Zogdog.com Forums: Zogdog.com Forums -> The Revolution Lifestyle Exclusive: TDVision Interview

Recently I got to interview Manuel Gutierrez Novelo, CEO, CTO and founder of TDVision Systems regarding their upcoming Virtual Reality gear. Their new product, the TDVisor is the first consumer visor with the ability to display games in 720p HD. This is a major step in the field of VR and TDVision hopes their visor will finally jump start consumer interest in VR. We sit down to discuss their new visor and I have asked many of the questions that you guys wanted answered. Lets take a look at the results.

Before you read the interview I would suggest everyone to check out some of the older news released regarding the TDVisor in order to get an understanding about what this product is all about:


http://www.tdvision.com/

http://www.i4u.com/article7563.html

http://www.studiodai...lines/7582.html

http://video.i4u.com...r...CTO.wmv&p=1 (Video Interview)

http://blip.tv/file/...Electron777.mp4 (Another Video Interview)

http://www.youtube.c...h?v=u5usKWjTg2c (Another Video Interview)

http://www.youtube.c...h?v=o8TMex8tIGA (Another Video Interview)


TDVisor trailers:


http://www.youtube.c...h?v=Rn80-tO9_Zk

http://www.youtube.c...h?v=5J9_1S9xak4


NOTE: Some of the details in the above sources are incorrect including the price and release date. Both of those are discussed in the below interview.


The Interview:




First off I would like to thank you for taking the time to do this interview with us. Could you please introduce yourself and explain what your role is at TDVision?

My name is Manuel Gutierrez Novelo, CEO, CTO and founder of TDVision Systems. My role is to promote the adoption of TDVision's 3D technology platform and lead the technology development by using the latest digital initiatives to provide the best 3D ever to the consumer electronics market.

You mentioned before that the TDVisor is compatible with the game consoles. Is it full compatible with every game released for each individual console?

TDVision technology can and will be compatible with the three major game consoles out today, The Nintendo Wii, the Xbox 360, and the Playstation 3. What is required is the inclusion of TDVision's technology into the games for these consoles in order to display 3D to the upcoming high-definition TDVisor using the HDMI output. You can use today our TDVisor with any game console in 2D. The games need to be TDVReady in order to properly provide the 3D geometry information and rendering to our viewing device.

Will all games have the option to support Stereoscopic 3D or will that require a 3D patch from the game developers?

We need to divide this in two sections: Game consoles and PC based videogames.

For the PC videogames, we have two options
a) Dual VGA or dual DVI videocards and existing OpenGL, DirectX and nVidia stereo drivers can be used immediately with our TDVisor
b) Having a patch from the videogame developers using our TDVSDK

In the case of the game consoles, the 3D game definitely requires a patch from the game developers.

We highly recommend to modify the videogames from the source code using our TDVSDK and including our TDVirtualCam technology instead of using the existing OpenGL and DirextX stereo drivers.

In the near future, TDVReady compatibility may come in the form of a patch for console and PC games, or by utilizing future driver enhancements of PC based video card devices.

What if someone has a bad eye and can not view stereoscopic 3D images, will they be able to use the TDVisor just as a big screen?

Yes. The TDVisor will allow an immersive, high definition experience with a virtual 108" screen in 2D or in 3D mode. Certain percent of the population can not see in 3D and they will be able to enjoy the device as a 2D screen.

Nintendo's Wii console has really been selling very well. In Japan alone last month for every PS3 that sold there were six Wii's selling and the Wii is still hard to find here in the US as well. What does TDVision think of the Wii?

We firmly believe that the big success for the Wii is the Wiimote, nobody else has this kind of control and it has redefined somehow the videogame industry presenting a disruptive technology.

Will the TDVisor be compatible with Wii games and if so has there been any problems getting the TDVisor to work well with the Wii's sensor bar?

TDVision is committed to provide true 3D compatibility to the Nintendo Wii. TDVision looks forward to harnessing the unique powers of the Wiimote to provide an unparalleled gaming experience.

