3D technology takes center stage at HP Labs Pavilion
One of the star attractions at the HP Labs Pavilion at the HP Discover 2012 event in Las Vegas last week were the two big screens – one 2D and the other 3D – set up and run by members of HP Labs’ Mobile and Immersive Experience Lab: Henry Sang, Associate director of Immersive Technology, Nelson Chang, Principal Scientist, and Chris Willis, Program Manager.
Many of the visitors to the Labs booth stood mesmerized, with their 3D glasses on, by a truly remarkable 3D recording of an Earth, Wind and Fire concert captured by the team last year at the 2011 Consumer Electronics Show.
The project, called the HP Photon Engine Solution, is capable of broadcasting true-to-life 3D content on huge surfaces. It also allows enterprises as diverse as manufacturing, fashion, automotive and consumer retail, to transform how they interact with data and customers. Photon Engine uses specialized cameras to capture and display 3D images of an event on large screens. The key to HP Labs' breakthrough 3D system is its underlying software technology. Its algorithms link multiple digital low-cost video projectors to create a super-bright, high-resolution video on a single screen.
The team has also applied the technology to help users view large amounts of structured and unstructured data – including streams of 2D video, Internet content, documents, and photos, to support rapid decision-making. HP is already using the technology’s 2D capabilities to run global datacenter operations centers, for example.
Chris Willis demoed the large 2D display throughout the event.
“It was really interesting to interact with all the customers and also with other HP employees,” said Willis. “Everybody who came and talked to us got very excited about what we had to show here.”
