Tobii Technology’s eye-tracking system enables you to control your computer with just a look.
After calibrating on your eyes, the Swedish company’s “gaze interaction” technology moves the cursor to the screen location where you are looking.
However, you still have to press the touchpad or click the mouse to trigger an action.
At CES, the company is demonstrating software connected to Microsoft’s Windows 8 so that attendees can demo its capabilities with games, Word documents and more.
Tobii plans to make the system available to the professional market — CAD, artists, etc. — in a year, and to the consumer market in two years. The company also has medical applications in mind for the technology.
MasterImage 3D is previewing a glasses-free 720p resolution 3D display for a 4.3-inch smartphone, 1280x800p resolution 3D display for a 7-inch tablet, and 1080p resolution 3D display for a 10.1-inch tablet.
The demos use MasterImage 3D’s Cell-Matrix Parallax Barrier proprietary glasses-free 3D display technology with Texas Instruments’ fourth generation OMAP system on a chip and Android 4.0.
Units being shown at CES will run content from MasterImage 3D’s content portal and 3D Media Player, an embedded digital 3D mobile storefront providing MasterImage display partners with streaming 3D content and e-commerce fulfillment.
National Geographic and Red Bull will be with MasterImage to discuss 3D streaming opportunities with OEMs.
Additionally, Verizon Wireless is demoing 1080p 3D streaming over its 4G network to prototype MasterImage 3D display technology.
Samsung’s new inTouch enables wireless Internet connectivity for HDTV sets at 1080p, allowing users to view YouTube, Hulu and other online content in big screen splendor.
The tiny Android device connects to a TV via a single HDMI cable (no software required) and syncs to the home Wi-Fi network.
It features a built-in camera and microphone for multi-user 720p Skype videoconferencing on a grand scale.
Comes with mini keypad that company reps are touting as a much easier browser interface than a remote control.
Expected to ship in March, priced at $199.
SlashGear has a 1-minute video demo from CES Unveiled.
Where to see it: Central 12004; Innovations Design and Engineering Showcase, LVCC Grand Lobby
The global market for consumer electronics will hit $1 trillion in 2012, topping the $983 billion of 2011, predicts research commissioned by the Consumer Electronics Association.
While growth of consumer spending is slowing in developed markets, and actually in decline in Western Europe, the focus for the CE industry has shifted to emerging markets, notably India and China.
Figures from GfK Boutique Research (for the CEA) showed the shift from developed to emerging markets. In 2008, 63 percent or $572 billion was spent in developed regions versus 37 percent in developing markets. By 2012, the comparative figures are 54 percent ($557 billion) versus 46 percent ($482 billion).
“The trend is clearly that developed markets will slip below 50 percent of worldwide spending on CE products in the next few years,” said Steve Koenig, CEA’s director of industry analysis.
The growth of 3D TV was described as “surprising” and an opportunity for the CE industry in 2012. The research suggested that 3D TV grew 9 percent in sales worldwide in 2011, with the highest penetration in China.
At CES, Broadcom will demonstrate system-on-a-chip components to build an Android-based set-top box that would feature DVR functionality from EchoStar and wireless “place-shifting” from Sling Media.
The new system would deliver OTT services alongside cable channels and, according to ReadWriteWeb, “could be the formula behind the phrase, ‘Goodbye, TiVo.'”
STB features expected to be demonstrated at CES: Android-based apps ecosystem enabled through a partnership with Myriad Group (maker of the Alien Vue), 3D environment for graphical on-screen program guides, built-in videoconferencing, interactive supplemental content (“similar to the BD-Live content on Blu-ray movie discs, by way of Adobe AIR for the Digital Home”), the ability to utilize expanded bandwidth to receive up to six simultaneous HD channels, and faster channel changing and scanning ability via a Broadcom standard called FastRTV.
“Existing OTT program services such as Google TV and Roku are already being integrated into Alien Vue; and to that end, Roku today announced its own partnership with premium channel Showtime for a kind of ‘previewing app’ for premium content,” notes RWW.
“Freshmen at the University of Southern California’s School of Cinematic Arts spent the past semester playing an immersive card game, ‘Reality.’ Participants collected cards hidden across campus that were used as prompts for collaborative storytelling projects,” according to Wired. The school partnered with Ph.D. candidate Jeff Watson to produce the alternate reality game with a focus on media creation.
