Hollywood2020

MTV'S VLB -- WHERE LIFE'S A BEACH!

LIFE'S A BEACH....at least at Virtual Laguna Beach - Live it!

MTV is in beta on it's "Virtual Laguna Beach" which ties in with the television show of the same name...the good news is that you'll be able to see the "Laguna Beach" TV shows a day in advance if you're a resident in VLB....and watch for Pepsi and ad agency OMD's clients to brand the area with their goodies too according to Betanews.com. "Virtual Laguna Beach also is just one example of the next-generation media models that we're creating for our viewers to connect with one another in ways they never could before; for content creators to develop experiences that live side by side with on-air content; and for marketers to become an integral and meaningful part of the programming,"according to a quote from Van Toffler, president of MTV's Music Films & Logo groups.

According to a story in imediaconnection.com:

Here's a link to that whole press release:

'Virtual Laguna Beach,' First Of Three Virtual Platforms In Development, Debuts Today MTV Networks Working Hand-In-Hand With Pepsi, Mediavest Worldwide And ... www.viacom.com/view_release.jhtml?inID=4&inReleaseID=227317 - 22k - Cached - Hollywood2020.blogs.com blogger Joyce Schwarz predicted the launch of future branded worlds in this article on imediaconnection.com: iMedia Connection: Bold New Opportunities in Virtual Worlds

The Virtual Laguna Beach site is a blend of social networking and video games. Brands including Cingular, Pepsi-Cola and Secret have agreed to participate within the avatar-based game. Brands Participate in Virtual MTV Shows

MOBILE ADVERTISING -- LATEST STATS/INFO

MOBILE  ADVERTISING ---update

Last night at dinner at DEMOfall an exec at a major firm wanted me to explain to him/her all about mobile advertising....and why according to reports they heard at CTIA it's not doing that well...by Joyce Schwarz, JCOM, emerging entertainment & media analyst & consultant, www.joycecom.com and blogging at Hollywood2020.blogs.com.

The question just STUNNED me -- earlier last week I had seen a report on eMarketer.com that shows Mobile Advertising 'only' doing about a BILLION dollars $$ this year-- not well? By whose standards is that?

eMarketer Says "Mobile Advertising on a Roll!"

I checked eMarketer.com and found that stat which I had given to the questioner-- who seemed not to believe me. So I click over to eMarketer.com and find this info from it's September 18, 2006 post:

Mobile Ad Market on a Roll (source eMarketer.com)

SEPTEMBER 18, 2006

Advertising is about to catch up with mobile customers.

At least according to Informa Telecoms & Media they are. Link to the full article: Mobile Ad Market on a Roll from eMarketer.com

The reason is simple: Carriers need the revenues.

$11.5 BILLION IN 2011 Projection for Mobile Ad Spending

Informa estimates that worldwide advertising spending

on mobile devices will rise from

less than a billion this year to $11.35 billion in 2011.

Here's a link to that report: Worldwide Mobile Advertising SPending , 2006, 007 & 2011.

Informa estimates that worldwide advertising spending on mobile devices will rise from less than a billion this year to $11.35 billion in 2011.

WHO'S DOING MOBILE CAMPAIGNS: Blogger Joyce Schwarz has personally worked on and developed dozens of mobile ad campaigns ranging from audio campaigns to SMS to banner clickthrough campaigns and more. Check out our articles on Imediaconnection.com including our mobile advertising 3-part primer. In addition, Joyce is quoted almost weekly as an analyst on new mobile ad campaigns.

Mobile Advertising, Marketing, Alerts, SMS/Text Messaging & More.

One of the challenges in additing up the number of mobile advertising campaigns is that the campaigns are many times part of a larger multi-platform campaign for products, services or content. So press releases on the individual mobile aspects are not sent to the press. But a quick look on Google.com today shows 233 press releases/and stories on Mobile Advertising in the news section of Google alone.

Plus many campaigns are called something other than advertising ie marketing, alerts, SMS or text campaigns or contests or polling or voting etc. American Idol may not call it's voting for candidates advertising but it is!

