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PRZOOM - /newswire/ -
Huntington Beach, CA, United States, 2011/02/01 - Innovation in 3D TV and HD video conferencing will mean more than just seeing your boss in 3D projections from cell phones, TVs or laptops. BrightCom CEO, Bob McCandless explains that immersive telepresence environments will ultimately benefit.
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The age of 3D technology in film has evolved from the early use of 3D in 1950s and 60s to the cinematic experiences of today including Avatar and Tron:Legacy. As manufacturers are racing to get 3D technology on high definition televisions, laptops and cell phones to view these types of media, many believe the next step will be 3D HD video conferencing. But is this 3D technology useful in the corporate boardroom, in the field, or at home?
According to Bob McCandless, CEO of BrightCom, “There are two different uses for 3D technology in movies. One is live action and the other is photo realistic, rendered animation and these two scenarios can also be mixed together. While the live actions parts are ok in 3D, it is the rendered animation that leaps off of the screen and gives you the depth and immersive experience of being a part of that story.”
As the 3D technology becomes the next step in viewing experience, it leads to the idea that people will want to communicate with each other in 3D over cell phones and conferencing systems. Electronics manufacturers like Panasonic are pushing this idea with their recently released 3D, HD video conferencing system complete with 3D glasses. Samsung, Toshiba and others all have or are working towards variations of 3D televisions and laptops, some with and some without the 3D glasses. While many industry applications like healthcare, manufacturing and education will be able to use this technology for 3D imaging, it has yet to be seen how 3D will improve the view experience for people communicating on an everyday basis.
In a recent interview Mr. McCandless stated, “We have moved from talking on cell phones to texting. Leaping up to 3D video conferencing on a cell phone seems like a big jump and a little impractical today because cell phones are very small devices; in five years, however, we will have 3D technology everywhere and most likely we will have cell phones made for texting and cell phones made for video. 3D panels will change video conferencing, but not in the way that we are thinking it will today.”
Mr. McCandless believes that where 3D technology in video conferencing can be most useful is in higher levels of immersive telepresence. In these settings, rendered animation can mix video with virtual and augmented reality. This ultimately will create the life-like feeling of being present in the same room with people across the world.
“Research into 3D conferencing at the Berkeley tele-imersion lab, show how we can mix these environments, giving us control of 3D objects and placing us in settings where we don't know where the real world ends and the virtual world begins, ” stated Mr. McCandless.
“In the business world, rendered animation of the environment, including a desk or background, could provide the depth and shadows that really create a seamless room for people who are on opposites sides of the world. It would remove the room construction and expense that today's telepresence suites require.”
In response to how 3D holographic technology could aid video conferencing and telepresence environments, Mr. McCandless believes that 3D flat panels instead of holographic video would be able to achieve this level of immersion much faster.
Mr. McCandless concluded, “I cannot envision using 3D to see my boss or grandma jumping out of the screen at me. We need to look beyond that and see how to apply it to breaking down the walls of the conference room and improving the communication environment.”
Mr. McCandless will be featured in an upcoming series of video interviews where he provides his thoughts and opinions on the past, present and future of telepresence and video conferencing.
About BrightCom
BrightCom (brightcom.com) specializes in creating flexible and affordable video and telepresence conferencing solutions. With unique integrated data and video conferencing solutions, BrightCom offers a wide range of options with Lumina Telepresence and ClearView Video Conferencing to connect people and content from home offices, mobile devices, desktops or conference rooms. To learn more about BrightCom’s quality telepresence and video conferencing with in-depth collaboration features but without a costly investment on bandwidth upgrades, call or visit the website.
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victoria_sauer[.]brightcom.com 
