Oculus Is Awesome for Games, But It’s the Future of Movies

[DesDownunder]

Not quite as old as I thought I was.

This article at Wired is very interesting in its claim for being the future of movies.

The concert video at the end of the article is stunning, marshalling as it does so many musical forces.

http://www.wired.com/underwire/2014/01/oculus-movies/

[The Pecman]

Virtual reality headsets have been around for years. There still isn't enough resolution, dynamic range, or low enough noise for this to work.

[DesDownunder]

Advances are being made. As I said in another thread, the aim here is for Wi-Fi or other means of direct connection to transmit from the storage direct to the brain itself. Once this is achieved we would not be able to tell the difference between being at an event and watching the transmission.

We may well have to suffer a carbon - silicon connection into our brains, which, I will add I won't be doing. It would also supersede the Star Trek Holodeck.

Sitting quietly in a natural setting, listen to the birds and watching the waves roll in on the shore, suddenly becomes more attractive than a technological interface that fools me into thinking that I am listening to the birds whilst watching the waves roll in on the shore.

Still if the Soylent Green prediction is correct, such technology may soon be the only way we will be able to experience an approximation of what was once called, 'reality'.

Feeding the masses in that case, is only a by-product of the technology.

[Merkin]

Sitting quietly in a natural setting, listen to the birds and watching the waves roll in on the shore, suddenly becomes more attractive than a technological interface that fools me into thinking that I am listening to the birds whilst watching the waves roll in on the shore.

A great argument for getting out and about on Saturday afternoon, or any other time, rather than going to the movies.

[The Pecman]

Advances are being made. As I said in another thread, the aim here is for Wi-Fi or other means of direct connection to transmit from the storage direct to the brain itself. Once this is achieved we would not be able to tell the difference between being at an event and watching the transmission.

You ever see Doug Trumbull's 1983 film Brainstorm? Watch this:

As the guy in the movie says: "imagine what this will do to the porno industry!"

[DesDownunder]

Yes, I saw that when it was first released. Unfortunately it wasn't screened in its native Showscan format (70mm at 60 frames per second) in Australia. The tech reports we saw here claimed that it became a completely grainless image that the audience perceived as just hanging in front of the screen.

I take it that you are referring to the subject matter of Brainstorm, and whilst a flawed plot, it does discuss an ultimate form of communicating experience. I think it was indeed prophetic but we're not there yet.

Current technologies also point to different solutions, but who knows? Maybe we will discover that we are already inside a cosmological computer of ancient origins. :)

[The Pecman]

Yes, I saw that when it was first released. Unfortunately it wasn't screened in its native Showscan format (70mm at 60 frames per second) in Australia.

Nobody got it in Showscan, because MGM balked at the expense of having to convert all the theaters and all that stuff. I saw some of Trumbull's 60fps 70mm tests at a SMPTE meeting around 1980, and my reaction then was that it looked a little too "electronic" and weird... not unlike the 48fps Hobbit material that Peter Jackson has done. In the case of Brainstorm, it would've been perfect for showing the difference between the movie and the Brainstorm helmet experience.

One of the great messages of the movie was, if you had an argument with a close friend or lover, imagine being able to plug into their brain and instantly understand their life's experiences and point of view. You'd know exactly why they think the way they do in a way that's far beyond words or simple communication. Very interesting idea, though the movie barely scratched the surface of it. I honestly think it works better as a novel.

But it will be interesting to see if they can ever find a way to plug a movie directly into our heads and bypass all the other senses. The problem is, I bet there could be an entire race of humans who'd be glad to just stay plugged-in all day long, as long as they keep getting air, water, and food. (I'm reminded of the world of The Matrix as depicted in that movie.)

[DesDownunder]

[...]

But it will be interesting to see if they can ever find a way to plug a movie directly into our heads and bypass all the other senses. The problem is, I bet there could be an entire race of humans who'd be glad to just stay plugged-in all day long, as long as they keep getting air, water, and food. (I'm reminded of the world of The Matrix as depicted in that movie.)

I remember seeing a movie where people spent their lives in pods which provided them with an alternative life experience. I can't remember the name of the movie.

Thanks for the info about Showscan not being available. I was feeling deprived; a common occurrence for us Aussies.

[The Pecman]

I remember seeing a movie where people spent their lives in pods which provided them with an alternative life experience.

I'm ready for that right now! I just hope it's better than my current life experience...