TEXT MESSAGE ADVERTISING -- also there are many types of mobile marketing -- ranging from banners, to coupons to location-based promos (promotions) to text messaging campaigns that require opt-in (permission from the mobile owner) and more. Text messaging campaigns even premiium text messaging (where the sponsor pays for the text message promo are catching on. MMA (Mobile Marketing Assn) has some of the latest info on that they gave out during Ad Week in NYC this week.

WHO IS TEXT MESSAGING IN THE USA

My client Andy Jagoe has these interesting stats he's giving out to promo his new 3Jam(www.3jam.com) group text messaging service.  People likely to latch onto SMS as a communications tool are adults ages 39 and under, according Harris Interactive Inc. A online poll conducted in May among a sampling of 1,332 U.S. adults found 69 percent between the ages of 18 and 39 use text messaging, compared with 35 percent of people ages 40 to 54. By the way check out www.3jam.com and sign up to get this valuable service.

TRIPLE VISION LCD SCREEN PREVIEWS FROM SHARP

SHARP ELECTRONICS who has previously shown a 'duo-vision' LCD monitor is now showing a triple-vision screen.this photo from LaptopLogic shows the triple vision screen from Sharp by putting mirrors on both sides of the one screen (the blond wood is the frames on the mirrors) Then you can see different content from the left, center and right views.

Hollywood2020.blogs.com looked for a press release on the subject and could not find one so we'll give you some links to other coverage below. Why is it important to emerging entertainment because 1) it offers a way to access at least three channels or separate screens of content at once. One center --one by looking to the left an done by looking to the right angle. Blogger note-- this NOT 3 different LCD screens but one screen that shows 3 screens when looked at from different angles.

HOW DOES SHARP DO IT? we're going to give you an excerpt from the PC WORLD article which quotes another pub to explain the new 3-screen-in-one LCD. PC WORLD SAYS: that a"correspondent for the IDG News Service in Tokyo, reports that a parallax barrier in front of the screen that splits the light output three ways, so viewers to the left, right, and in front of the screen all see a different image" Here's a link to the whole PC World story -- and tx for the explanation...saved us lots of research :) Sharp Develops Triple-View LCD

HOW COULD HOLLYWOOD USE THIS-- or TV fans?

Fans could watch three different shows at once of course OR fans could watch three different scenes from NASCAR race at once. Or fans could watch broadband on screen 1, Internet on screen 2 and on screen 3 -- broadcast TV -- all about the same topics ie basketball exploring stats, history and live games at once. Of course,there are many apps for training and for B2B also. According to some of the news reports there is a mobile app for screen phones too. We did not see a sample of that version. BUT wouldn't this be cool for Room size Photos/Video over the fireplace-- kind of like the spooky ghost movies where the video follows you from all angles...or what about a billboard of use of this in location-based entertainment or for shopping at a mall...three different ads at once....Not a bad security system too....I'm sure you think of many other apps...especially gaming and Virtual World branding or immersive options. And what about games developed especially for this kind of a 3-vision screen! WOW...

HEADPLAY INC. PERSONAL CINEMA SYSTEM (PCS) IN PERSON LOOK @ DEMOfall

HEADPLAY INC. just gave their presentation at DEMOfall...and as Chris Shipley said from stage-- it's one of those products that you have to go to the exhibit area and try (or at least 'try-on".  (see our previous post for more details: HEADPLAY TO UNVEIL PERSONAL CINEMA SYSTEM AT DEMO FALL)

Glen Ward, Co-CEO Headplay presenting at Demofall, San Diego --

HEADPLAY (www.headplay.com)-- in person and up close....the description in the DEMOfall (www.demo.com) conference brochure says the following under product description:

Glen Ward, Co-CEO Headplay reveals the amazing Personal Cinema System (PCS).

What's the product?

"The HEADPLAY PCS (Personal Cinema System) is a portable, visual headset and media center that delivers an immersive, high-resolution cinematic viewing experience for gaming, movie watching and Internet Use. IT also offers a 3D experience with available content. The PCS connects directly to game consoles, DVD players, iPods, PCs and cell phones. It enjoys universal compatability and is capable of storing media using Compact Flash or USB.