The game is described as “one part trading card game, one part media creation tool, and one part Web portal.”
“When USC pulled together a team to design ‘Reality,’ they had one goal in mind: to give incoming freshmen the opportunity to collaborate with other students and sharpen their skills before their sophomore year,” explains the article.
Prizes included class recognition, meetings with professionals such as Robert Zemeckis, internship possibilities and more.
A number of students stated the game was a highlight of their freshman year and they are sad to see it go. “I think the game was brilliant because it created an incredible space for experimentation and growth,” explains Allison Tate-Cortese, a Film & Television Production major. “It was brilliant because you felt safe because you can try things that were outside of your comfort zone, but you didn’t have to worry about a grade accompanied with it.”
For those interested in the results, visit the game’s archive of deals, where students explain each project. “Highlights include a special effects-ridden science fiction trailer, a satiric dramatization of students’ experiences with the project, and a game of live-action Minesweeper at IndieCade,” reports Wired.
We have an update to the Samsung Blu-ray news originally reported earlier in the week. The company is expected to demo a 7.1 channel Blu-ray 3D home theater system featuring column speakers with tilting cones that “vertically cascade” audio to the listener.
“Samsung‘s AirPlay-toting Audio Docks aren’t the only home entertainment kit the company has for CES; there’s also a three-strong line-up of home cinema speaker systems, ranging from 7.1-channel lounge-dominators to a slimline 2.1 speaker-bar setup,” reports SlashGear.
Wi-Fi connectivity via Samsung’s home theater system will allow access to Samsung Apps, Facebook and Twitter. According to the post: “Its functionality shared by the Samsung HT-E5500W 3D Blu-ray Home Theater System, a 5.1-channel setup with twin HDMI 1.4a inputs, iPhone/iPod dock, ‘Disc to Digital’ feature for ripping DVDs to digital copies (when the DRM permits it), and upscaling from DVD, streaming or other digital media to 1080p.”
No pricing available yet, but it may be announced in Las Vegas next week.
In its video review of the much anticipated RED Scarlet-X 4K camera, the team at Cinema5D has posted several impressive visual samples that illustrate capabilities of the new camera involving low light shooting and wide dynamic range imagery.
Engadget sums it up: “Native 4K recording? Check. A built-for-war body? You bet. Backordered despite a downright shocking $11,700 price tag? Most certainly. As with RED’s prior products, the Scarlet-X seems to be wowing just about every shooter lucky enough to come into contact with one.”
“The Scarlet-X boasts 4K video recording (4096×2160) at 25FPS, while 3K shooting brings the speed up to 48FPS, 2K can be shot at 60FPS and 1K doubles the speed again to 120FPS,” reports Electronista. “The Super 35-level sensor is also capable of shooting 5K stills at 12FPS continuous capture speed.”
Videos include: 4-minute demo of the camera and its features, 2-minute video shot in low light on the streets of Hollywood, and two additional videos showcasing the camera’s capabilities in various lighting conditions.
The Cinema5D post includes a complete breakdown of accessories used for the tests and a link to an evolving Scarlet-X buyer’s guide.
Facebook and Google are expected to directly compete for dominance of the social sphere in 2012, reports TheNextWeb.
The competition will see both pushing consumer features, but also trying to win enterprise users and social media marketers.
We’ll also see Facebook’s much-anticipated IPO, an increase in social media outsourcing, and leveraging of social tools in realms such as education and the presidential race.
“With the three heavy hitters — Facebook, Twitter and Google+ — taking up most of the social media space, it’s hard to imagine a new company coming into the picture and taking people’s attention away from existing services,” explains TNW. “Instead, we’ll probably continue to see services that plug into the existing environment, like Flipboard and its many competitors, which have capitalized on how social media has become a tool for the curation of current events and news.”
Five predictions: Facebook and Google+ will go head to head for the number one spot, mobile social media will come into its own, social media will become a natural extension of journalism, 2012 will be the year of the social media IPO, and Twitter will embrace advertising and brands.
Despite steep advertising price increases, the Super Bowl has sold out again. Half-minute spots during the game cost $3.5 million, up 59 percent from 2001.
“The increase in ad prices for the Super Bowl are a clear sign of how important the ratings juggernaut has become to advertisers as viewership for regular broadcast TV continues to shrink amid growing competition from cable and the Web,” explains The Wall Street Journal.
