Bjork in 3D

U2 isn't the only artist playing with 3D. Bjork's new video Wanderlust also explores the potential of 3D. You can check out this time elapse footage of some of the production.




Or see a 2D version of Wanderlust.

3D Cinema Boom

The market for 3-D cinema is getting even more mainstream media coverage these days. This time, it's Fortune, getting in the mix with "Who's Cashing In on the 3-D Boom?" The article is solid overview of the various players, including the production side of the business.

Shooting 3-D films used to be a nightmare; you needed a pair of perfectly synced cameras for every scene. Shooting digital 3-D is easier, but you still need a two-camera setup that captures images fast enough to play back at 144 frames a second (rather than 24). The leader in the field is Pace Technologies, based in Burbank, Calif. Founder Vince Pace, best known for the underwater rigs he built to shoot "Abyss" and "Titanic," has now shifted his entire production business to 3-D. His equipment has been used to make every major 3-D feature film so far, including "Hannah Montana," "Avatar," and "Journey."

http://money.cnn.com/2008/04/03/technology/cash_3D_boom.fortune/index.htm?postversion=2008040706

StereoMirror Goes to West Point

Military Geospatial Technology covered the Geospatial Information Science program at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. The article includes a shot of a current cadet using Planar's StereoMirror.

At the heart of that effort is the Geospatial Information Science (GISc) degree program, one of five majors within the Geography and Environmental Engineering Department. The goal of the GISc program, according to its Website, is to give "future Army officers, regardless of branch, the knowledge set to leverage these tools when leading soldiers in our high-tech digital Army."

from Geospatial Academy, Military Geospatial Technology

U23D

You don't need a StereoMirror to see this film, but it probably could have helped during production. 3ality Digital did the production work, including the sophisticated stereoscopic camera set-up. We look forward to seeing this one when it's released at Sundance.

For more coverage, check out this article.

"Previous generations of 3D film relied heavily on gimmicks, and the limits of the technology resulted in eyestrain--diminishing the life-like qualities," according to production company 3ality Digital, which, in an overview posted at the film's website, said it was shot using "cutting-edge technologies ... from artificial intelligence that aligns 'eye position' of a stereoscopic camera in real time, to first-ever high-res 3D systems with zoom lenses, robotic control, and integrated digital processing."

StereoMirror Covered in Scientific American

The stereo mammography study by BBN and the Emory Breast Clinic continues to get great coverage. Even Scientific American has an article on the study that includes additional statistics from the U.S. Department of Health on the number of women and men diagnosed with breast cancer. Here's the paragraph that mentions the StereoMirror.

Stereo mammography provides radiologists with a three-dimensional view of the internal structure of the breast by taking two images from slightly different angles—much the way our two eyes create depth perception, or moviemakers create 3-D IMAX films. These mammography images are displayed on two Planar Systems high-resolution—2,500-by-2,000 pixel—liquid crystal display (LCD) monitors attached one on top of the other at a 110-degree angle, with a specially coated glass partition between them. The glass allows a radiologist wearing cross-polarized glasses to see the lower monitor (placed at eye level) while simultaneously viewing a reflection of the second monitor (placed slightly above eye level and angled downward).

Scientific American article