Click on thumbnail to see details of Headplay Inc. DEMO at DEMOfall...www.headplay.com

Who's competing and what's the market? Under the section "market segment"  Headplay's entry says 'no direct competitors" and under the market opportunity subhead they quote this stat: "The head-mounted-display market alone is forecast to grow to $1.2 billion by 2009, according to McGlauglin Consulting Group.

Joyce Schwarz trying HEADPLAY news Personal Cinema System at DEMOfall's exhibit area....

Where are they heading? Under the same market opportunity subhead they say that "Initially HEADPLAY will target core gamers and technophiles before embracing the broader entertainment market opportunities.

The company is located on Colorado Ave in Santa Monica and corporate officers are listed as: Richard DeVries, Chairman, Dan Lowe, Co-CEO, Glen Ward, Co-CEO and Ian Tweedie, CFO.
Joyce Schwarz trying out Headplay's PCS at DEMOfall...

BLOGGER NOTE: as of Weds Sept 27 at 11:45 a.m. their website www.headplay.com was still very cryptic -- floating blocks of color on a black background that when clicked on either give you cryptic messages or ask for your email address to give more info. We do note that this time we clicked and got an address and phone numbers (no names) from clicking on one block. The addresses listed include the Santa Monica office and Alberta, Canads.

SEE our previous post on Hollywood2020.blogs.com on Tuesday, Sept 26 for more details from the press release. Note we will be publishing pix we took and more on the presentation/demo by Glen Ward at DEMOfall in upcoming posts.

HEADPLAY TO UNVEIL PERSONAL CINEMA SYSTEM AT DEMO FALL25 Sep 2006 by Joyce Schwarz 
HEADPLAY INC. APPEARS TO BE SET TO INTRO what it's calling a personal cinema
system at Chris Shipley's DEMOfall conference (www.demo.com) in San Diego this
week at the Sheraton San Diego Marina Hotel according to a PR Newswire release ...

DEMOfall Panelist Dr. Bona, IBM's Almaden Research Center Talks Storage....Terabyte Storage Needed for Next-Gen.

TERABYTE STORAGE NECESSARY FOR NEXT-GEN ....by Joyce Schwarz, Hollywood2020.blogs.com, emerging entertainment analyst, JCOM, www.joycecom.com.

According to Dr. Gian-Luca Bona, Dept Group Manager of Sci & Tech for IBM's Almaden Research Center you're going to need a terabyte of storage at least for next gen apps. And flash drives are NOT fast enough for video. As Hollywood2020.blogs.com Joyce Schwarz is known for saying -- "Storage is the secret to the next decade of info-media". Personal storage or access to stored media will propel growth more than any other mechanism is our belief. Dr. Bona's comments on a panel moderated by former IBM guru John Patrick now  at Altitude LLC. was 'BIG" on storage talk -- even though the panel was actually supposed to be about Nanotechnology.

WIKIPEDIA on storage-- we quickly turned to Wikipedia and found this info which may be of interest: "personal computers and related devices such as TiVos containing a terabyte or more of storage space have recently become practical using combinations of high-capacity mass-market hard drives. As of June 2006, common commercial hard drives were up to 750 gigabytes in size, so storage capacity totalling 1.5 terabytes can be reached using as few as 2 hard disks, at a street cost of as little as USD $450.

MORE ON STORAGE @ IBM'S ALMADEN RESEARCH CENTER: Here's a terrific link to a great article about what IBM's working on in storage at the center. Dr. Bona is mentioned later in the article regarding something called "SHARK" which looks like it could make us all type faster.

Shark tales from IBM's labs - Computing staff at Almaden, which is one of eight such IBM centres around the world, ...  digital cameras, MP3 players and so on,' says Dr Gian-Luca Bona, ...
www.computing.co.uk/computing/analysis/2140431/shark-tales-ibm-labs - 59k - Cached - Similar pages

FANTASTIC VOYAGE BOOK REVIEW

Here's the latest book review Joyce Schwarz posted on Amazon.com --

on FANTASTIC VOYAGE by Ray Kurzweil and Terry Grossman...live long enough to live forever...by Joyce Schwarz (book review by Joyce Schwarz)....

This is a seminal book. It's amazing what these authors cover in this jam-packed guide to living longer and possibly living forever.