The Wii sensor bar works on a fixed position relative to the screen. By being immersed using the TDVisor the location of the receiver is certainly a challenge, but it's doable.

How does the TDVisor hook up to the console? Does it support Component and HDMI connections?

Our TDVisor supports HDMI, DVI and VGA connections.

What kind of display are you using, OLED, LCD, DLP, LCOS, LASER and does the display consist of one piece or more then one piece?

We are using two LcoS

Is the TDVisor compatible with other devices such as DVD, HD-DVD, Blu-Ray players, ipods and other media devices?

As long as the device output is compatible with our inputs it will work. For the digital video content, we have our own TDVCodec, so stereo movies can be encoded using compatible MPEG fileformats. If the device has a TDVReady MPEG decoder then the output will be 3D, otherwise, it will be 2D.

TDVision strives for a large range of compatibility charts. We are constantly updating our compatibility list and this can be found on our website. www.tdvision.com/compatibility (to be uploaded) and this takes us to certify a product as TDVReady by running our compatibility tools.

For PC gaming do you guys plan on releasing a free SDK kit to allow developers to support the TDVisor with their games? Will the TDVisor work with the Linux operating system?

TDVision fully supports the developer community. At TDVision we believe in letting the user create their own environments, interactive games and functionality. When users are given the power to visualize their own creations there is no limit to the possibilities.

We have released our TDVSDK available under NDA and we have been using it with some strategic partners to create videogames, content and applications. We also have plugins for Solidworks and 3DSTudio Max available, the TDVPlugins.

Our TDVSDK works for Windows XP, Vista, Solairs and Linux.

Do you think head-mounted displays will become the standard viewing device for future video game consoles? If so, when do you anticipate the switchover will occur? Do you think that HMDs will be acceptable to the broader market that Nintendo is trying to reach, such as the older generation and women, or do you see HMDs as being more for the "hardcore" gamer?

We firmly believe that our true 3D HMD TDVisor is the only way to provide the brain with close-to-reality images in a portable, multipurpose, low cost and High Definition device. We can really immerse the user into the action. We expect the new generations and the hard core gamers to start adopting our device. The older generations may find benefits in our technology for business, design, architecture, medical and military applications once they see their kids using it, we're betting on that and that's why we have 5 divisions in our company.

There is a very wide and untapped market of people that would consistently use the TDVisor as an alternative to a standard TV due to its portability, low power consumption, very good image quality, amazing true 3D visuals and sleek style. The market will absorb many millions of these devices.

Most of the people I previously interviewed don't seem to enthusiastic about VR gaming. How does TDVision plan on getting over the challenge of convincing gamers that Virtual Reality is something that will seriously benefit them?

Videogame industry has strived to provide the videogamer with high quality and realistic images by adding physics, textures and making the game more natural, but they have to present all this in a 2D monitor. Videogamers have always wanted to be into the game, but the 2D monitor has been the biggest barrier. TDVision can erase the line between reality and virtual environments, we don't even call it virtual reality, we call it AlterSpace: a place where you can live, work, play and interact in true 3D, just as if you were really there. Seeing is believing, and all the persons who have seen our technology are now believers and supporters of our technology.

The initial feedback depends a lot on the interviewed group. When the original Nintendo Entertainment System was released many people interviewed said the games were to simple, it lacked a joystick and the easy to use technology was not what people wanted. These people were proved wrong as the NES led to console penetration in the US home market of it's current percentage of 33% of US households.

We don't want to convince them with arguments, we want to invite them to use our TDVisor so they can get convinced by themselves for what their eyes see, for the abstract perception of the three dimensional spatial perspective you can get with our technology, to perceive the big difference between 2D and our natural 3D emulation algorithm, of how they will get confused trying to distinguish the real images from the computer generated images, that's when you convince yourself, we encourage them to feel it, to see the future and start thinking of new applications.

We know that the first TDVisor will not come with headtracking or microphone features. Is this something that we could see in future TDVision visors?

Definitely, the TDVisor is a modularized architecture that can support the addition of many current and future human interface devices.

