Last year, Microsoft Research made headlines with its IllumiRoom concept, which extends video from a console or media player to the walls and objects around the TV. A company called Catopsys is working on an similar but theoretically much better version of IllumiRoom called Immersis.
Immersis displays videos from a computer via a DVI connection. Similar to IllumiRoom, Immersis uses a projector with a proprietary 180º fisheye lens and a projection mapping algorithm to create an immersive effect. That is, it analyzes the dimensions of the projection surface or surfaces and adjusts its projection to fit the surface(s).
But while IllumiRoom requires that videos and games be made specifically for the technology, Catopsys claims that Immersis will work with practically any game that uses a real-time 3D engine. It can also display 360º videos and 360º photos that are based on Google’s Photosphere format. That being said, Catopsys will also release plugins for Unreal Engine and Unity so that developers can tailor their games to Immersis.
Another advantage of Immersis is that not only can you use it to extend video that’s being fed to a TV, monitor, etc., you can actually use Immersis as your only video output device. This makes the projection more seamless, which is great if your TV is a lot smaller than the area around it.
Pledge at least $500 (USD) on Kickstarter to get an Immersis developer kit or at least $1,100 to get the retail version as a reward.
[via Slash Gear]
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