Ray Kurzweil if you don't know him is one of the leading scientist/inventors of our time (the synthesizer & more). You may know him from his popular non-fiction book THE AGE OF SPIRITUAL MACHINES --which talks about how smart machines will be by 2020.

What I didn't know was his own health challenges-- diabetic etc. And how he hooked up with Dr. Terry Grossman founder of the forward thinking Frontier MEdical Institute in Colorado-- a leading longevity clinic. The umbrella theory of this book is that there are three bridges that could lead you to possible immortality and they include a) present day therapies --what they call Ray & Terry's Longevity Program -- b)Biotech revolution developments -- that will evolve from such things as genetic and protein codes and of how to turn off disease and aging and reach human potential c) Nanotechnology--AI (intelligence revolution) --new tech that will enable us (or those who can afford it at least) the ability to rebuild their bodies and brains eve at the molecular level.

What fascinates and scares me as a reader of this tome-- and believe me it is a BIG book 452 fairly dense pages is that a) immortality may be in reach for an elite group who can afford it b) a great divide between the haves and have-nots may becoming stronger because of biotech advancements. Some elite members of our society or those who have biotech/medical insider contacts may cut corners to achieve some of the results that are becoming possible -- ie organ purchase, stem cell therapy etc. 

The book spans 23 chapters and includes a nice epilogue and an extensive resources and contact info section that links up via an online website to complement and hopefully keep updated the info. An extensive notes section is fascinating to read since many of the findings cited in the book are at least for this reader new or covered more indepth than I've seen in the popular press.

Chapter topics go beyond the expected -- and because Terry and Ray talk about their personal and in some cases family health issues the chapters include personal case histories making it more interesting. HOw did Ray beat Diabetes etc. Topics include: food and water -- drink alkaline water -- Ray tells you how/where to get a filter for your water. Eat no sugar, and max 80 carbs a day....very similar in fact to a modified Atkins diet or maybe to the South Beach diet--lots of emphasis on vegies etc. Balancing fats and proteins is crucial...understanding your digestion system and keeping it from turning into leaky gut syndrome is important. 

I loved his chapter 8 -- Change Your Weight for Live in One Day -- yes -- okay spoiler here -- he says to start eating just the number of calories you need to maintain your ideal weight-- limit the high-glycemic load foods and you'll 'break the vicious cycle'. Makes TOTAL sense.

DANGERS OF BEING OBESE -- scary, scary scary stuff....enough to get you eating properly perhaps and exercising -- walking & weight training.

SUGAR AND INSULIN --per capita consumption of sugar and sugar sweeteners is 150 lbs per year for each American....YUCK...1 in 12 adults has type 2 diabetses....how to find out if you do and how you metabolize sugar etc is included. Lots of emphasis on blood and body testing... 

INFLAMATION -- arthritis, Alzheimers, cancer and others-- all evolve from inflamation -- how to test for it and how to DECREASE it.

Methylation -- how important nutritional supplements are to removal of toxins to avoide disease...

GENOMICS -- what do your genes say....how is your heritage-- what you can do about the results and how to compensate. 

Detoxification -- clean up toxins -- get rid of the effects of pollution, pesticide, chemicals and heavy metals etc...and your own body's inadequacies.

KEEP YOUR BRAIN POWER -- how to keep your brain active because it represents more than 1/2 of our biological complexity. Nutritional steps, maintaining power of ideas...how to discover the right ideas that can overcome problems and conquer challenges.

Hormone section is kind of kewl...once again both men and women are covered-- menopause and male middle age challenges...Sex Hormones get a whole chapter

Aggressive supplementation -- well Ray is taking 200 supplements a day plus spends a day a week in a lab -- getting intravenous supplements and detox treatments-- a bit too much? Extremist? Maybe but he's being his own guinea pig. Much better than being a couch or mouse potato that's for sure.

POWER OF EXERCISE -- they are big on walking...and having a healthy diet and lifestyle changes aerobic and anaerobic and stretching -- all crucial...

STRESS and BALANCE is the last chapter --Animate your life by the four c's challenge, commitment, curiosity and careativity...12 ways to manager stress and achive balance-- and this time no spoilers.

