There is a lot of interest in Virtual Reality, but many people confuse it with 3D or AR (Augmented Reality). This presentation looks at the differences and surveys what's available in the market now.
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Let’s Come to Terms
1. 3D
• Slightly different images delivered to each eye produces a 3D, pop-out
effect. Some VR content is in 3D (usually games). Most are not.
2. AR – Augmented Reality
• Computer graphics superimposed in front of normal vision. AR does
not block regular vision, instead, it adds detail to it.
• For example, an item’s price and user rating may pop up while looking at it in
the store.
3. VR – Virtual Reality
• The user has his eyes and ears completely blocked off to immerse him
in an entirely different 360 degree world.
• The “virtual” world moves as the user moves in the real world.
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3D Effects
The pop-out effect in 3D movies is created
by showing slightly different images to the
right and left eyes. The brain interprets this
as depth.
1. Polarized or Active Shutter Glasses
• A regular TV displays images at 60
frames per second
• A 3D TV may alternate displaying right
side images and left side images,
resulting in 30 frames per second to each
eye.
• The glasses block out the left image from
the right eye (and vice versa).
2. Old style Red/Blue Glasses
• Red for left side content, blue for right
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3D Products
Recording in 3D usually requires 2 cameras to capture different
images for each eye.
1. Nintendo 3DS
• Glasses free 3D is achieved by using a parallax barrier that directs
different images to each eye
• http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/nintendo-3ds5.htm
2. Fujifilm FinePix 3D Camera
• http://www.fujifilm.com/products/3d/camera/finepix_real3dw3/
3. 3D Phone Apps
• The app takes 1 photo;; The user moves the phone to the right, then
the app takes another photo. It than stiches the 2 pictures together
The 3D effect can be seen when
the phone is placed into a Google
Cardboard headset that shows
the left side of the screen only to
the left eye (and vice versa).
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AR Usage
Augmented Reality uses computer images projected in front of your
normal view of the world. There are lots of useful applications.
1. Highlighting dangers as you drive along the road
2. Point out interesting details around you
• Like a person’s name and Facebook profile when looking at him
• Or the history of a piece of art that you are looking at
3. Provide a virtual technical manual and overlay as you fix a car
4. Design a new
product by seeing
what it looks like in
a real life setting
5. Playing games that
interact with with
objects around you
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AR Products
1. Google Glass
2. Microsoft Hololens
• https://www.microsoft.com/microsoft-hololens/en-us
3. Crayola Color Alive
• Kids’ coloring book where drawings come alive and fly
around the real world.
• http://www.crayola.com/splash/product/colorAlive
4. Nintendo 3DS Face Raiders Game
• Takes a picture of your face, turning you into a video
game character.
• Shoot the character as it moves around your room
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Virtual Reality Usage
VR blocks out your view of the world to produce a
whole new environment for you to experience.
1. A travel agent can show you what it is like to vacation in
Hawaii
2. An architect can roam the new house he is designing
even before it is built
3. Get a live aerial view from a drone flying over the city
4. Accompany a group of parachuters as they jump out of
an airplane
5. Watch the next World’s Cup as you roam the sidelines in
a virtual stadium
6. Fight along side the Space Marines against a horde of
evil aliens
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VR Basics
1. A 360 degree field of view is required
• This calls for a special camera
• https://theta360.com/en/
• http://kodakpixpro.com/Americas/cameras/actioncam/sp360/
• https://store.bubblepix.com/products/bubblescope
2. Head tracking is required
• To move the displayed image as the user moves his head
• Low latency and high refresh rate is very important to reduce motion
sickness
3. 3D is optional
• This means you don’t actually have to deliver separate images to each eye
– even though all VR headsets currently do this.
4. Interactivity is hard when you cannot “see” your hands
• Also the headset cannot sense when you walk
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Google Cardboard VR
• Slide your mobile phone into a low
cost plastic or cardboard case
• The case isolates the left side of
the screen to the left eye and the
right side of the screen to the right
eye.
• Magnifying lenses increase the
field of view and reduces eye
strain from focusing so close up
• Special mobile phone apps use
the phone’s motion sensor to track
head movement
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High End VR Headsets
• High end VR Headsets provide a screen and earphones to block out the world
• These headsets are tethered to a content source
• Either a high end PC or Mobile Phone
• Since the image is so close and immersive, display latency, PPI, and refresh rate are
very important. Backlight bleed from the LCD panel can also be distracting.
• A smaller Field of View reduces nausea, but is less immersive. A person’s natural
field of view is greater than 180 degrees
2016
VR
Survey #
Panels Panel
size
Resolution
per
Eye
Refresh
rate Panel
Type PPI
Field of
View
Oculus
Rift 2 3.5
inch 1080*1200 90 AMOLED 456 110
HTC
Vive 2 3.5
inch 1080*1200 90 AMOLED 456 110
Playstation
VR 1 5.7
inch 960*1080 120 AMOLED 386 100
LG
VR360 2 1.88
inch 720*960 <75 LCD 639 80
LeTV Super
Helmet 1 5.5
inch 640*720 60 LCD 534 70
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Oculus Rift
HDMI
Source:
PC
or
Console
Custom
4
meter
2in1
cable
with
USB
and
HDMI
MIPI
Panel1
Gyroscope
USB
Audio
HDMI
to
MIPI
converter
BluetoothUSB
Hub
MIPI
Panel2
Display
centered
around
a
Toshiba
HDMI
to
dual
MIPI
converter
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LG VR360
• Portable VR display from a mobile phone
• Lightweight. More like glasses than a
headset.
• Display uses DisplayPort over USB-C
SlimPort Rx
ANX7737
+
ANX7402
Bridge
IC
DisplayPort HDMI
Audio
MIPI-‐DSI
LG
G5
Left
Right
SlimPort Tx
ANX7816
+
ANX7418
HMD
LG 360 VR
DisplayPort
over
USB-‐C
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YouTube’s #360video VR Channel
• Users upload their 360 videos
• View different parts of a video
by physically moving your
mobile phone around
• Point your phone up to see
the sky, down to see the
ground
• Move the phone behind you
to see “behind” the camera.
• Cardboard headset is
optional
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Portable Camera Stabilizers
VR can cause motion
sickness, so stabilization
during filming is important.
1. Traditional
counterweight based
stabilizers
2. Active gimbal stabilizers
• http://www.amazon.com/d
p/B016S282A8?psc=1
