22Moo's Ultra-Light i-Vision Video Eyewear for Wii, iPod Video and Zune Plus Argo PC VGA Video Glasses
3D-News Posted: Wednesday, December 27, 2006 (10:58 UTC) | Posted By: Webmaster
22Moo extends its range of video eyewear with the all-new ultra-light i-Vision video eyewear range for Xbox 360, Wii, iPod Video and Zune. Also adding to the range the Argo PC VGA video glasses for your PC, Mac, PDA or any other device that supports either an AV or VGA output. The ultra-light i-Vision video eyewear range will be available in three colors, white, red and silver and come in two different models : The i-Vision 230 features a virtual display size of 35 inches from 2m away with a resolution of 320 x 240 (230,000 pixels), weighs only 72g and is priced at $250 USD. The i-Vision 922 features a virtual display size of 48 inches from 2m away with a resolution of 640 x 480 (922,000 pixels), weighs only 84g and is priced at $350 USD. 22Moo also introduces the Argo PC VGA video glasses, a pair of video glasses that works with your PC, Mac, PDA or any other device that supports an AV or VGA output. The Argo PC is also compatible with devices such as the iPod Video, Microsoft Zune, Xbox 360, Wii, PlayStation 3, set top boxes and more. It features two high resolution 640 x 480 (922,000 pixels) LCDs and generates a virtual display size of 43 inches. Amazing 3D stereoscopic imaging is possible also if used on a PC with a compatible video card. The Argo PC was designed to be lightweight and comfortable to use. It comes with a detachable light shield and features superb sounding earphones. The Argo PC puts you right in the action when playing games or watching movies. It also provides a high level of privacy when used with a computer, perfect for lawyers, brokers or anyone that needs to work in public areas with sensitive data. A separate, rechargeable battery keeps the operating time up whether a person is travelling or working out of the office. All adapters and cables needed are included. Just plug it in and go. For more information visit http://www.22moo.com.au

	National Geographic Films to Release on the REAL D 3D Platform
3D-News Posted: Wednesday, December 27, 2006 (10:54 UTC) | Posted By: Webmaster
REAL D will make 3D films produced by National Geographic available to its exhibition partners, it was announced jointly by Lisa Truitt, president of National Geographic Giant Screen Films and Special Projects, and Michael V. Lewis, chairman and CEO of REAL D. The arrangement will help expand the presence of National Geographic's 3D films outside traditional museum, science center and other specialty venues. The first title available on the REAL D Cinema platform will be "Lions 3D: Roar of the Kalahari", to be released in Spring 2007, followed by "Sea Monsters: A Prehistoric Adventure" in October. The alliance with National Geographic represents REAL D's first multi-picture pact with a non-feature film distributor or studio. REAL D seeks to make National Geographic's films available to school groups and family audiences via morning and afternoon screenings, when theaters often have programming time to fill. "Audiences are hungry for the thoughtful, exciting storytelling of National Geographic's films, and our collaboration with REAL D will allow people in new markets to experience our films in an immersive 3D environment," said Truitt. "REAL D has made great strides in expanding the appeal of 3D features. We're confident they can do the same for our films." "REAL D is delighted to work with an institution with the pedigree and global reach of National Geographic," stated Lewis. "We're excited to bring our expertise to this great educational brand, and to broaden the scope of quality 3D content to exhibitors and consumers worldwide."

