QT Live! Panoscan showcases panoramic digital camera
by Dennis Sellers, dsellers@maccentral.com
October 12, 2000, 2:00 am ET
While several QuickTime Live! attendees have wondered if Apple will ever update its QTVR (QuickTime Virtual Reality) Authoring Kit, Panoscan is showcasing its panoramic digital camera, the Panoscan System, which the company says offers the perfect solution for capturing high quality cubic movies.
The Mac-enabled digital system, working in conjunction with Apple's new QuickTime VR capability called "Cubic VR," is being featured in today's Product Showcase at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, CA. QuickTime 5.0 will include a new codec for panning in all axes via QuickTime VR.
The main advantage of cubic VR is that it allows the viewer to look straight up and straight down -- broadening the traditional range of view. You can visit Panoscan's Web site for examples of these new movies. Cubic movies are also smaller in file size than the previous high angle of view cylinder movies.
The Panoscan System enables a full-range of motions, including fully spherical image called an "equirectangular image," when used in combination with a 16mm fisheye lens and the Kaidan offset bracket. The resulting image requires no stitching and can be easily converted to cubic format for retouching and viewing with the new QuickTime Cubic VR feature, says Ted Chavalas, Panoscan president and product inventor.
He says that, with Phase One's digital line scan technology built-in, the Panoscan produces high-resolution 360-degree digital images with unparalleled resolution, extreme light sensitivity and extraordinary capture quality. Panoscan's maximum capture speed is 125 lines per second. With the new software upgrade, being introduced at QuickTime Live, Panoscan now has a maximum image size of 7,000 pixels by 44,000 pixels over 390 degrees.
"We are proud to demonstrate the high-performance Panoscan System technology at the second annual QuickTime Live! event," Chavalas says in a press release. "With our 'no compromise' solution to panoramic and spherical image capture, Panoscan is poised to make the convergence between panoramic photography and virtual reality seamless and adaptable. When it comes to all-around features and benefits, including portability, we believe that Panoscan is the clear choice for VR and panoramic imaging professionals."