Re: Perhaps a cheaper HMD

From Wear-Hard Mailing list Archive (WH) Maintained by R. Paul McCarty

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<<In my opinion, the minimum display rez that will actually capture attentio=
n=20
is probably native 720p HDTV (1280x720x24bpp).>>

Certainly QVGA, on which a simple clock face looks ragged, can only be usefu=
l=20
as a speedometer or heart rate monitor. As a video display it is rated=20
"suck".

SVGA gives a good enough image and will likely be the one that Makes It=20
Big... if ever people integrate enough useful functions to make a HMD worth=20=
wearing=20
in the mass market.

Say 40=B0 diagonal FOV:   any less feels like tunnel vision;   any more just=
=20
can't be eye-scanned without muscle strain... and the optics becomes=20
cost-impractical. That's why a million night vision goggles have 40=B0 FOV.

Say the eye's resolution   limit at these modest light levels is about half=20
of the ultimate eye resolution... oh, about   2.4 arcsec.   =3D 1/1000 of 40=
=B0.

So there is no (zero, nada) value in ever putting better than a 600x800=20
display in a 40=B0 FOV HMD.

For anything less than SVGA -- either scale down the FOV to tunnel vision, o=
r=20
learn to love jaggies.

Oliver=20

Zyberwear, Inc.

In a message dated 9/6/07 8:57:53 PM,  writes:
>=20
> The problem isn't that reasonably priced QVGA
> HMD's aren't available.=A0 The problem is that
> the market has now left this kind of niche
> display in the dust.
>=20
> QVGA does NOT appeal to the masses anymore.
> (It most certainly does not appeal to me!)
> Just look at the entire market that it now
> competes with:=A0 1080p HDTVs, desktop 2560x1600
> hugemungus displays, 4-inch portable 800x480
> video players, etc.=A0 Consumers have been
> trained into "mo'megapixels, mo'better".
>=20
> The only way to prove that QVGA is a workable
> display size is to show that you can ONLY
> solve a cool problem by wearing a computer as
> apparel.=A0 This is the old "killer app" concept.
> And at this point, it has to be truely genre-
> busting to make an impact and still manage to
> make a fashion statement instead of a fashion
> faux pas.=A0 Otherwise people will just continue
> to fill their pockets with the ipodphone-
> gameboy combo and lug around a laptop when
> they actually need computer work done.
>=20
> "CPU-brick" size is no longer an issue, there
> are tons of sub-15 cubic-inch computers that
> sip milliwatts of power on-sale now, most
> with gobs of I/O.=A0 And people do have some
> familiarity with alternate input methods
> like d-pads, txting, wiimotes, graffiti, etc.
> The problem is nobody knows what to DO with
> all that cpu power when the only output
> channel everyone EXPECTS is an uber-highres
> display.=A0
>=20
> Heck, I'm subconsiously irritated by my
> 1600x1024 work display because it isn't "big"
> enough to display a full 8.5x11 inch page
> without downsampling.
>=20
> In my opinion, the minimum display rez that
> will actually capture attention is probably
> native 720p HDTV (1280x720x24bpp).=A0 And to
> be really useful it will have to support all
> the crap that goes with that: VGA/DVI/HDMI
> and Winblows install disks.=A0 All without
> looking like a freak.=A0 This is because
> the only currently identified Killer App

> seems to be the ability to compute/watch
> por...er...movies without worrying who
> is looking over your shoulder.=A0 Not very
> impressive as Killer Apps go, really.
> (and anybody who says "but, what about
> truely mobile computing?" has never tried
> strapping a computer to a newbie and
> watched them proceed to walk into every
> coffee table/sharp object within 10 feet.
> Hilarious? Yes.=A0 Mainstream? No).
>=20
>=20

**************************************
 Get a sneak peek of the all-new AOL at=20
http://discover.aol.com/memed/aolcom30tour

