head-mounted display

Sony gets in your face with upgraded personal 3D viewer

Coinciding with many other announcements during its presser today at the IFA 2012 confab in Berlin, Sony quietly launched the HMZ-T2 personal 3D head-mounted display.

The headset -- vastly similar to its predecessor (the HMZ-T1) -- contains two small 0.7-inch OLED (organic light-emitting diode) displays placed in front of the wearer's eyes that simulate a big screen and can display 2D/3D content from any HDMI source. Crave sent Sony an e-mail to see if the HMZ-T2 offers the same 720-pixel resolution and picture quality as before, which seems likely, as T2's marketing babble reads very much like that of the HMZ-T1. We'll let you know. … Read more

Gamers go ga-ga over Oculus Rift virtual-reality headset

You'd think this were the turn of the 1990s. The "Total Recall" remake just opened today in theaters, and a virtual-reality headset ended up being up the hottest thing in the gaming world this week.

The Oculus Rift works like a conventional head-mounted display, but packs a few features that make it ideal for gaming. For example, the Rift offers impressive head-tracking capabilities; stereoscopic 3D rendering; a wide field of view (110 degrees -- most headsets only offer around 40 degrees); and several inputs (DVI/HDMI and USB). When wearing the Oculus, each eye gets close and personal with a 640x800 LCD screen for a total resolution of 1,280x800 (720p). … Read more

Epson's sexy head-mounted display now shipping

At first glance, the $699 Epson Moveria BT-100 may look like a pair of futuristic shades or even conjure up images of those protective sunglasses given to cataract patients. But in reality, these frames pack some seriously techy features like multimedia playback and Web browsing.

The Moveria BT-100 is a wearable display featuring a micro-projector that delivers images to each eye from a built-in qHD (960x540) screen. The overall projected image size appears similar to an 80-inch display viewed from 16.4 feet away, and since the glasses are see-through, you can still see what's around you in the real world. Meanwhile, the built-in earbuds provide Dolby Mobile virtual surround sound. … Read more

Sony Personal 3D Viewer (heads-on test)

Hit play on the video above to witness our hands-on testing of Sony's thoroughly weird Personal 3D Viewer headset, which straps two tiny screens in front of your eyes to deliver a totally isolated movie experience.

The Viewer itself attaches to your head, and is secured in place by a series of straps. Two 0.7-inch OLED screens, each with a 1,280x720-pixel resolution, then fire images into your eyes, creating a 3D effect.

But does it look any good? Watch the video and you'll find out what we thought. Sadly you won't be able to see because you're watching in 2D. Bummer.

Read more of "Sony Personal 3D Viewer hands-on video" at Crave UK. … Read more

ID faces with Tele Scouter eye display

TOKYO--NEC has launched a lightweight head-mounted display that could be used with face-recognition technology to instantly display information about strangers.

We first heard about the prototype Tele Scouter two years ago, when it was proposed as an aid for interpreters, who would read translated text in the eye screen.

Another suggested use was as a reference for technicians and assembly workers, who can watch a video of how to put something together on the screen while doing it themselves. … Read more

Sony debuts 3D OLED head-mounted display

Sony is returning to its innovative roots with the introduction of a head-mounted display that simulates a 62.5-foot screen.

The Personal 3D Viewer, or HMZ-T1, is billed by Sony as the "world's first 3D compatible head-mounted display equipped with an HD OLED panel." Capable of screening 2D and 3D content, this headset is reminiscent of Glasstron, a similarly designed Sony headpiece (with LCD screens inside) from 1997.

Miles ahead of the predecessor, the HMZ-T1 could be that wow factor Sony has been trying to hit the market with for years.

The company had trotted out a prototype back in January at CES 2011 but officially announced the product in Tokyo today ahead of IFA. It's set for a November 11 release in Japan with a price tag of 59,800 yen, or $781.

Within the headset are two 0.7-inch OLED displays (720p/2.8 million pixels) that have all the features of an expensive high-resolution panel in a small form factor. Within, the optical lens projects a 45-degree horizontal viewing angle to the user with a "virtual viewing distance up to 65 feet." … Read more

Tele Scouter sends translations right to your retina

If Japan-based NEC has its way, people who act as language translators could one day be replaced with head-mounted displays that project translations onto a retinal display. Come again?

The Tele Scouter system is composed of an eyepiece with a front-mounted camera and a mic that picks up conversations and sends the data to a small computer worn on the user's waist.

The computer then transmits information to a remote server, which does the heavy processing work converting the foreign speech to text, translating it, and wirelessly sending it back to the tiny eye display for viewing. That seems … Read more