I

QUICK LOOK AT OTHER IMMERSIVE GAME SYSTEMS

Thought it only fair to give a quick look at some other immersive game systems that I've seen online by Joyce Schwarz, JCOM, www.joycecom.com, emerging entertainment analyst and blogging at www.hollywood20202.blogs.com I just blogged about Headplay Inc. which is launching at DEMOfall on Tues.

Here's the link to that earlier blog on Hollywood2020.blogs.com HEADPLAY TO UNVEIL PERSONAL CINEMA SYSTEM AT DEMO FALL.(www.headplay.com)

OTHER IMMERSIVE SYSTEMS WE'VE SEEN ONLINE or in person at GDC or E3 include:

www.3dvisor.com

-- their 3D visor-- we saw at GDC

eMagin's 3Dvisor

Info is taken directly from the www.3dvisor.com website-- linked from www.eMagin.com

Z800 3DVisor is the first PDS (personal display system) to deliver on the promise of immersive 3D adventure and entertainment. The Z800 3DVisor surrounds you with an enormous virtual display – for your favorite game, your favorite movie, or your work.

• True 3D stereovision compatible
• Advanced headtracking so you can
  "Get Inside the Game!"™
• Stereo earbuds for superb sound
• Noise-canceling microphone
• Lightweight and ergonomic design
• USB Powered.

METAMERSION (www.metamersion.com)

According to that site (and note, I did discover info on the Holodek demo on DIGG.com also):

The MetaMersion Immersive Gaming System is a cutting-edge gaming platform designed to let you play your favorite PC-based game titles in a fully immersive, virtual reality environment.  Evidently according to info on the website, the system previewed at the New Hampshire HoloDek Gaming Theatre.

August 24, 2006.  From 3-5PM at HoloDek Gaming Theater (in Hampton, NH), try out the MetaMersion Immersive Gaming System.

story on MetaMersion Immersive gaming system

PDF of BEDFORD NEW HAMPSHIRE JOURNAL newspaper story on the Holodek preview of the Metamersion system. Note also some additional info that does not appear to be on the website about the creator.Dr. John Ebersole who's from Bedford, NH who used to design VR equipment for the military. http://www.metamersion.com/BedfordJournal.pdf

PS the story says that the backpack is too heavy -- click on the JPEG and you'll see how it looks. --it weighs 25 LBS!

(see it better at the link on youtube.com below).

YouTube - MetaMersion™ Immersive Gaming System (Development Prototype)

Here's another -- that was presented at CBIT, 2006:

[PDF] An Immersive Game - Augsburg Cityrun

Future Play 2006 (a paper from this year's FuturePlay

Providing an immersive and interactive game environment requires rich and ... An ontology-based system for enabling increased interactivity through mixed ... www.futureplay.org/news.php?nID=27 - 43k - Cached - EYE-TRACKING -- in SCIENCE DAILY -- another opportunity for immersion: ScienceDaily: Eye Tracking Technology Poised To Be Next Trend To ... New Virtual Reality Array Allows Immersive Experience Without The ... 2006) -- Engineers have modified a popular home video game system to assist stroke ... www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/08/060818005632.htm - 82k - BRAIN CONTROLLED VIDEOGAMES? pix from Kotaku.com -- of the brain controlled videogame system Hollywood2020 has to include this stuff-- it's amazing: CBBC Newsround | SCI TECH | Brain-controlled video game made Researchers show how characters in a video game could be controlled directly by players' brains, without wires. news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/sci_tech/newsid_3525000/3525487.stm - 58k - Slashdot | Brain Controlled Tightrope Video Game Shown Brain Controlled Tightrope Video Game Shown -- article related to Hardware and Games. slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=04/03/22/154232 - 91k - EarthV.com - Brain waves control video game EarthVillage - EarthV.com - Tech news, tech reviews, and tech bargains. Cached - Similar pagesControl Video Games... With Your Brain! - Kotaku Cached - Cached

File Format: PDF/Adobe Acrobat - View as HTML We present a platform for creating immersive 3D games in- ... sent via UDP sockets to the game system. The receiver is responsible for doing ... mm-werkstatt.informatik.uni-augsburg.de/files/project_content/211_40210201.pdf - Similar pages

www.immersion.com -- here's a recent story about their 'vibrating' system

News - Immersion Introduces Next-Generation Vibration ...

