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For large screen high-fidelity display Automatic image compensation device: Vision Plex® technology in action (image)
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The demonstration in Hollywood convinced me that, at eight-megapixels, we could use this technology for digital movies. In fact, people in the major film companies showed interest in our camera and evaluated it highly. We would like to see an eight- megapixel standard achieved whatever it takes.
One day we want to show it to George Lucas. I don't think he's seen it yet.
I don't think he has. He's got to see it.
I heard the president of the Paramount distribution company say that HDTV quality is considered inadequate. This is because digital cinema technology for the movie theater market costing $5 billion and higher quality technology would be required. He thought that the high-fidelity camera and SHD digital cinema technology had the potential to meet the needs of the market.
I'm delighted to hear that. When the consortium, under the leadership of Professor Aoyama, started promoting digital cinema in 2002, it was undoubtedly a tremendous boost for the technology that Olympus had been developing. In the development process, we did not focus exclusively on technology for shooting high-fidelity motion pictures, we were also developing technology for showing these images on large screens. We have been addressing the need for an all-encompassing technology from input to output.
There is a vision of someday bringing together both output and input in digital cinema, but we are still unsure if that vision can be made a reality. However, we were very fortunate to become involved with the consortium in 2002, and I am beginning to think that our dream is, day by day, getting a little closer to realization.
In the meantime, Mr. Kobayashi has been in charge of developing technology for display systems.
Yes, I heard you mention just now that the eight-megapixel projector was made by JVC. It's true that JVC is currently the only choice for single unit projection. We thought that a single super high-definition projector is something extraordinarily difficult to create, so our approach has been to develop technology able to create a high-resolution image on large screens by using multiple projectors with lower pixel counts. We first announced this concept three years ago. Since then we have been continuously improving the technology and, at last, in May of this year, we could premier complete input-output equipment for motion picture projection. We like to think that the viewers who came to our demonstration were really impressed by the live display of scenes that were recorded with an eight-megapixel camera and projected on a large four-by-eight-meter screen. That boosted our confidence, and we went to Hollywood with our system.
So that was how things were.
We have been thinking about headlining our superiority upfront by providing both input and output technologies. Covering both input and output, our equipment can provide live images. The other day, we carried out a test broadcast of Seiji Ozawa conducting the Saito Kinen Orchestra at the Matsumoto Culture Hall, transmitting the concert live to another hall. In order to do this successfully, we also needed to have an output device capable of handling a high-fidelity camera.
Our "Vision Plex," a large screen high-fidelity display auto image compensation device, is really doing its job under such conditions. Its unique technology is able to deploy a maximum of 68 projector units and can produce output of super high-definition movies seamlessly. It can be used for videoconferences, sports, and any other kind of event. Live transmission raises the potential impact and makes the images so real.
Just look at what happened during the World Cup Soccer tournaments. In the news, soccer fans were seen to watch the games live at pubs with other people as they were projected on the large screens. They just didn't stay home to watch TV in their living rooms just because they couldn't buy tickets. People were able to fully enjoy the occasion and make an enthusiastic racket along with the other fans. In Europe, the European Digital Cinema Forum (EDCF), a digital cinema group or consortium was established a year ago. I attended the first-anniversary symposium. The group's purpose is to unite interested parties in Europe and to promote digital cinema. It not only discusses technology and business opportunities but also investigates how digital cinema can be used to enrich people's lives. Isolation is a common problem in Scandinavian countries. They have small populations and winters are long and cold. Although it is normal practice to watch TV alone, communal gatherings to enjoy movies or programs in community centers, schools, pubs, and other places could bring people closer together. Rather than a solitary experience, it is more fun to communicate with each other while watching a variety of programs. I've heard that a service offering music, opera, musicals, and sports live and real-time has been proposed.
It is just as hard to get a ticket for the Saito Kinen Orchestra concert as it is for World Cup Soccer games. I think it would be great if not only the few people able to attend an event but also many other people could gather in one place to enjoy live broadcasts.
Exactly. I watched the live eight-megapixel transmission of the Saito Memorial Orchestra at the NTT Laboratories the other day. It was completely different from watching it on TV. After the concert, I filled out the questionnaire, which asked how much I'd be prepared to pay for this kind of event. Personally, I would be willing to pay two or three thousand yen to watch a live performances of operas, musicals, and other events on a super high quality large screen. |