Anheuser-Busch InBev, for example, purchased four-and-a-half minutes for the February 5 broadcast.
“NBC also will be streaming the game for the first time on NBCSports.com, though the network says it is limiting the commercials it carries online,” reports WSJ. “NBC said as many as eight advertisers are expected to pay between six and seven figures for the streaming ad time.”
According to Nielsen, last year’s Super Bowl (Green Bay Packers vs. Pittsburgh Steelers) was “the most-watched telecast in U.S. history, attracting some 111 million viewers.”
After three applications, the Swedish government has finally registered the Church of Kopimism as a recognized religious organization.
The church, founded by 19-year-old philosophy student Isak Gerson, “claims that ‘kopyacting’ — sharing information through copying — is akin to a religious service,” reports BBC News. “But others were less enthusiastic and said the church would do little to halt the global crackdown on piracy.”
In an effort to openly distribute knowledge to all people, Gerson suggests that CTRL+C and CTRL+V (shortcuts for copy and paste) should be viewed as sacred symbols and he hopes that the act of file-sharing will be given religious protection.
“For the Church of Kopimism, information is holy and copying is a sacrament. Information holds a value, in itself and in what it contains and the value multiplies through copying. Therefore copying is central for the organization and its members,” he says.
The establishment of the church comes during a time of strong governmental crackdown on piracy, one that is shifting its focus away from individuals towards the ecosystem that supports piracy.
Showtime announced it will offer select promotional episodes of shows such as “Shameless” and “House of Lies” along with additional content including sneak previews and behind-the-scenes video via a promotional app it will introduce this week on the Roku set-top box.
“Showtime is the first content owner to take advantage of a newly released sample reference application built by Brightcove, Roku and A Different Engine, a San Francisco-based interactive agency,” reports Multichannel News.
“The app provides a simple user interface that follows Roku’s navigation conventions and provides built-in connections to Video Cloud playlists, reducing the amount of time required for user-interface design, development and quality assurance,” explains the post.
“The Roku audience is made up of millions of passionate viewers,” says Brightcove VP Eric Elia. “By integrating with the Roku platform, we are making it easy for programmers like Showtime to reach this audience.”
Roku has unveiled plans for its new Roku Streaming Stick, a device the size of a mini thumb drive, which will fit into the HDMI jack on the back of TVs to stream online video.
The dongle would provide video in HD and feature Wi-Fi capabilities and upgradeable software.
The device will provide the “same access to Roku’s video programming partners that one can get from a Roku box, but without an extra piece of hardware dangling from the set by an umbilicus,” reports The New York Times.
The article says that Roku intends to make deals with TV makers in an effort to bundle the Streaming Stick with their sets, “which will be updated frequently and can be replaced entirely by a consumer if there’s a compelling reason to do so, without having to junk a television set.”
“A stick is a better deal for consumers than a box,” says James McQuivey of Forrester Research. “It’s less intimidating, and it’s portable. You can take it with you on vacation, plug it into a hotel TV. People will like the portability.”
USA Today points out that this part of the market is heating up: “Google TV, which was widely rejected by consumers when first launched in 2010, is looking to make a comeback at CES, and Apple is expected to launch its own Internet-connected TV in late 2012.”
Expected to ship in the second half of 2012, the stick will cost between $50 and $100 — comparable to the price of the original Roku set-top box. The company will be demonstrating the device at CES next week.
BTIG Research analyst Richard Greenfield suggests UltraViolet won’t help studios with movie sellthrough until digital copies come down in price and are made available prior to Blu-ray and DVD releases.
Greenfield recommends a $10 price for high-definition UltraViolet copies, which can be streamed to mobile devices and PCs.
Home Media Magazine reports: “Despite the influx of subscription-based video-on-demand services and TV Everywhere platforms such as HBO Go, there are more than 40 million households with access to electronic sellthrough of movies via digital connectivity, according to Greenfield.”
“Even if more retailers, beyond Warner-owned Flixster come on-board to support Ultraviolet (still a big ‘if’), we believe the studios will need to shift the windowing of electronic sellthrough to at least two weeks, if not four weeks ahead of DVD/Blu-ray,” Greenfield wrote in a post earlier this week.
Tobii Technology’s eye-tracking system enables you to control your computer with just a look.