Immersion also offers engineering services to implement the technology within a ... 2006-09-08 -, IBM Ships First Microchips for Nintendo Wii Game System ... gamenews.pcvsconsole.com/view.php?news=3181 - 13k - Cached -

HEADPLAY TO UNVEIL PERSONAL CINEMA SYSTEM AT DEMO FALL

HEADPLAY INC. APPEARS TO BE SET TO INTRO what it's calling a "personal cinema system" at Chris Shipley's DEMOfall conference (www.demo.com) in San Diego this week at the Sheraton San Diego Marina Hotel according to a PR Newswire release with a subhead that says, "the Portable, Personal Cinema System Delivers an Immersive, Big Screen Experience for Gaming, Movie Watching and Internet Use."

MORE INFO --Deal with Syntax -Brillian:

We've tracked down more info about Headplay Inc.(www.headplay.com -an intriguing splash page, check it out) and some cryptic comments. We're also providing more info from their press release issued earlier today.Here's the link to that press release:HEADPLAY, Inc. Unveils the HEADPLAY Personal Cinema System ...

BEYOND eMagin.com

Basically, Headplay appears to include a wearable system -- way beyond something like eMagin's HMD --head-mounted display and 3D visor (www.eMagin.com that we've blogged about previously because we saw them at GDC (Game Development Conference).

(Here's a link to that site--eMagin: Making Virtual Imaging a Reality )

The eMagin Z800 3DVisor surrounds you with an enormous 105-inch virtual display ... eMagin supplies OLED microdisplays and prism optics to OEMs and ODMs as ...
www.emagin.com/ - 9k - Cached

BUT BIG DIFFERENCE between eMagin & Headplay Inc. -- the Headplay Inc. personal cinema system includes three components -- a)headgear(Headplay calls this the "Viewer" b) what appears to be a processor/player type-component (Headplay calls this the "liberator"and c) controller (Headplay calls this the 'navigator')

See more details below under the section in this blog called

"What does Headplay Do"?

As noted , Headplay Inc. did a deal with Syntax-Brillian

(www.syntax-brillian.com) on July 11, 2006 to have that firm supply parts/

An excerpt from that release says:

The supply agreement is projected to generate a total of $17 million in revenues to Syntax-Brillan over its term including a $1.8 million initial purchase order for Syntax-Brillian's Z86D-3 liquid-crystal-on-silicon (LCoS™) microdisplay

Here's a link to that release:

07/11/06, Syntax-Brillian to Supply Headplay with Technology for New Consumer Electronics Product · Printer Friendly Version ...
phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=146224&p=irol-news - 40k - Cached -

JPEG@ www.syntaxbrillian.com

Above photo may or may not relate to HeadplayDesign co. IDEO is actually creating Headplay's 'headset'

or "viewer" weighing only 5 oz!

A previous Google search turned up this Headplay Inc. info:

HEADPLAY Selected to Present at DEMOfall 2006 Conference

About HEADPLAY HEADPLAY, Inc. is a visual entertainment and technology company with operations in Los Angeles, California and Calgary, Alberta. ... www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/09-07-2006/0004428345&EDATE= - 7k - Cached

FOR MORE DETAILED INFO on HEADPLAY INC

see info from the press release below or read it in the release linked again here-- it's appears quite complicated in the description) HEADPLAY, Inc. Unveils the HEADPLAY Personal Cinema System ...

Could Headplay Inc. hook up to Apple's ITV?

Note, Hollywood2020 checked out the Syntax-Brillian investor forum boards and saw some conjecture from forum posts that the Headplay Inc. system could hook up to iPod's and I believe something like that is mentioned in their release. Could it also tie in with the new Apple ITV system? More info later.

WHO IS HEADPLAY?

Because Hollywood2020's preview on Headplay is based on their PR release--we're going to include exact wording of the release and then interpret in our own description when we see the system 'live' at Demofall.

Headplay is described as " a Los Angeles-based visual entertainment and technology company" . A tagline at the end of the release adds "with operations in Los Angeles, California and Calgary, Alberta. HEADPLAY is dedicated to developing new and visionary products for the consumer electronics market". Quoted in the release Glen Ward, Co-CEO of HEADPLAY, Inc who says, ""The HEADPLAY Personal Cinema System makes great entertainment even better by delivering an immersive, cinema-screen experience for game playing, movie watching and Internet use." 

