses

Minority Report's holographic images made 3D cool again, and still more impressive was 6th Day's highly interactive virtual girlfriend who could even unzip your pants. But until that day arrives, PureDepth's upcoming MLD (Multi-Layer Display) project looks like a start. Developed jointly with Samsung and rumored to launch soon, this joint effort will roll out a 46-inch MLD LCD display that consists of two or more layers of LCD panels sandwiched within a frame and sharing a common backlight. The result is images onscreen that have a 3D appearance. Better yet, there's no need to don … Read more

Autodesk add-in models 'green' goods to come

Software plays a key role in the clean-tech world, whether helping consumers size up their carbon footprints and crunch the costs of solar panels, or aiding manufacturers in reducing toxicity throughout the supply chain.

Autodesk unveiled an add-in in April to enable designers using prototyping software Inventor to calculate the carbon emissions of an array of products.

The Sustainable Materials Assistant, available as a preview through Autodesk Labs, also adds up data about the toxicity and recyclability of materials used, and how the final result might comply with regional regulations.

Users must populate data fields with information about toxic ingredients, … Read more

Nvidia to make all your PC games 3D (if you so choose)

Thanks to a new software driver Nvidia is cooking up, any PC game can be played in 3D, with no extra work on the part of game developers.

Beginning this summer, any PC with an Nvidia graphics processor will have the ability to run a game in normal mode, or in 3D, with the aid of 3D glasses.

The software driver will enable the ability to have two views--left eye and right eye--which, at the push of a button, appear blurry and pixelated to the naked eye. When viewed through 3D lenses though, the game pops into three-dimensional mode.

The … Read more

Want to see that ad in 3D?

Here comes a new way for advertisers to capture attention: software that turns 2D images into 3D simulations when consumers play with them in front of a Webcam.

Total Immersion's D'Fusion system is composed of a kiosk, Web cameras, and software capable of recognizing, tracking, and rendering images.

It works like this. Customers view themselves on a screen through a Webcam and hold up a 2D picture. Suddenly the 2D picture pops up and consumers see themselves holding a 3D simulation of the product in the brochure on the kiosk's video feed. Sometimes it doesn't work: … Read more

Google takes Street View to Europe--in 3D?

Google Earth and Maps could cover a lot more territory with a lot more detail soon, if some photos from Italy are anything to judge by.

First, evidenced by Google-branded cars traversing Milan, is the possibility that Google is acquiring European imagery for its Street View feature.

Second is the observation, based on scrutiny of those pictures, that Google could be gathering 3D data along with the photos.

"With an automated solution, they could go for blanket 3D coverage," rather than the more limited approach today involving user contributions of basic 3D models, robotics engineering student Mark Cummins … Read more