	REAL D Adds Significant New Dimension to Carmike Cinemas
3D-News Posted: Thursday, December 14, 2006 (5:12 UTC) | Posted By: Webmaster
500-Screen Deal Solidifies REAL D as Largest Digital 3D Cinema Platform, Expanding REAL D to 850 Committed Screens Worldwide REAL D, the leader in the delivery of premier digital 3D experiences, announced an agreement with Carmike Cinemas to license 500 screens with REAL D Cinema technology. The agreement is being implemented immediately and will run through 2007, with 200 of the screens being deployed before the release of Disney's "Meet the Robinsons" in March 2007. This deployment brings the total number of committed REAL D Cinema screens to 850 worldwide, continuing the rapid growth of a platform that started in November 2005 and giving REAL D the world's largest 3D cinematic footprint. Films that have screened in REAL D cinemas around the world include Columbia Pictures' "Monster House", Walt Disney Pictures' "Chicken Little" and the re-release of "Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas", as well as Disney's upcoming animated feature "Meet the Robinsons" and Paramount's "Beowulf". "We are enthusiastic about expanding our current relationship with Real D," stated Michael W. Patrick, Carmike's Chairman, President and CEO. "The ability to bring moviegoers this revolutionary 3D format is an exciting advance and gives us the ability to provide differentiated content. REAL D is delivering what moviegoers want and demand: quality films in unique and immersive formats." "We are excited to finalize this agreement with Carmike and appreciate their vision regarding the future of exhibition," stated Michael V. Lewis, chairman of REAL D. "With this agreement, we are guaranteed to reach our thousandth screen in 2007."

	Northern Ontario School of Medicine and Stanford University partner on 3D iAnatomy collaboration
3D-News Posted: Sunday, December 10, 2006 (19:31 UTC) | Posted By: Webmaster
The Northern Ontario School of Medicine (NOSM) announced a 3D iAnatomy collaboration with California's Stanford University School of Medicine that will transform the way medical education is taught and learned. This unprecedented collaboration will use ORION (Ontario Research and Innovation Optical Network) advanced networking technology and Stanford's vast collection of stereoscopic images of human anatomy to allow faculty and students to view and manipulate high-definition, three-dimensional anatomical representations. Dr. David Topps, NOSM's director of e-learning notes that this collaboration is significant for Canada's newest medical school as it further strengthens NOSM's gaining momentum as a leader in the field of remote and distance learning. "Active learning is always more effective than passive learning," says Dr. Topps. "Interactive exploration, peeling away layer after virtual layer, is a very engaging way to learn. Students learn better by interacting with models regardless of where they are." Medical students currently learn anatomy largely from textbooks, static models and by acquiring surgical skills as an apprentice to a trained surgeon. The iAnatomy collaboration, however, consolidates anatomical knowledge into one multimedia, interactive server in order to improve the way medical students learn. With the aid of stereo-viewing instruments, students will be able to view hyper-realistic anatomy, and be able to participate in and lead sessions involving multiple users in different locations over the network. Dr. Roger Strasser, NOSM's founding dean, shares Dr. Topps' excitement. "This first collaboration with a world renowned university such as Stanford confirms our confidence in the importance of advanced technology to distance learning. The 3D iAnatomy initiative demonstrates how advanced technology is leading the way in medical education." Dr. Parvati Dev, director of Stanford University Medical Media and Information Technologies (SUMMIT), explains that "digital anatomy supports rich real-time interaction and collaborative learning efforts while helping to showcase rich sources of digital images." Through this collaboration, NOSM will use Dr. David Bassett's collection of images that he developed in the 1950s and 1960s in a process that involved cadaver dissections and photography at Stanford University (http://ianatomy.stanford.edu). The Bassett Collection is considered by many to be the most comprehensive collection of medical images. For medical schools such as NOSM, which do not use cadavers in their education programs, access to this well-known collection of labelled and annotated stereoscopic images of the human anatomy is highly desirable. Other speakers featured at the event included Dr. Robert A. Chase (Emile Holman Professor of Surgery Emeritus and past chairman of the Department of Surgery and Anatomy at Stanford University School of Medicine, and curator of the Bassett Collection), Phil Baker (president & CEO of ORANO-ORION), and Ed Brown (president of Ontario Telemedicine Network).