Ward is also former CEO of Virgin Entertainment Group (North America) according to our knowledge and a previous press release mentioning Headplay Inc's relationship with Syntax Brillian dated July 11, 2006.

WHAT IS HEADPLAY?

The PR release says, "the HEADPLAY Personal Cinema System -- a portable, visual headset and media center that delivers an immersive, high resolution,cinematic, big screen experience for gaming, movie watching and Internet use".

WHAT DOES HEADPLAY DO? The release redefines the portable media device
category, empowering consumers to realize the "anytime-anywhere" potential
of personal entertainment choice. Connecting directly to game consoles, DVD
players, iPods, PCs and cell phones, the Personal Cinema System is capable
of reading stored media using compact flash or USB and via a universal
adapter to use SD, XD, Memory Stick or Smart Media.

The Headplay Inc. Personal Cinema System

Features three components:

1)the Viewer 2) the Liberator 3) the Navigator

OKAY what the heck are those components REALLY?

Well, we won't know for sure until we see it at DEMOfall tomorrow but here's what the press release says:

1)The Viewer, or headset (weighs only 5 ounces!) worn by the user displays a virtual 52" screen, forn immersive, movie theatre-like experience. The Viewer
is being designed by industrial design firm, IDEO. You can simultaneously use a game controller or keyboard -- and the viewer weights only 5 ounces!.

2) The Headplay Inc. "Liberator" is both the brains and the heart of the Personal Cinema System. The Liberator is battery-powered to deliver up to 6 hours of
playtime between charges. It accepts a composite video, component video and
S-video signal in the formats of NTSC, PAL and SECAM.

universal connectivity -- game consoles, DVD players, iPods etc.

The "Liberator" features universal connectivity, so it's compatible with almost any device with a  video out, including video game consoles, DVD players, video iPods, PCs, cell phones and USB storage devices such as an old iPod, thumbdrives
or any MP3 player. Plug and play; no special drivers required.

the" Liberator" also runs the software for managing the system and allows
reading and displaying content read through its Compact Flash slot or
two USB host ports. It can also accommodate universal adapters to allow
reading from SD, X, X, so users can get their content to go and are free to
enjoy it without requiring any additional hardware beyond the HEADPLAY
Personal Cinema System itself.

3)The Navigator
    -- a tethered remote ,allows user to
select and control content and screen settings. Serves as the
connection point for the Personal Cinema System.

WHEN CAN YOU BUY HEADPLAY? "

HEADPLAY Personal Cinema System:

available to consumers in Q1 2007" per the press release. So maybe they're talking about a launch at CES? Consumer Electronics Show in Vegas?

HOLLYWOOD2020 WILL BE AT DEMOfall  Note: Hollywood2020 blogger Joyce Schwarz, emerging entertainment analyst/consultant and frequent contributor to imediaconnection & other trade pubs will be on-site at DEMOfall beginning Tuesday, Sept 25 so watch for frequent updates on Headplay and many of the other almost 70 companies that will preview their wares at this industry 'insider-only' event.

UPDATE -- see Hollywood2020.blogs.com post for Weds, September 27 --blogger and emerging entertainment analyst/consultant Joyce Schwarz, JCOM, www.joycecom.com saw and tried on Headplay at DEMOfall, San Diego and just saw the presentation/demo by Glen Ward, Co-CEO -- it is VERY impressive. We also posted it on DIGG.com -- see below:

Headplay Inc. Launches Next-Gen Immersive Cinema System

submitted by joycecom  1 day 13 hours ago (via http://hollywood2020.blogs.com…)

Headplay Inc. launches next-gen immersive cinema system at DEMOfall. Headplay did a deal in summer with Syntax-Brillian for parts for some of the three components-- what they call (they're labels, not mine) a) Viewer b) Liberator c) navigator. The company's Co-CEO is Glen Ward formerly President, Virgin Entertainment America. Suprised this is NOT getting more play--a handful of blogs covered the press release. IT HOLDS THE OPPORTUNITY FOR BEING VERY DISRUPTIVE in the video space and games and cinema/films/DVD's etc. Ward explained you could 'store' the length of three movies for an airline trip on their LIBERATOR (player/storage/component).

t

• digg it

Cisco's John Chambers On CNBC About Lebanon Rebuilding & More for Cisco

John Chambers, CEO OF CISCO on an interview on CNBC on the economy: 'our business is doing extremely well, it feels that the possibility of a soft landing is good.....Chambers says he has culture of open communications and trust with board. "Our culture is one of openness and transparency. Chambers was just back from a trip to Lebanon with President Bush.