Has TDVision ever contacted any of the three major game system hardware manufacturers (Nintendo, Sony, Microsoft) regarding the possibility of working together if nothing more then software support for currently released games?

We first need to take our platform to a mature stable version and then we'll start a formal approach.

I have talked to a lot of consumers over at eMagin's forums who have told me that they would only consider VR when features like full field of view and wireless play become a reality. How many years off would you say such features are from being used in an affordable product?

The field of view is constantly improving with cutting edge optic designs in every revision of the TDVisor with our major high-definition release capable of a 108" diagonal screen at 10 feet of distance. Wireless capability is highly anticipated by the public and TDVision will continue to research and develop solutions that are elegant and easy to use for the consumer, but you mentioned the right word: affordable. The subsystems for wireless and optics are available and they represent a big percentage on the final cost, but it will get easier as they are being adopted and the prices are going down. I think it may take a couple of years to be affordable, but it's doable today.

For a more complex question has TDVision done any research on Augmented Reality and could we ever expect a TDVisor with either a small camera mounted on it or a overlay type headset so the quasi-see thru the image display to allow Augmented Reality applications to be run in realtime?

This is part of our roadmap, and we are currently working on augmented reality integrations for specific customers in the Military and Aerospace fields.

I have seen a lot of Augmented Reality applications including the PS3's Eye Of Judgement game but almost all of the AR games utilizing visors have had their share of "Show Stoppers" which prevent them from being made into a viable product. Do you think Augmented Reality gaming will ever become viable on visors and if so when?

Yes, AR will be available. TDVision has for years been working on novel and unprecedented ways of approaching augmented reality. TDVision has a lot to offer in this field but we can not discuss the hardware specifics at this moment.

Before Nintendo released their Wii video game console there was a lot of speculation going on regarding Nintendo's next gen system called "Revolution". A video made it's way around the web simply called "Nintendo ON" showcasing a highly sophisticated modernized Virtual Reality system. Many people got excited for this video until it was learned that the video was a work of fiction and not Nintendo's next gen game console. What are your thoughts on this video?

We can make it happen, today, we have it working in our offices. All those persons will be able to enjoy not only videogames but true 3D HD video as well. It's a great video, a little long. Interesting concepts. We would love to give the creator a demo!

How long has the TDVisor been in development and how much money went into it's development?

It's been in development for 3 years now, and we have invested about 5 million dollars.

Being the CTO of a Virtual Reality company you have had plenty opportunity to test VR equipment. Many of my readers have never used a visor. There is a lot of skepticism regarding how well it really works and whether or not it's nothing more then a gimmick. Can you describe your experience with the TDVisor?

We have been watching television and playing games in 2D for the past 60 years. No matter how large the screen size, no matter how high the resolution of the device it will never be true to life, until now. TDVision's technology can take the user into the action and feel like you're right there into the game, on the field.

Due to the fact that you have 720p resolution, 108" diagonal equivalent screen and true 3D (no flickering or side effects) it's like looking at a real image or scene through a window. Games take a completely different meaning and perspective, you're there. The weight is only 6 oz and do not represent a problem, they fit on top of your prescription glasses and you can even adjust the intra ocular distance or the dioptrics on the TDVisor, so it's your personal viewing device.

Possibilities are infinite, think about your cellphone equipped with a 108" high definition 3D virtual screen playing a 3D video depending on where you are via GPS, or using the same device with your PC or game Console indistinctly. All this is available and TDVision technology is the enabler.

What is the release date and price of the TDVisor and where can we preorder it at?

You can Pre order now at http://www.tdvision.com/Preorder.html and you can check the prices right there.

And finally is there anything you would like to say to people excited for the future of VR and to those who are still not convinced?

TDVision is pretty much what happened with audio going from mono to stereo: Once you use it you don't want to go back to your old 2D monitor. With TDVision you can be anywhere, do anything, anytime, get into any game, travel in space and time, it's like a teletransporter. Our world is 3D, don't go for less.


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