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PRZOOM - /newswire/ -
Huntington Beach, CA, United States, 2011/03/08 - BrightCom CEO discusses how telepresence and video conferencing technology is constantly being shaped by science fiction media's perception of the future.
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The cell phone, the video phone, the Microsoft Kinect and the telepresence suite are a few of the technological inventions that did not begin in the R&D lab, rather they evolved from the sliver screen.
Sitting at BrightCom's award winning Lumina Telepresence L37, CEO, Bob McCandless discusses the history behind video technology and credits science fiction movies as far back as the early 1900s, as the inspiration for many of the communication devices that are in wide use today.
“Of all media, movies are the most advanced form of fantasizing about things that we want to have in the future,” stated Mr. McCandless. “Movies can portray unknown technology in very realistic ways that make it easy for R&D teams to get inspired to bring that technology to life.”
Mr. McCandless cites the hand waving control technology as seen in the 2002 movie, Minority Report.
“We now see that technology in multi-touch screens or in the Microsoft Kinect. Our technology has all kinds of capabilities that very closely mimic early visions from many science fiction films,” said Mr. McCandless.
Video conferencing and telepresence technology is also seen in throughout the 1900s in science fiction media. Early depictions of the video communication are in Fritz Lang's Metropolis in 1927, Dick Tracy comics and movies in the 1960s and 1990s and Blade Runner in 1982.
“Obviously there are so many parallels,” continued Mr. McCandless, “but it is also evident that we tend to refine the technology that we see in movies or other media. For example, I have seen a real video wrist watch communicator similar to what Dick Tracy used. And while it works for speaking to someone, it was a little impractical when you wanted to show that person what was around you because of the awkward angle. A smart phone or tablet with a bigger screen provides more mobility, works better for today.”
“Another example is how we are changing the concept of Star Trek's holodeck immersive experience to the collaborative telepresent immersive experience,” continues Mr. McCandless who points to the three screens of the L37. “These show how we put a little different twist on same idea.”
But regardless of these twists, Mr. McCandless feels that the biggest impact movies and other media give to communication technology is the initial concept.
“The perception of the future give us a starting point by providing a large group of people with a vision and allows them to work independently or collectively to achieve that vision in real life. Movies will continue to allow companies, like BrightCom, to take what at the time may seem to be an over the top idea and make it applicable or practical to real life needs while at the same time pushing technology towards the future,” concluded Mr. McCandless.
Mr. McCandless is featured in a continuing video series entitled, Telepresence and Video Conferencing: Past, Present and Future. Stay tuned for more discussion regarding the history of video and telepresence and the evolution of live and pre-recorded television and radio.
About BrightCom
BrightCom video and telepresence conferencing solutions aid businesses in gaining more value with real-time collaboration and natural communication. With unique integrated data and video conferencing solutions, BrightCom (brightcom.com) 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 unique 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 
