Christie, a leader in visual solutions for business, entertainment and industry, is playing a key role in demonstrating a new dimension in visual communications at InfoComm 2009. Three Christie Roadster HD18K DLP® projectors are being used for the first-ever transmission of live, interactive 3D holograms from London and Montreal to Orlando, Florida from June 17-19, 2009. The interactive transmission process is known as Musion Live Stage telepresence and offers a new way for people to communicate face-to-face in real time, crossing the boundaries of geographic distance. It involves combining technologies such as high-definition audio, video and other technical elements to transmit an object or person’s life-size image to another location.
Regarded in the past as a futuristic, sci-fi technology, 3D holograms are now a reality. Their “wow” factor makes them a compelling tool for live, interactive meetings spanning long distances. 3D telepresence holograms can also be used in other applications such as trade shows and retail displays, keynote speeches, visitor attractions, lectures, courtroom testimony, concert performances, entertainment programming and product launches. They are especially effective for venues requiring two-way communications between speaker and audience.”
At InfoComm 2009, UK-based Musion Systems is partnering with the best technology providers in their fields, including Christie, MASERGY and HaiVision, to enable speakers in England and Canada to appear as 3D holograms and interact with their remote audiences.
“Christie is very pleased to work with an exceptional group of companies,” comments Jeff Jaramillo, senior director of product management at Christie. “We’re demonstrating another unique and innovative solution that takes full advantage of the power, flexibility, and image quality of our projectors. Just as MASERGY is utilizing this technology with its guaranteed bandwidth networking to provide telepresence, new users will find creative applications for the Musion Eyeliner product and Christie’s digital projection.”
Chosen for its superior resolution, brightness and portability, the Christie Roadster HD18K projector is being used with Vista Systems’ Spyder to create the largest live 3D holographic display to date. Musion Systems’ patented Eyeliner® technology produces the life-size, moving 3D holograms that appear within a stage setting. It uses a specially-developed foil that reflects images from Christie’s HD video projectors, making it possible to produce virtual holographic images of incredible clarity with the help of industry-standard software. Illusio Technologies Inc. is the US-based licensed reseller of Eyeliner.
“Christie is a perfect technology partner for this application, with its variety of choices in HD projectors as well as Vista Spyder switching options,” says Nick Smith, president of AV Concepts. “Illusio Technologies provides 3D holographic projection solutions for live events and exhibits. The applications require not only the highest resolution but also extremely good black levels to accomplish the effect. The partnership with Christie to provide a total solutions package, which utilizes the Christie Roadster HD18K projectors and the Vista Spyder for image manipulation, is a perfect fit for our demanding requirements.”
Musion’s unique HD video-image capture processes and its patented Eyeliner® Foil apparatus4 creates the 3D image transmitted by HaiVision’s lowest latency H.264 codec, the MAKO-HD™. Smooth motion is possible thanks to Musion’s faster frame rate of 50 interlaced frames per second, which produces the natural image edge-blurring necessary to make 3D images look realistic. MASERGY’s purpose-built, high-speed global network optimizes the delivery of an HD video signal for a jitter-free, life-like experience.2 The Christie HD18K projectors display the 3D hologram images on-stage, allowing the audience to see and interact with a person’s transmitted image. The Vista Spyder provides the ability to scale multiple HD-SDI signals and graphics inputs to multiple sizes and positions. It also creates picture- in-picture windows with 4-6 layers on one HD output.
Musion Eyeliner technology has created life-size holograms of Madonna and the animated Gorillaz band for the 2006 Grammy Awards. 3D holograms of HRH Prince Charles, Sir Richard Branson and David Beckham have also been used for public-wide communications. The Eyeliner has also been employed by leading corporations, such as Reebok and Speedo.3
The 3D holographic demonstration is open to all registered InfoComm attendees; however, tickets are in limited quantity. Interested attendees can register for the event at www.illusiotechnologies.com with free pass code MTBF1 or by emailing Christie at golmar@mac.com. Show tickets must be picked up at the Christie booth (#3845).
The demonstration will take place on a 20x15-foot display stage in conference room 304H on the third floor of the Orange County Convention Center. Shows will begin every 30 minutes from
9 A.M. – 4:30 P.M. (June 17-19 2009). For more information, go to the following website links:
http://www.virtualpressoffice.com/kit/ChristieInfocomm09 http://www.christiedigital.com/Infocomm2009
About Christie
Christie Digital Systems USA, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Ushio, Inc., Japan, (JP:6925), is a leader in visual solutions for world-class organizations, offering diverse applications for business, entertainment and industry. A leading innovator in film projection since 1929 and a pioneer in digital projection systems since 1979, Christie has established a global reputation as a total service provider and the world’s single source manufacturer of a variety of display technologies and solutions. With the acquisition of Vista Control Systems Corp., Christie offers the most complete and advanced solutions for cinema, live venues, control rooms, business presentations, training facilities, 3D and Virtual Reality, simulation and education as well as industrial and government environments. For more information, visit www.christiedigital.com