Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/18322
Trends & Technologies n n n n and a few million dollars. Tese prices were a result of installation as well as low-volume, state-of-the-art equipment, such as high- resolution, bright projectors, large, powerful workstations, and custom software. Today, it’s possible to replicate those expen- sive systems for less than $20,000 (not includ- ing physical installation and modifications). And that brings me to the thesis of this discus- sion: the amazing visualization capabilities of- fered today on the PC from AMD and Nvidia. Tere are various ways to display a large- scale visualization system. Te simplest and least-expensive method is to use commercial off-the-shelf LCD or plasma displays. High- resolution and extremely bright projectors can also be used if a greater distance between the display and the viewer is required—such as in a situation room or theater. In between those two examples are semi-custom panoramic projector display systems, like those offered by Scalable Display Technologies and Ostendo. Large-scale visualization systems of the 1990s and early 2000 were called “image gen- erators” (and, in some circles, are still called that). Today’s image generators are simply graphics add-in boards (AIBs). Currently, you can purchase for $479 an the AIB, $2000 for the PC, $600 for cables, and $10,000 for some type of visualization software. Total system cost? $23,879. Truly amazing. If you want to add another dimension to the visualization system, then you have to put a little bit more money into the displays and the AIBs. Nvidia offers an S3D surround sys- tem that can drive three 120 hz displays with up to 2560x1600 resolution. Large-screen LCD and plasma TVs are being offered now with 120 hz to 240 hz refresh and could be wall mounted to provide a very large three- panel stereographic visualization system. Te estimated cost of the system would be just $16,000: $2700 for three 46-inch 1080p 120 hz displays, $1000 for the Nvidia GTX 480 AIBs (note that it is possible to do this with Nvidia’s new lower-cost GTX 465 AIB), a PC for $2000, $300 for cables, and $10,000 for software. Unbelievable. Tese are the next-generation, or maybe Vis systems have been extremely valuable in the scientific and engineering industries. AMD Radeon 5870 Eyefinity 6 AIB that can drive six 1920x1080 displays, which could be as small as 17 inches or as large as 60 inches each. Envision a wall comprising six 60-inch plasma HD screens. Te cost of such a system would be $10,800 for the displays, $479 for this-generation, powerful visualization sys- tems. If projectors are preferred over moni- tors, the cost will go up: Te personalized panoramic displays typically sell for $10,000 each, and a Sony SXRD projector will set you back $5000. But even with more expensive displays, vis systems can be built for a fraction of what it would have cost five years ago. As a result of these new economies and ca- pabilities, I predict we will see a resurgence in the visualization market, indicating a cost elas- Visualization systems can range from less- expensive solutions created with off-the-shelf hardware and software, to semi-custom systems priced in the mid-range, to high-end customizable solutions that are quite costly. ticity that few believed was there. I’ve been testing the systems in the lab here at Jon Peddie Research using commercial off- the-shelf simulation programs known as FPS games. I’ve run FPS simulation programs on a six-monitor API system, and S3D FPS simu- lation programs on an Nvidia S3D surround system. In both cases, I was extremely satisfied with the performance, and the only com- plaint I have concerns the size of the bezels. Companies like NEC have developed 46- and 55-inch bezel-less 1080p displays ($999 and $1499, respectively) for signage applications, which could easily be employed in a visualiza- tion system. Currently, the NEC displays are only 60 hz, but it shouldn’t be a big problem to move to 120 hz panels. So, welcome to the new world of democ- ratized visualization systems. Now, every researcher, designer, geophysicist, traffic en- gineer, or military commander can have an affordable, powerful, highly functional, and maybe even portable, visualization system. n Jon Peddie is president of Jon Peddie Research, a Tiburon, CA-based consultancy specializing in graphics and multi- media that also publishes JPR’s “TechWatch.” He can be reached at jon@jonpeddie.com. October 2010 33 Courtesy WC Muller, Max-Planck Junior Research Group. Courtesy Halliburton. Courtesy NASA Dryden Flight Research.