Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/196542
.com Article: Go to "Extras" in the September/October 2013 issue box for a feature on The Winston Show w Entertainment on Steroids With the rise of various devices, such as smartphones and tablets, entertainment is more exciting than ever! One thing I always enjoyed about SIGGRAPH was all the new technology on display, from the offbeat in Emerging Technologies to the hereand-now on the show floor. This year, I was especially drawn to the IllumiRoom, which featured peripheral projected illusions for interactive experiences. In short, it is an AR type of system from Brett Jones of the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign and a trio from Microsoft Research that augments the area surrounding a television with projected visualizations to enhance gaming experiences. The system consists of a projector and a depth sensor that covers a wide area surrounding a TV screen. The TV provides a traditional high-res gaming experience, and the projector provides low-res information for the user's peripheral vision. IllumiRoom doesn't use flat, white projection screens, but instead adapts the projection to the existing viewing environment. The system can change the appearance of the room, induce apparent motion, extend the field of view, and enable entirely new physical gaming experiences. And indeed, it did. Sitting on the couch being an observer of the gameplay, I felt as if I had been transported into the game as the system turned my physical surroundings into an alternate reality to match the style of the title: Suddenly my surroundings became "cartoonized" as the physical items in the room transformed, displaying saturated colors and black outlines. What's more, it used the 3D data of the room for further effects. For example, a virtual grenade rolled out of the television, then bounced off the physical coffee table, and skidded on the floor. Currently the IllumiRoom is a proofof-concept system (just as the Kinect once was) and could find its way to your living room in the near future. More here-and-now is a different type of movie experience from Disney. In September (prior to this printing), the studio brought back The Little Mermaid to select theaters. But what was different this time was that audiences could download an app called Second Screen Live, enabling them to interact with the film, play games, and more during the screening. Perhaps such an app would work best with DVD and at-home releases, rather than in a crowded theater, though some of the games had each child competing against other moviegoers. Another unique app that recently popped up is The Winston Show from ToyTalk. The company was founded by former Pixar tech and art gurus who are using proprietary technology to drive real-time, two-way interactions between a child and CG characters via a tablet, Internet connection, the cloud, voice recognition, microphone, camera, and more. What's new and exciting here is that The Winston Show breaks through the fourth wall to deliver a believable new form of entertainment, whereby the CG characters play host within five different types of sketches (from costuming, to game shows, to a talk-show chat, and more) and the child becomes the star, or featured guest, if you will. And, the character becomes more intelligent with each interaction. These are just a few of the emerging applications taking interactive entertainment to new levels for a new generation. ■ CGW The Magazine for DigiTal ConTenT Professionals EDITORIAL EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Karen Moltenbrey e: karen@cgw.com t: 603.432.7568 CONTRIbuTINg EDITORS Courtney Howard, Jenny Donelan, Kathleen Maher, George Maestri, Martin McEachern, Barbara Robertson PublISHER / PRESIDENT / CEO William R. Rittwage COP Communications ADVERTISING SALES DIRECTOR OF SAlES—NATIONAl Mari Kohn e: mkohn@copcomm.com t: 818.291.1153 c: 818.472.1491 DIRECTOR OF SAlES—WEST COAST Jeff Victor e: jvictor@cgw.com t: 224.436.8044 CORPORATE SAlES ExECuTIvE—EvENTS, CuSTOm AND INTEgRATED PRINT/PublISHINg SERvICES Lisa Black e: lblack@copcomm.com t: 818.660-5828 EDITORIAl OFFICE / lA SAlES OFFICE 620 West Elk Avenue, glendale, CA 91204 t: 800.280.6446 ART/PRODUCTION ART DIRECTOR Michael Viggiano e: mviggiano@copcomm.com ONlINE AND NEW mEDIA Stan Belchev sbelchev@copcomm.com SubSCRIPTIONS 818.291.1158 CuSTOmER SERvICE e: csr@cgw.com t: 800.280.6446, opt. 3 COmPuTER gRAPHICS WORlD mAgAzINE IS PublISHED by COmPuTER gRAPHICS WORlD, A COP COmmuNICATIONS COmPANy. Computer graphics World does not verify any claims or other information appearing in any of the advertisements contained in the publication, and cannot take any responsibility for any losses or other damages incurred by readers in reliance on such content. Computer graphics World cannot be held responsible for the safekeeping or return of unsolicited articles, manuscripts, photographs, illustrations or other materials.Address all subscription correspondence to: Computer graphics World, 620 West Elk Ave, glendale, CA 91204. Subscriptions are available free to qualified individuals within the united States. Non-qualified subscription rates: uSA—$68 for 1 year, $98 for 2 years; Canadian subscriptions —$98 for 1 year and $136 for 2 years; all other countries—$150 for 1 year and $208 for 2 years. Digital subscriptions are available for $27 per year. Subscribers can also contact customer service by calling 818-291-1158, or sending an email to csr@cgw.com. Postmaster: Send Address Changes to Computer graphics World, 620 W. Elk Ave., glendale, CA 91204 Please send customer service inquiries to 620 W. Elk Ave., glendale, CA 91204 RECENT AWARDS Karen Moltenbrey Editor-in-Chief karen@CGW.com 2 ■ CGW Sep tem ber / O c t ober 2013