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Google May Lead $500M Round in Magic Leap Virtual Reality Tech

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Re: Google May Lead $500M Round in Magic Leap Virtual Reality Tech

#61
post #16

Here's the video associated with the Nvidia paper on Near-Eye Light Field Displays linked elsewhere in the comments. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uwCwtBxZM7g It gives a very clear overview of the concept and prototypes.

GREAT VIDEO. Wow, I didn't really understand the whole point of this, until about the 4 minute mark in that video.

It allows you to focus on near objects, and focus on far objects. It's not an infinite depth-of-field display... You visually get to chose where you focus!

It's like the DISPLAY version of a Lytro camera! (I wonder if you could hook up a one to the other!)

This is amazing!

Re: Google May Lead $500M Round in Magic Leap Virtual Reality Tech

#62
post #7

A whole lot of money for a whole lot of buzzword but no information in sight... Magic Leap's own website has even less information. "On Oculus Rift and pretty much every other virtual and augmented reality experience, what the viewer sees is flat and floating in space at a set distance." I was under the impression that the Oculus Rift had full stereoscopic 3d? Either I'm wrong or this article is wrong.

Watch this video at the 4 minute mark:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uwCwtBxZM7g

It explains what they're talking about. Your eyes can focus on different parts of the view - it's not just an infinite depth-of-field display like we're used to. It's like the display version of a Lytro camera.

Re: Google May Lead $500M Round in Magic Leap Virtual Reality Tech

#63
post #16

Here's the video associated with the Nvidia paper on Near-Eye Light Field Displays linked elsewhere in the comments. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uwCwtBxZM7g It gives a very clear overview of the concept and prototypes.

Here's another video, with a human explaining the advantages:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=deI1IzbveEQ

Re: Google May Lead $500M Round in Magic Leap Virtual Reality Tech

#64
post #41

They got awarded $150k from DOD for: Ultra-High Resolution Scanning Fiber Display for HMDs http://www.sbir.gov/sbirsearch/detail/415788 ...Magic Leap is working to commercialize low cost, compact, high field of view, high resolution consumer wearable display systems. A quick search for "Fiber Scanned Display" explains the technology: http://www.hitl.washington.edu/projects/mfabfiber/ If they are building a new kind o…

The fiber scanned display appears to be a strand of fiber, vibrated in one or two dimensions by a pizo-electric. The "pixels" are formed by the end of the fiber strand.

Re: Google May Lead $500M Round in Magic Leap Virtual Reality Tech

#65
post #28
post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The Oculus Rift has full stereoscopic 3D. I think he may have misspoken. Just speculating, but maybe Magic Leap has some sort of eye tracking.

Light field displays literally show a different image to one part of your retina than another. It is not incorrect to explain that technologies like the rift are 'flat', as, while they may show two images, they are simply flat images on a display. Light field tech combines an array of images that recreates the way light works in reality. Light field displays are to the Rift like the Rift is to a 3DTV.

The Rift and 3D TVs are fundamentally the same. Light field adds 2 dimensions of information (2 axis that control the angle light travels). To me it is the difference between (2D+2D) and (2D×2D), or and .

Re: Google May Lead $500M Round in Magic Leap Virtual Reality Tech

#66
post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If the technology is as significant as it appears to be, doesn't it reach into enough billion (and trillion?) dollar industries? The investment in this kind of technology isn't just about gaming or Hollywood.

no single industry is in the trillion dollar range, not even oil

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_largest_companies_by_re...

Re: Google May Lead $500M Round in Magic Leap Virtual Reality Tech

#67
post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

no single industry is in the trillion dollar range, not even oil

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_largest_companies_by_re...

i don't understand how this counters what i say

Re: Google May Lead $500M Round in Magic Leap Virtual Reality Tech

#68

Disappointed Google is going into AR (ok, ok - "cinematic reality") rather than VR. AR is much more limiting than VR. With VR you can be "anywhere". With AR, you're in the same place - just with some stuff added on top. I'm sure AR will find its own killer apps, but I think VR has much more potential.

Bollocks. If I augment every pixel and have zero transparency through to the background real world, I've just turned AR into VR. VR is a subset of AR.

Re: Google May Lead $500M Round in Magic Leap Virtual Reality Tech

#70
post #67

Earlier quoted context omitted.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_largest_companies_by_re...

i don't understand how this counters what i say

The top 3 companies are in the same industry and just those 3 together have well over a trillion dollars annual revenue. It is a counterexample to you claim that not single industry is in the trillion dollar range.
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