hi Haldi,
First of all thanks a lot for your feedback. You've earned a hefty discount, should we launch into production
The 4:3 ratio was actually chosen for a few reasons:
1. when using a 3 x 2 configuration (which is the only one we've really been focusing on), you get a 2:1 aspect ratio, that works well for simulating the human frustrum of vision.
2. it's close to 16:9 (precisely 16:8) meaning you can use almost all the pixels from standard video recording equipment.
3. when we started some 3 years ago, we were using the Dell S300 projector, and that can only handle 3D in 4:3 mode.
Now that most projectors manange 120Hz in all modes, this is definately something that could be altered, or even become an option.
As for the 3m diameter of the screen, for the initial application that also made the most sense. It results in a lifesize 1:1 scale, adding to the immersiveness. It's also just big enough for a family to experience the installation together (there's a booster box for the youngest/shortest members of the family). The other consideration is the actual area required for the installation. If you were building a 120 degree screen, a larger radius
might be worth considering, if it would better mimic the 3 landscape, or 5 portrait monitor approach, and make use of the hacks and mods already programmed for this.
Our first prototype was 90cm deep. Now we have it down to 50cm.
For museum installations we are opting for glass, but the screen alone weighs 300kg. We have an acrylic alternative, which is much lighter and cheaper to produce, if not as scratch resistant.
Is it big enough for FPS? For one man, I would say yes. To get an idea of the size, try hopping on a 3m (10ft) trampoline, especially if it has a safely net. There's plenty room for arm movements. An omni-directional treadmill would (I'm guessing) cost 20 times the rest of the installation, so we're looking into hacking a Wii fit board to use as a "walking" device (shift weight to move), which should still give something of a workout, while keeping the player rooted to the center of the circle, the ideal viewing position.
Driving simulators, flight simulators, where you build a physical chair/cockpit should be ideal and offer a more standardized (cheaper?) approach to rolling your own, although that's half the fun, I know!
Normal movies > Fail. You really need something recorded with a fisheye, (it's the
only way to view GoPro movies!) and vertically corrected. With DSLR's recording sweet HD and fisheyes being as cheap as they are, you could soon be capturing all you birthday parties in surround video
. I haven't tried yet, but it's on my list of things to do to try recording stereoscopic fisheye video. All I'm missing is a DSLR set-up identical to the one I've got. (hmmm, 2 GoPro's would do the trick, and be a lot cheaper, if not quite 180 degrees).
We will be releasing more details of the museum version, just as soon as the design is suitably protected.
Anybody else see any pitfalls or have any feature requests, please let us know.
Cheers!
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