Sep 19, 2010

Future of Screens, Interactive Video Research, XNA 4.0 Multitouch, Pogue's Recent Post

Here are a few topics and links of interest:
THE FUTURE OF SCREENS, CIRCA 2014


If you haven't seen this short video clip, take a look. It was created by TAT MobileUI, and includes examples of how screen interaction can take place across a variety of surfaces and settings.

"This is the result of TAT's Open Innovation experiment. It is an experience video showing the future of screen technology with stretchable screens, transparent screens and e-ink displays, to name a few." TAT MobileUITAT stands for  The Astonishing Tribe. According to information from the TAT website, "TAT is a Swedish software technology and design company offering products and services that differentiate and enhance the user experience of portable devices. TAT is headquartered in Malmö, Sweden, and has local offices in Korea and USA."


Ola Larsén, the Vice President of Marketing at TAT, recently spoke at the ARM Multimedia conference in Taiwan, focusing on UX trends and tablets:    "Enabling a cross device connected user experience". To dig deeper, see the original post in Gizmodo and take a look at the comments:
The Future of Screens Circa 2014  (Kyle VanHemert, Gizmodo, 9/1/2010)


INTERACTIVE VIDEO RESOURCES/EXAMPLES
 I have a need to create "touchable" interactive video, and I plan to share what crosses my path on this blog from time to time.   Over the past several months, there has been some growth in the world of interactive video. The information below is just a beginning:


Interactive Video Research
Thanks to a link from Johannes Schöning,  I learned about the Dragon project, headed by Dr. Jan Borchers of the Computer Science Department at RWTH Aachen University in Germany. I haven't yet explored the research or used the application, which can be downloaded from the Dragon project website.  


Description (from the Dragon website): DRAGON is a direct-manipulation interaction technique for frame-accurate navigation in video scenes. This technique benefits tasks such as professional and amateur video editing, review of sports footage, and forensic analysis of video scenes."
     "By directly dragging objects in the scene along their movement trajectory, DRAGON enables users to quickly and precisely navigate to a specific point in the video timeline where an object of interest is in a desired location. Examples include the specific frame where a sprinter crosses the finish line, or where a car passes a traffic light."
     "DRAGON is a research project by Thorsten KarrerMalte WeissMoritz WittenhagenJan Borchers and others at the Media Computing Group. It is funded in part through the German B-IT Foundation and the UMIC DFG Excellence Initiative."
Related Publication (more can be found on the Dragon website)
Christian Brockly. Evaluation of direct manipulation techniques for in-scene video navigation. Master's thesis, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany, February 2009. PDF Document 












The following companies are involved in some form of interactive video work, mostly focused on marketing and advertising:
INNOVID in-video innovation:
"Existing Video ads can be intrusive and out of context. At Innovid, we believe that online video should be as interactive as the Internet is today, with many interchangeable elements that give the viewer dynamic content rather than a static succession of frames. We`re bringing this vision to life by innovating the way viewers interact with and engage with online video ads . iRoll®, our interactive pre-roll ad product, has powered the most interactive pre-roll campaigns with well-known brands and agencies."
Innovid Platform
iRoll® - Interactive Pre-roll
Innovid Studio
Innovid is hiring!


Article: Interactive video: A powerful beast (David Rossiter, iMedia Connection)
QUICK.TV
Quick.tv is a company co-founded by Nick Bell and Tod Yeadon.  The information about the company was in the process of being updated when I visited the website.

























I knew if I went to the iTVT website, I'd find more information about Quick.TV and interactive video, thanks to iTVT co-founder Tracy Swedlow: QuickTV in Interactive Video Partnership with Ooyala  (Tracy Swedlow, iTVT, 7/11/10) "According to Quick.tv, Ooyala customers will see a "seamless integration" of Quick.tv overlays into the Ooyala video player. The company says that a library of off-the-shelf widgets can be used to deploy interactive features quickly, while an advanced editor allows users to create their own custom widgets. "The widget approach is efficient and flexible," Bell continued. "It offers a wide range of monetization, engagement and editorial overlays for immediate use, whilst offering an editing facility with limitless creative potential for those who want to deliver a more specific user experience. The analytics generated by viewer interactions take video accountability and market intelligence to a new level."


Howto.TV in interactive video partnership with Ooyala (Tracy Swedlow, iTVT, 7/13/10)
Hotspotting: Overlay.TV integrates with MarketLive to power interactive video commerce for Armani/Exchange(Tracy Swedlow, iTVT, 9/1/2010)
OOYALA
Ooyala is a provider of video platform applications and services. Ooyala is involved in interactive video and has an iVideo API.  The company is expanding into the field of on-line educational video.  I'd would be great if they worked towards providing interactive video content for use on classroom interactive whiteboards! I Googled Ooyala and found out that the company recently raised more than $22 million:
Ooyala Raises $22 Million to Accommodate Global Expansion.  


OVERLAY.TV
Overlay.TV: "Helping online retailers create, manage, and deliver interactive video experiences to drive traffic, increase conversion, and engage shoppers".  While browsing through the Overlay.TV website, I came across a series of posts worth reading:
"Six Interactive Video Ideas to Get You Started"
Related article: Ottowa company makes clickable fashionable (CBC News, 9/8/10)
Comment:  I wish the emphasis was on touch, NOT click!

KOKOKAKA
Kokokaka Interactive (Ad company)
Wrangler's Blue Bell Website - You can drag the character around, right inside of the video!


Demonstration of Drag Video Function (Bluebell Inventions)

I'm continuing my search for examples of the use of interactive video in education- particularly video produced for larger touch-screen displays or IWBs.


INTERACTIVE MULT-TOUCH GAMES SUPPORTED BY XNA 4.0?
Shaun Hargreaves Explains It All:
Touch input on Windows in XNA Game Studio 4.0

DAVID POGUE'S RECENT POST & COMMENTS FROM HIS READERS
RELEASED TOO SOON (David Pogue, NYT, 9/16/2010)
Since most of my readers are interested in emerging technologies, I thought I'd share a link to one of David Pogue's recent posts. David Pogue knows what he's talking about.  He's a guy who keeps up with new technologies better than most.   In the article, Pogue discusses his review of a new product, Vulkano, which was designed to record TV shows and also provide a means to watch shows via the internet.  Although his post focuses on the problems that can ensue when a product is marched to market before it is ready, the best part is the conversation generated by his post about this problem.  Pogue's comments struck a chord among people across a range of industries.  

The comments should be must-reads for university students preparing for careers in the world of business and technology!

1 comment:

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