dinsdag 19 januari 2010

Intel unveils holographic interactive window

An other great inAVate story. For the original link please click here

Intel wowed CES visitors when its president and CEO, Paul Otellini unveiled an impressive digital signage concept during his keynote speech. The nearly eight foot holographic glass window - with LCD display - utilises Intel Core processors to provide customers with targeted content and encourage them to interact with retailers and friends via a multi-touch, multi-user interface.

Paul Otellini, president and CEO of Intel unveils a new signage concept during his keynote at the Consumer Electronics Shows in Las Vegas
Paul Otellini, president and CEO of Intel unveils a new signage concept during his keynote at the Consumer Electronics Shows in Las Vegas
The computing and communications giant said its prototype device could change the way people interact with digital signage technology in environments such as retail, airports, banks and hotels.

Otellini unveiled the concept against the backdrop of a virtual brick-and-mortar shop setting. He showed how customers would use the multi-touch holographic screen to explore merchandise, find out about promotions, submit feedback on products, read customer reviews, view purchasing histories and share discoveries with friends via social media and mobile phone integration.


Multiple customers can use the window simultaneously to explore augmented reality-enabled maps of each floor of a shop. Retailers can superimpose images such as coupons and sales promotions next to the product visualisations on the glass.


“As stores seek more competitive advantages over online retailers, digital signage has become a valuable technology for dispersing targeted and interactive content to shoppers,” said Joe Jensen, general manager of the Intel Embedded Computing Division. “We therefore designed the Intel Intelligent Digital Signage Concept to show that retailers can engage and interact with consumers in a more personal and compelling manner through new usage models such as augmented reality and interactive product explorations, which in turn could yield an increase in revenue and customer loyalty.”


Advertisers are set to benefit from the use of anonymous video analytics. As a viewer looks at the system screen, the built in camera technology analyses data such as gender and age, audience composition, time-of-day and other criteria, which enable the system to display tailored content and graphics based on estimated demographics. The system anonymously sends audience information to advertisers who can use that information to understand the type of content and messages that are most popular with viewers.


Intel also announced a strategic relationship with Microsoft to develop an open-standards validated platform for digital signage applications.


“With the Windows Embedded and Intel platform, we will provide industries such as the digital signage market with scalable and interoperable solutions that enable applications with rich graphics and interactive capabilities,” said Kevin Dallas, general manager, Windows Embedded business Unit Microsoft. “With this solution we look forward to delivering endless possibilities to the digital signage industry and beyond.”

vrijdag 15 januari 2010

Share Wireless HDMI onboard your laptop!

with thanks to InAVate a repost of their article. click here for original

12 January 2010

Amongst all the fuss about 3DTV and Slate PCs at CES, another potentially game changing technology was also on display. Intel has announced what it’s calling WiDi (literally wireless display), a technology enabling your computer wirelessly connect to a display via HDMI. The really clever part is that it requires no additional hardware at the PC end as it’s built into Intel’s newest Core i5 and Core i3 mobile processors.

No you’ve no doubt seen InAVate cover wireless HD video applications before, but this one doesn’t involve as much external hardware.

The system takes advantage of WiFi via 802.11n as a data carrier. Intel’s own words on how it works are as follows:

Intel Wireless Display requires a laptop PC based on select 2010 Intel Core processors, Intel HD Graphics, and Intel Centrino wireless with Intel MyWiFi Technology enabled. In addition, the laptop needs to have Intel Wireless Display preinstalled. Finally, an adapter featuring Intel Wireless Display is required to receive the signals from the PC and display them on the TV. This adapter is connected to the TV via either HDMI (preferred) or standard AV cables.



Now, the sharp-minded of you will realise that the current crop of new digital signage players is running Intel’s Atom processors, designed for net books and the like. It’s not a great leap to consider than in 2 years time we might see i3 or i5 chips, or something similar in digital signage players, or indeed in a future generation of tablet PCs.


Boardroom AV just got a little less wired. One thing I can’t determine is if it carries audio signals too – something which is catered for by HDMI. The other caveat is that the moment it doesn’t support HDCP. However, the concept is good. Check out Intel’s video here