Return to the archive index

Re: Inexpensive Display Technology

I'm new to the wearable arena, so please excuse my simple questions/comments.

Would a display that allows both VGA and NTSC be useful for computing (VGA) and
watching movies (NTSC)? Specifically, would a DVD player work with the NTSC or
does it work with the VGA? Or would the power consumption of the DVD be to high
for a wearable? Also, would a TV tuner be able to output to the NTSC? Or would
it just make sense to get a TV Tuner card for the PC and output to VGA? I know
that this is not a true wearable applications, but it might be entertaining...

Just a thought,

Michael Parduhn


Tony Havelka wrote:

> -----Original Message-----
> From:   R. Paul McCarty [SMTP:]
> Sent:   Monday, April 27, 1998 8:41 AM
> Subject:        Re: Inexpensive Display Technology
>
> > This is really depressing to see the interest in wearables, and have no
> > really *good* display for people to use.  I would suggest the M1 from
> > Liquid Image, but it uses quite a bit of power and I think $1000 is a
> > bit more than most people want to spend on a display.
>
> Paul,
>
> Thanks for the plug!  We feel that at ~2.5W, the M1 consumes very little
> power given its functionality:
>
> It handles both VGA and NTSC on the fly with no need for signal converters.
> It accepts a wide variety of voltage levels (6.5V-24V) in order to
> accommodate almost every existing platform and design with out expensive
> modifications to the electronics.
> It also has brightness and contrast controls so that you can modulate the
> power consumption manually.  i.e..  The brighter it is the more power it
> consumes.
>
> > It's hard to believe that there was better hardware for wearables
> available a couple
> > of years ago, then there is now.
>
> Ouch, now that one hurt!  I have to disagree with you on that one.  I agree
> that there were some higher resolution systems out there but they were
> priced well over the magic $1,000 price point you identified in your
> previous paragraph.  They were also heavier and drew way more power than
> HMD systems do now.   Any other system that was priced below that point did
> not possess the performance required for this industry.
>
> > Correct me if I'm wrong but people want:
>
> > *a low power monocular HUD display that is under $800 suitable for
> > reading text
>
> I totally agree with you here. Under this definition, the M1 would fit the
> bill if the price was dropped to $799.  (A group purchase would get that
> price.)   What you don't address in this specification is the support from
> the company.  As you previously identified, turnover is a problem in this
> industry. Products and companies are entering and exiting the market
> leaving lots of unsupported product out there. Good customer support is
> essential.
>
> If you take a look at the portable HMD industry it is dominated by small
> design houses (<20 people) that have identified a market and are gunning
> for it.  In the past year, the quality standard of products have gone up
> dramatically. At Liquid Image, the glory days of glue guns and Velcro have
> been replaced by robotic manufacturing and ISO 9002 certified processes.
> Next day delivery is becoming a standard on even large quantity orders.
>  800 numbers for sales and support.  Evaluation periods and money back
> guarantees are standard.  We feel that developing a strong product AND a
> strong company is essential for success in this market.  Do you want to
> hack an unsupported game device to salvage some low end screens or work
> with a manufacturer to achieve seamless integration of quality components
> into your product?
>
> > Nothing exists like this in this price range other than wraparound VR
> > glasses, which aren't really suitable for walking around with, or a
> > video display from a camcorder, etc., but there is some concern that the
> > NTSC signal doesn't render text very well.
>
> If you design software to run on an NTSC based system it will look great.
>  WebTV is a prime example.  Designed for an NTSC signal, it utilizes larger
> text and proper layout to achieve a pleasing result.  The developers behind
> WebTV content worked within the boundaries of the technology to provide
> useable and entertaining content - TODAY.  They did not wait for HDTV or
> digital line doubling technology to become part of everyday life or they
> would still have a nominal installed base.  This analogy holds true for the
> wearable industry as well.  If content providers are designing for a sub
> $800 640x480 color HMD, they will be waiting a long time.  If they design
> for currently available technology with future upgrade paths, the product
> is available today.
>
> Regards,
>
> Tony Havelka

From Wear-Hard Mailing list Archive (WH)
Maintained by R. Paul McCarty

Archive created with babymail