Return to the archive index

RE: Inexpensive Display Technology

-----Original Message-----
From:	R. Paul McCarty [SMTP:]
Sent:	Tuesday, April 28, 1998 9:48 AM
To:	
Cc:	
Subject:	Re: Inexpensive Display Technology

> Excellent points from a marketing point of view, but most of the people
> on this list aren't interested in adding momentum to the wearable
> peripheral market to advance product selection from manufacturers, and
> they aren't going to think along these lines.

Don't you find this odd? Especially when manufacturers are willing to work 
directly with the end user.  Momentum builds momentum. Excitement feeds 
excitement.  Without those forces originating from the grassroots level, 
manufacturers and developers will get lost in their own hype.  Look what 
happened to the VR industry in late '96 early '97.

> As in the past, military
> and niche industrial markets for these devices are going to provide the
> push for better technologies, not the consumer/hobbiest markets.  This
> list is composed of this later market and doesn't yet have the inertia
> to affect commercial production of wearable peripherals.

It is interesting to note that this group of highly talented, yet impatient 
- when it comes to technology, individuals is prepared to wait for the 
government and large corporations to come up with new and innovative 
products.  These two groups are not known for rapid innovation - they 
usually buy "bleeding edge" companies and acquire the technology.  (BTW, 
the technology in the M1 is directly spun off of military contracts.)

I tend to disagree that this list does not possess the inertia needed to 
affect commercial production of wearable peripherals.  The inertia required 
comes in the form of purchase power.  Everyone's dollar is worth the same 
amount and possesses the same force on the market.  If this group decides 
that hacking 4 year old technology is better than buying new technology 
then their purchasing force is being applied in the wrong direction. 
 Instead of moving the market faster, it slows down a bit.

>> The M1 image looks like a 20" monitor 5 feet away.

> it "looks like" because it uses optics to focus the display, which leads
> to distortion of the image, color separation, etc. which results in a
> lower quality image then a 21" monitor (which also has higher contrast
> than an lcd display).

When the M1 is properly set in your field of view there is no distortion. 
 Since it is a black & white screen, chromatic aberrations through the 1st 
lens is small. Another optic, the Kinoform, which falls between the 1st 
optic and the eye, completely corrects any aberrations.

With a contrast ratio of 100:1 to 200:1 it is very good.

> I think people are bogged down on specifications.  I would wager 90% of
> the people on this list haven't even put on an HMD.  (please no one be
> offended by this, its just my impression; If I'm wrong tell me!).

Again, don't you find this odd? How can anyone make a proper purchase 
decision based solely on specifications? That's why "Test Drives" were 
invented.  Spec's are important but performance is critical.  With 
companies offering a try before you buy policy, people on this list should 
be lining up to get their hands on a few.

>> Also, why would a display hamper the building of a wearable?

>Because there are incredible restrictions on power usage, weight, size,
>durability, etc. that were never put on desktop monitors.

Why blame the monitor and the monitor alone?  How much does the processor 
draw, the hard drive, the GPS and cellular modem?  A compromise of 
technologies is important.  Why P233 when a lower power chip will do just 
fine?

With respect to weight, size, and durability - the M1 was specifically 
designed to address those issues: 4 oz., takes up only ~20 degrees of the 
overall field of view, and is constructed with impact resistant plastics.

- Tony

---
Liquid Image Corporation / 1-90 Market Avenue / Winnipeg MB R3B 0P3
204-988-3001 / 204-988-3050 / http://www.liquidimage.ca/vr

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

Archive created with babymail