Four of America’s Corporate Leaders Launch Lebanon Rebuilding ... Business Wire (press release), CA - 15 minutes ago ... effort in Lebanon following the recent conflict. The four leaders directing the fund are: Craig Barrett, Chairman, Intel Corporation; John Chambers, President ...

OPRAH ON CNBC PROMOS XM RADIO & SAYS "SHE'S NOT GOING PUBLIC!"

OPRAH just live on CNBC at 6:30 a.m. PST promos her new OPRAH & FRIENDS channel on XM Radio...fascinating segment on CNBC Television this morning that blogger Joyce Schwarz caught "live" from NASDAQ.XM's Panero and Oprah share the spotlight  XM Satellite Radio marked the debut of the "Oprah and Friends" radio show on their proprietary in-car system by officiating over the Nasdaq open.

OPRAH LIVE AT NASDAQ

In New York City after her cross-country trip with pal Gayle King. (If you didn't catch scenes of that trip on the prime-time segment of Oprah on Saturday night -- catch a re-run -- it's hilarious and gives greater insight into a much quieter and a bit more uptight Oprah on the road traveling cross-the-USA in a Chevrolet! Ooops don't wait for a re-run-- just click over to guess where? YEP YouTube - Oprah Winfrey and Gayle's Road Trip - Part 2 .

When you watch the YOUTUBE segments of the Oprah road-trip be sure to catch Oprah's comments about 'music in the car' -- seems that Oprah never puts the radio on in the car when she drives because she likes to be 'with her thoughts'.

OPRAH ON ROUTE 66 ---

In the segments Hollywood2020 blogger Joyce Schwarz saw on Oprah's ABC airing of that show, Oprah is seen even turning down the radio when she merges with traffic. Seems that gal pal Gayle never knew about Oprah's 'radio-free' driving preference because they are usually 'driven-around' for short distances by a driver. Gayle is a MAJOR radio/music fan and loves to sing along to almost every song the radio plays. At one point in the segment Oprah is even seen wearing earplugs and earphones to cancel out the "noise". Kind of funny considering this new deal announced. Oprah made some positive reference to XM radio being played during the car trip cross-country during her CNBC interview and we had to chuckle. Maybe, if it's her own show she might reconsider the 'noise in the car'??? See what this blogger said about her stop for the best rootbeer in the nation: Oprah stops at Mr. D’z « Route 66 News

The new Oprah & Friends channel According to news reports: XM signed Oprah back in February in a deal with Harpo Radio. Oprah only appears weekly with friend Gayle King. The rest of the show's daily programming will be filled with appearances by regular guests on her syndicated television show, such as fitness expert Bob Greene and interior design expert Nate Berkus.

OPRAH SAYS "NOT GOING PUBLIC" During the interview on CNBC, Oprah is asked if she ever thought about taking her company public. She answers seriously saying yes, she it crossesd her mind but it didn't stay there very long. Seems she likes the control she has. She said she had bosses before and likes being her own boss...What's next for Oprah-- not a book publishing empire she says -- that would be a conflict of interest to her book club and book recommendations she feels. She said she didn't even know the XM deal was coming along ....She feels that XM will give her access to an audience that her show doesn't have.

XM'S FUTURE? XM Satellite surges on upgrade

The CNBC reporter hinted that Oprah on XM may bring in more women to buy the XM devices. XM is upgrading its receivers according to recent news reports to comply with emission standards-- see this news post for details: XM Satellite Radio Holdings News

With both Sirius and XM Satellite Radio getting some heat lately from the FCC over radio receivers that are not compliant with emissions regulations, ... www.topix.net/com/xmsr - 40k - Sep 23, 2006 - Cached -