cs161agc@sdcc10.ucsd.EDU (John Schultz) (01/30/89)
In article <3069@pixar.UUCP> good@pixar.uucp (Go ahead. Make my day.) writes: [stuff deleted] >...there's nothing they can do to get information to you at a >faster rate. (On the other hand, ShowScan, a film process, *can* do that. >And it's a lot better than 3-D.) > --Craig I saw ShowScan at the Reuben H. Fleet Space theater; it was incredible to say the least. Some women in front of us were crying because the view of the mountain ranges was so breathtaking. It really stimulates the brain. They stated that they couldn't do a film like Predator in ShowScan as it would be too powerful of an effect for people with health problems. At 60 frames of new information a second, very large reels are needed for ShowScan films. They stated that is would cost on the order of ~$100,000 to convert a theater to ShowScan. The only change to the screen is to make the whole front of the theater the screen. I wonder if they have tried ShowScan in 3D [120 frames/sec, 60 per eye]. To date, that would be the ultimate... John Schultz
jbn@glacier.STANFORD.EDU (John B. Nagle) (01/31/89)
Clearly the next step after HDTV will have to approach Showscan
resolution. We are also going to need computer displays with that kind
of bandwidth. How much bandwidth is it? Well, a 70mm film frame is
generally considered to be about 6000 by 8000 pixels. So 60fps x
256 levels x 3 colors x 6000 x 8000 = 2.2*10^12 bits/sec, or an
uncompressed data rate of about two terabaud. Hardware with this
kind of speed should be achievable by 1995 or so.
For flight simulators and such, one really needs an image that covers
a hemisphere. What fraction of a sphere is Showscan?
The amount of compute power necessary to generate high-quality
images in real time at these densities will be rather large. If we
take a goal of obtaining the quality of Pixar's "Tin Toy", and want a
hemispherical view, how much compute power will be required, and,
based on projections that progress continues at current rates, when do we
get it?
John Naglecharl@pnet01.cts.com (Charl Phillips) (02/02/89)
60 frames per second?!?? Mygawd! Aren't there any persistence problems? Charl Phillips San Diego, CA