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<HTML><FONT FACE=3Darial,helvetica><HTML><FONT COLOR=3D"#000000" FACE=3D"Gen=
eva" FAMILY=3D"SANSSERIF" SIZE=3D"2"><<In my opinion, the minimum disp=
lay rez that will actually capture attention is probably native 720p HDTV (1=
280x720x24bpp).>><BR>
<BR>
Certainly QVGA, on which a simple clock face looks ragged, can only be usefu=
l as a speedometer or heart rate monitor. As a video display it is rated "su=
ck".<BR>
<BR>
SVGA gives a good enough image and will likely be the one that Makes It Big.=
.. if ever people integrate enough useful functions to make a HMD worth wear=
ing in the mass market.<BR>
<BR>
Say 40=B0 diagonal FOV:   any less feels like tunnel vision;   any=
 more just can't be eye-scanned without muscle strain... and the optics beco=
mes cost-impractical. That's why a million night vision goggles have 40=B0 F=
OV.<BR>
<BR>
Say the eye's resolution   limit at these modest light levels is about=20=
half of the ultimate eye resolution... oh, about   2.4 arcsec.  =20=
=3D 1/1000 of 40=B0.<BR>
<BR>
So there is no (zero, nada) value in ever putting better than a 600x800 disp=
lay in a 40=B0 FOV HMD.<BR>
<BR>
For anything less than SVGA -- either scale down the FOV to tunnel vision, o=
r learn to love jaggies.<BR>
<BR>
</FONT><FONT COLOR=3D"#000000" FACE=3D"Geneva" FAMILY=3D"SANSSERIF" SIZE=3D"=
2">Oliver <BR>
</FONT><FONT COLOR=3D"#000000" FACE=3D"Geneva" FAMILY=3D"SANSSERIF" SIZE=3D"=
2"><I></I></FONT><FONT COLOR=3D"#000000" FACE=3D"Geneva"=
 FAMILY=3D"SANSSERIF" SIZE=3D"2"><BR>
Zyberwear, Inc.<BR>
</FONT><FONT COLOR=3D"#000000" FACE=3D"Geneva" FAMILY=3D"SANSSERIF" SIZE=3D"=
2"><BR>
<BR>
<BR>
In a message dated 9/6/07 8:57:53 PM,  writes:<BR>
<BLOCKQUOTE CITE STYLE=3D"BORDER-LEFT: #0000ff 2px solid; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px;=20=
MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px" TYPE=3D"CITE"></FONT><FONT COLOR=3D"#0=
00000" FACE=3D"Geneva" FAMILY=3D"SANSSERIF" SIZE=3D"2"><BR>
The problem isn't that reasonably priced QVGA<BR>
HMD's aren't available.=A0 The problem is that<BR>
the market has now left this kind of niche<BR>
display in the dust.<BR>
<BR>
QVGA does NOT appeal to the masses anymore.<BR>
(It most certainly does not appeal to me!)<BR>
Just look at the entire market that it now<BR>
competes with:=A0 1080p HDTVs, desktop 2560x1600<BR>
hugemungus displays, 4-inch portable 800x480<BR>
video players, etc.=A0 Consumers have been<BR>
trained into "mo'megapixels, mo'better".<BR>
<BR>
The only way to prove that QVGA is a workable<BR>
display size is to show that you can ONLY<BR>
solve a cool problem by wearing a computer as<BR>
apparel.=A0 This is the old "killer app" concept.<BR>
And at this point, it has to be truely genre-<BR>
busting to make an impact and still manage to<BR>
make a fashion statement instead of a fashion<BR>
faux pas.=A0 Otherwise people will just continue<BR>
to fill their pockets with the ipodphone-<BR>
gameboy combo and lug around a laptop when<BR>
they actually need computer work done.<BR>
<BR>
"CPU-brick" size is no longer an issue, there<BR>
are tons of sub-15 cubic-inch computers that<BR>
sip milliwatts of power on-sale now, most<BR>
with gobs of I/O.=A0 And people do have some<BR>
familiarity with alternate input methods<BR>
like d-pads, txting, wiimotes, graffiti, etc.<BR>
The problem is nobody knows what to DO with<BR>
all that cpu power when the only output<BR>
channel everyone EXPECTS is an uber-highres<BR>
display.=A0<BR>
<BR>
Heck, I'm subconsiously irritated by my<BR>
1600x1024 work display because it isn't "big"<BR>
enough to display a full 8.5x11 inch page<BR>
without downsampling.<BR>
<BR>
In my opinion, the minimum display rez that<BR>
will actually capture attention is probably<BR>
native 720p HDTV (1280x720x24bpp).=A0 And to<BR>
be really useful it will have to support all<BR>
the crap that goes with that: VGA/DVI/HDMI<BR>
and Winblows install disks.=A0 All without<BR>
looking like a freak.=A0 This is because<BR>
the only currently identified Killer App<BR>
seems to be the ability to compute/watch<BR>
por...er...movies without worrying who<BR>
is looking over your shoulder.=A0 Not very<BR>
impressive as Killer Apps go, really.<BR>
(and anybody who says "but, what about<BR>
truely mobile computing?" has never tried<BR>
strapping a computer to a newbie and<BR>
watched them proceed to walk into every<BR>
coffee table/sharp object within 10 feet.<BR>
Hilarious? Yes.=A0 Mainstream? No).<BR>
<BR>
</BLOCKQUOTE></FONT><FONT COLOR=3D"#000000" FACE=3D"Geneva" FAMILY=3D"SANSSE=
RIF" SIZE=3D"2"><BR>
<BR>
</FONT><FONT COLOR=3D"#000000" FACE=3D"Geneva" FAMILY=3D"SANSSERIF" SIZE=3D"=
2"><BR>
<BR>
</FONT><FONT COLOR=3D"#000000" FACE=3D"Geneva" FAMILY=3D"SANSSERIF" SIZE=3D"=
2"><BR>
</FONT><FONT COLOR=3D"#000000" FACE=3D"Geneva" FAMILY=3D"SANSSERIF" SIZE=3D"=
2"></FONT><BR><BR><BR>**************************************<BR> Get a sneak=
 peek of the all-new AOL at http://discover.aol.com/memed/aolcom30tour</HTML=
>

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