	3D Movie/Video Competition
3D-News Posted: Saturday, December 9, 2006 (7:10 UTC) | Posted By: Webmaster
The "5th Ever 3-D Movie/Video Competition", Sponsored by the 3-D Movie/Video Division of the Stereo Club of Southern California (http://www.la3dclub.com) will take place on June 19th, 2007. The closing-date for entries is April 30, 2007. More details - including an entry form - are available at http://www.la3dclub.com/events/movie/5th_comp.html

	2006 Excellence in Holography Awards Demonstrate the Industry's Innovation Worldwide
3D-News Posted: Friday, December 1, 2006 (5:33 UTC) | Posted By: Webmaster
The International Hologram Manufacturers Association has given Excellence in Holography Awards to outstanding holographic projects for the past fourteen years. This year is no exception. Sponsored by the industry newsletter Holography News®, these awards for hologram products or techniques introduced over the past year which represent the best in the industry for innovation and commercial potential, were presented at the gala dinner of the annual holographic industry conference Holo-pack•Holo-print®, held this year in Vienna on November 16. The Best of the Year Award went to Hologram Industries, the University of Liège Hololab and Lucimed for Luminette® spectacles. These are used in for phototherapy, the therapeutic use of light to correct disorders based on light deficiency. The spectacles comprise holographic optical elements (HOEs) that refract light from LEDs in the top frame of the spectacles, maintaining a spectrum that is close to sunlight, and focusing it into the patients' eyes, resulting in a better concentration of the therapy and also enabling them to benefit from the treatment whilst going about their daily activities. These companies and Luminette also won the Best Industrial Product category. The winners in the Authentication/Security category were Pt Pura Nusapersada, Indonesian Directorate General of Custom and Excise and the Indonesian Security Printing and Minting Corporation for the new Indonesian cigarette excise stamp which comprises layered anti-counterfeiting features, including a tamper-evident hologram. Commended in this category were Hologram Industries and Imprimerie Nationale for the new French e-passport, which includes a holographic laminate featuring a diffractive interference device (DID) in which the outline of France changes colour from orange to green as the viewpoint changes. The winners of the Packaging category were Vacumet, Wynalda Litho and Lionsgate Entertainment for the sleeve for the Barbie: Mermaidia DVD. This comprises a holographic film laminated to cartonboard, blind-embossed and overprinted in register to produce a highly creative and appealing presentation box, capturing the ripples of the mermaid's tail in the water. Commended were Pt Pura Barutama and Pt Eaglin Pharma for the cartons of Eagle Medicated Oil. These comprises a holographic film with security images laminated to cartonboard Both the winner and the commendation awards in the Promotion/Illustration went to companies that had demonstrated the imaginative use of holography in their own marketing materials. The winner was API Holographics for its Copycat Neutering Kit, a spoof guide to neutering (ie deterring) copycats (ie counterfeiters), an ingenious promotion for its HoloType™ authentication holograms in which imaginative use was made of holography both in the step-by-step guide and the sample holographic images, all of which were based on a distinctly feline theme. Hazen Paper, Wave-Front and A M Litho, meanwhile, were commended for their Enhance Your Vision brochure, a swatch book which itself presented overprinted laminated holographic board. The Best New Holographic Product award winner was ITW COVID for COVID T/E, a tamper-evident holographic overlay for plastic cards such as ID and payment cards. Finally, the Best New Holographic Technique winner was Spatial Imaging for its new Hydra Image Capture System. This portable system comprises a number of digital cameras mounted on a rail to record different perspective views of the subject - normally a person. The innovation is that Hydra uses as few as four cameras, but has unique software which creates intermediary views with correct parallax, so that the finished image (from which a hologram or other 3D portrait can be produced) may comprise four or more times the number of cameras. This provides for a more complete and high resolution final image, without large and cumbersome multi-camera or linear rail systems. The award ceremony was rounded off with the presentation of the Brian Monaghan Award for Business Innovation to Steve McGrew, founder of Light Impressions, producer of the first mass-produced embossed hologram, inventor of 2D3D holography, holder of numerous other patents and continuing inventor and innovator in holography. Recipients of this award, introduced in memory of Brian Monaghan, an innovative and imaginative hologram entrepreneur who died in 2002, are chosen by the IHMA Board for their personal contribution to and influence on the development of the hologram industry.

Stereoscopy.com 3D-News (ISSN: 1612-6823) is published monthly by Stereoscopy.com, P.O. Box 102634, 70022 Stuttgart, Germany. Editor-in-Chief: Alexander Klein. Worldwide subscriptions to the electronic version of the Stereoscopy.com 3D-News are provided free of charge. Material in this publication is copyrighted © by Stereoscopy.com. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited.