BALIUAG UNIVERSITY

Baliuag, Bulacan

College of Environmental Design and Engineering

Computer Engineering Department

Eyewear for Big Screen

Viewing

In partial fulfillment of the

Requirements for the course RESEARCH METHOD
(ES 510)

DELA CRUZ, Jose Marco R.

ECLARINO, Jhomer C.
LALU, Wilver R.
VILLAFUERTE, Mark Lester H.

22 August 2007
TABLE OF CONTENTS
CHAPTER 1
The Problem and its Background
Introduction
Background of the Study
Statement of the Problem
Significance of the Study
Scope and Delimitation of the Study

CHAPTER 2
Review of Related Studies and Literature
Foreign Studies

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
Gratitude is the sincerest feeling that is best felt than expressed.
 With tears and blood, time and sacrifices, the group wishes to
extend their sincere gratitude to the following for their invaluable
contributions without which this project could not have been possible.

 Baliuag Universities Library for lending us different aids to make

this project more successful.

 Mrs. Johnellee Pangan for her continual patience and utmost

considerations regarding our project.

 The family of the authors for the emotional, financial, and

spiritual support given to us.

 To the entire group, for their cooperation in spending more time

and money, and their tireless effort, just to complete this project.

 To those and too many others, the group is immensely grateful

for having assisted us in many ways during the process of
gathering needed information’s and materials.

 And most importantly, to the ALMIGHTY GOD for giving us the

strength, patience and for His eternal guidance and merciful
providence.

Thank you very much!!!

Trust in the LORD with all your heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths. Proverbs 3:5,6

CHAPTER 1
THE PROBLEM AND ITS BACKGROUND

Introduction
 At the beginning of the 21st century, we may be standing on the
brink of a mind-makeover more cataclysmic than anything in our
history.

The science and technology that is already becoming central to

our lives will soon come to transform not just the way we spend each
day, but the way we think and feel.

Gradually, we are learning more about the dynamism and

sensitivity of the circuits in our brain, and how they reflect our
moment-to-moment existence and experience: It is in the configuration
of these brain cell connections, that the essence of our individuality
actually lies.

The prospect of directly tampering with this basis of our

uniqueness becomes increasingly likely. Imagine living in an interactive
and highly personalized environment, from physical interiors to
furniture, to food.

Invisible and ubiquitous computers embedded in clothing, virtual

reality and augmented reality may erode our sense of a solid and
consistent outside world. Clearly there will be implications for the
family unit.

Home will now be seen as an extension of the individual's own

mind and body, with constant access to a collective network of data on
the minutiae of everyone else's daily life.

We shall see a swing therefore to a reactive rather than a

proactive lifestyle. The internalization of computing into the human
body, to change our appearance and physical prowess, as well as
implications for brain implants, (which are already upon us), may mean
that the fire-wall between our body and the outside world is no longer
inviolate.

It may be possible that thoughts could eventually control the

outside world, even if not the other way round. We will be facing an
increase in screen-based pursuits, off-line recording activities, including
our own.

Second-hand living, as an alternative to empty real lives, may

also lead to increase in drug-abuse, both prescribed and proscribed,
whilst the new work and leisure patterns may challenge the concept of
the self until now so often defined by one's job.
 Individuals may no longer be marked out by what they know,
since again there will be no need to internalized the information, now
embedded in one's clothing, jewelry, etc.

Outside of formal education, future toys, like everything else, will

also be highly interactive: So the growing child will see the outside
world as inconstant and malleable.

Our successors will increasingly be people of the screen versus

the 20th century mentality of people of the book — there will no longer
be a need to read or write, thanks to voice-activated computers and
the trend towards icon manipulation, and instant access.

Inevitably, therefore, there will be changes not just in literacy

skills, but also those of the imagination. The future generations will
think differently: Although they will have a much narrower attention
span, it will be coupled with a transcendence of time and space
frames.

Cyber-networking and the demise of the individual expert, in

favor of a global neosphere will, again, merge the self with others.

We seem to never be happy. We want TVs to keep getting bigger

to create an impressive home theatre environment for watching our
movies. We also want movies to come to the small screen - onto
everything from our PDA's to our iPods. But the small screen is really
too small to sit and comfortably watch a movie. So, now we need a
way to make the small screen big again.

A key trend in the development of displays is that, in general, we

are moving to a more multimedia-driven culture and that content itself
is evolving. We are witnessing a convergence of TV, computers and
developments in bandwidth, and these are paving the way for the
introduction of High Definition content (HD video and HDTV) accessed
via the Web, satellite, cable and DVD discs.

These developments will tend to drive people's awareness of the

display technology they are using. In particular, the move to HDTV is
driving development of large, flat screen display technologies in those
markets (USA, Japan) where this format is becoming widespread. This
means that the 1920 x 1080 resolution will become the base standard
for display devices. The same will apply to the forthcoming introduction
of 3-D: educational content that becomes available, through, for
example, games and 3-D virtual models of museum exhibitions and
buildings, will build awareness of what these new technologies are
capable of and drive expectations about what can be delivered. In this
context it is worth noting that often the software and the content last a
lot longer than the display hardware (Brodlie,2004).

However, a more interesting development is that microdisplay

technologies are helping to facilitate the introduction of near-to-eye or
'heads-up' systems, and the production of lightweight, wearable,
personal head-mounted displays with screens. The user wears the
screens like a pair of glasses and sees an image in front of the eyes at
the same time as being able to view the real world.

Near-to-eye systems have been used extensively by the military

and by vehicle repair and servicing personnel (Murray, 2004) and are
increasingly being taken up by surgeons and other medical staff
(Patsuris, 2004). As costs fall and techniques improve, the education
and consumer markets will begin to open, with one leading industry
commentator expecting to see a $1 billion market by 2008, partly
driven by near-to-eye personal TV (Insight Media, 2004).

Such developments also point to a potential rise in the number of

people actively engaged in augmented reality – interacting with data at
the same time as viewing and working in the real world – and a
number of commercial companies are working in this area.

An alternative technology pathway is being opened up by

scanned-beam displays in which tiny lasers or light-emitting diodes
project light directly into the viewer's retina. The first display systems
based on this concept are being introduced in augmented reality
scenarios particularly for automotive service personnel (Lewis, 2005).
One system, Nomad, is being developed by Microvision Inc, of Bothell,
Washington. They have produced a clear, flat window, with a small
(1.5mm) mirror which is angled in front of the viewer's eyes and
reflects mono-color (red) laser light into the retina in a sweeping
pattern.

Such systems currently use red laser light, as the diodes that
generate red are small and fairly cheap. Developments in blue and
green diode lasers will shortly allow delivery of full colour scanned
systems. Research work is on-going into the development of such
systems for 3D display using the optics of deformable mirrors
(McQuaide, 2002), which offer advantages over other 3D systems.

The integration of these types of systems with mobile and PDA

devices is seen as a potentially major development. As device sizes
shrink the screen size becomes more of an issue as there is a lack of
space or 'screen real-estate' for information (Anderson and Blackwood,
2004). Microdisplay technologies promise a new way of viewing
information on mobile phones and PDA devices (Chinnock, 2000) and
some industry commentators believe that mobile video and TV will be
a key driver in the development of this market (Forbes, 2005).

The long term future of the display, like computing in general, is

one of increasing intelligence and ubiquity where the difference
between the display and our surrounding environment begins to blur.
We are likely to see convergence of a number of technologies in
computer and displays development including cheap, flexible, printable
display surfaces; display projection; near-to-eye systems for
augmented reality anthrocentric displays.
We will see a move towards the disappearance of the display
screen as a fixed office-based entity, as part of the general trend
towards ubiquitous computing or ubicomp.

The developments in near-to-eye displays could have the most

far reaching implications. If such systems become cost effective and
practical they will inevitably merge with continuing developments in
mobile computation to help facilitate an always-on, augmented reality.
Just as many people now constantly carry a mobile phone, they may
also constantly wear glasses that provide near-to-eye visual display.
This will perhaps allow an individual to augment their reality in a
personalized manner: imagine a lecture in which the lecturer delivers
her talk whilst extra notes and visual information are presented to each
student’s individual eye wear, personalized for them, based on their
level of attainment in the subject.

As we have seen, the nature of displaying information is

changing. The traditional model with a bulky desktop or TV display
allocated to perhaps one per person or per household is rapidly
disappearing. Screens are becoming flatter, are appearing in an
increasing range of environments and technical gadgets are providing
new formats of content. Soon the screen may disappear altogether.
The pace of this change can only increase in coming years and the
changing nature of the display of information will have implications for
education as much as any other area of society.
Statement of the Problem

In the view of knowing the need of modern generation people for

gadget enhancements or accessories, we came up with a personal
media viewer, the portable big screen goggles. In line with this
innovation, we have decided to conduct this research.

Specifically, this research aims to answer the following questions:

1.What are the specific purposes of your custom-made invention?

2.How will these purposes contribute to the ease of today’s
generation?
3.What are the functionalities of this invention that will be of great
help to people specially the technology-inclined ones?

Background of the Study

Big Screen Viewing

If you are setting up a home theater, you need to make some

basic decisions right up front. First on the list is choosing the ideal
aspect ratio for your theater. Should the screen be 16:9, which is the
standard HDTV widescreen format? Should you go with 4:3 to match
the old classic film format? Or how about the super-widescreen 2.35:1
aspect ratio that many contemporary movies are made in?

After you have determined the aspect ratio that is right for you,
the next obvious questions are, "How big should the screen be?" and
"What is the ideal viewing distance?" We get a lot of email asking these
questions, and the answer is always the same: this is a personal
preference. There is no right answer. However, there are some general
guidelines that may be of help.

The point is that everyone has his or her own preferences for
seating in a movie theater. Some like a bigger picture with a wider
angle of view; others prefer a less overwhelming presentation more in
the center of their field of vision. The beauty of designing your own
home theater with a front projection system is that you can set it up
exactly as big as you want it. There are no formulaic "ideals." In
essence, when you select the size of your screen for your given
viewing distance, you are "choosing the row" you want to sit in.

Having said that, there are two things to be aware of. Both have
to do with over-doing it. Since we have total freedom to go as big as
we want, many folks err on the side of going too big and sitting too
close, on the theory that if big is good, bigger must be better. And
while it is true that size counts when it comes to home theater, it can
be overdone to the point where it is not enjoyable.

So as you plan your theater's layout, be aware that watching a

very big screen up close is physically demanding. Have you ever tried
to watch a tennis match from side court in the first row? Your head is
moving constantly and your eyes go buggy. It is not a pleasant
experience. If you go too big with your screen, you will have the same
effect. The huge image might have awesome impact for the first 30
minutes of viewing, but it will be a chore to watch it for long periods of
time.

Before you choose your projector and screen combo, one

practical exercise is to mark out on your wall the size screen you think
you might want. You can use black electrician's tape to define the
corners of your future screen. Place your seating at the distance you
prefer, sit down, and look at the marked out screen area for a while.
Imagine action happening in the screen space and get a sense of how
much work your eyes need to do to view the image. Work with the
image size and viewing distance until you feel it is a comfortable
solution for you and anyone else in your household who might be a
regular viewer.

Meanwhile, as you experiment with your ideal screen size, there

is a second thing to be aware of. The more you enlarge a projector's
image and the closer you sit to the screen, the more visible various
artifacts become. By the way, the same is true of television. If you view
a 2-foot wide television screen from a distance of 2 feet, you will see a
blinding mass of scanlines and artifacts. But that same picture viewed
from ten feet away looks great. There's nothing different about a
projector except the scale.
As a rule of thumb with 720 pixel resolution projectors, a viewing
distance of less than 1.5 times the screen width will get you into the
trouble zone where pixelation and artifacts become more visibly
intrusive. While it is true you have a very BIG image in front of you,
these distractions can compromise viewing satisfaction. On the other
hand, with the new 1080p resolution projectors, you can sit a bit
closer, say at 1.2x the screen width, without worrying about pixelation
and artifacts. That still might be too close for comfort from an aesthetic
point of view, but some people like to have that very large image in
front of them. The 1080p projectors make it easier to do that and still
get a clean image.

Keep in mind also that the screen's height will influence ideal
viewing distance. Let's assume you have a 16:9 screen that is eight
feet wide, and you find that 12 feet, or 1.5x the screen width, is a
comfortable viewing distance. If you were to replace that 16:9 screen
with an eight foot wide 4:3 screen, you might suddenly feel like your
12 foot viewing distance is too close--for any given screen width, the
4:3 format is always a larger surface area than 16:9, and is thus more
visually demanding. You might want to move back a few feet to take it
all in.

These are just rules of thumb. Clearly the projector you choose
will have some impact upon ideal viewing ranges. 1080p resolution
projectors will allow for larger screens and closer viewing distances
without compromising image integrity. On the other hand, entry level
480p projectors require you to sit further from the screen if you want to
avoid visible pixelation.

The bottom line is that two issues need to be considered in your

ultimate decision on screen size. One is your personal aesthetic
preference, and the other is the technical limitations of your projector
to produce a fully resolved image at any given viewing distance.

Choosing the right screen size and the right aspect ratio will
have a huge impact on your long term enjoyment of your theater. So
give these matters serious thought. When it comes to a successful
home theater design, these factors are much more important than the
projector you choose to have in your own house

Watch viewing material well in advance of your event, even if

you have seen it previously, to be sure it is appropriate for your
viewing audience. When you show a film in public, the owners of the
film will want to be paid for showing it in this setting. Showing a movie
on The Big Screen Solution in private home settings — including
outdoor parties — is typically considered a private and legal use. But
showing a movie in public that has been rented from your local movie
rental store may be a copyright violation and may result in substantial
legal penalties. Charging or using the movie for financial gain or
publicity without permission may also be illegal in most cases. To be
sure that you are compliant with today's movie copyright laws, you
should obtain a "public performance license". The cost is generally
quite reasonable but may vary depending on a number of factors,
including how new and popular the film is.

Projector Screens

Projection of personal and corporate audio-visual presentations is

a popular choice for events such as family reunions, birthdays,
anniversaries, corporate meetings, seminars and team building events.
Large screen projection requires a certain level of quality to be
successful.

Projector screens are available in multiple, specialized projection

materials designed to enhance video quality for home theater, training
room, boardroom, or auditorium. Choose from fixed, electric, wall-
mounted, portable and tripod styles that are made for front projection
or rear projection applications. Select a standard size or order a custom
projector screen to fit your needs. Locate discount projector screens,
electric projector screens and more using the merchant links below. If
you have a projector screen brand preference, narrow your merchant
search by choosing the appropriate screen brand. Bigger projection
screens often enhance the viewing experience. Listed down are the
situations in which a big screen just isn't better:

1. When your sound isn't big. A big screen screams for big sound.
There's almost no bigger disappointment than a full visual experience
without the full audio experience. Compare it to a sportscar with no
power; having the looks isn't as satisfying as having the looks AND the
performance to go with it. If you budget hasn't been spent yet,
consider spending an equal amount on the visual audio components
and on the visual components. Of course, this isn't a set rule and you
can determine yourself how to divide it, but just keep in mind that if
your audio performance doesn't match your projection set-up's
performance', bigger isn't better.

2. When your projector has a low light output. The bigger the
projection screen, the more light from the projector is needed to get an
image with the same brightness as on a smaller screen. If you feel the
current projected image as at the right brightness level, you can count
on it to be more dim on a bigger projection screen.

3. When your projector has a low resolution level. Increasing the

image also increases the projected size of the pixels in your projected
image. If the resolution of your projector is low, the pixels will become
more and more visible when the size of the projected image is
increased. A quick and easy way to test if you would like a bigger
image, use your wall as a projection screen and see if you like the
larger image. If you see an image you don't like; stick with your current
size.

4. When your room isn't big enough. Nobody likes to sit on the first
row in the cinema. This is exactly the feeling a too big a screen can
give you. Of course, the bragging factor definitely comes into play with
a BIG screen, but it doesn't necessarily add to an enjoyable viewing
experience. Before buying or upgrading, look in the store at the screen
from the same viewing distance as you would have in your home. This
will help avoid a disappointing result at home.
SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

We are living in a period of ever increasing high-tech gadgets in

almost of all human activities. Consumers want to be able to watch
movies, music videos and TV, browse the Web and check their e-mail
on the go and In just a palm of there hands .
As Research firms confirm that consumers are rapidly adopting I-pod as
a new medium for watching videos with an estimated one billion
subscribers worldwide we tried to invent a more practical and more
revolutionary kind of gadget that will burst your movie experienced.

“I don't go to movie theaters much anymore, but the last time I

did I selected my normal row, about two-thirds the way back. Another
couple came in and promptly climbed the steps to the uppermost seats
that were farthest from the screen. Another group arrived and chose
seats about a third of the way back. Two teen-aged boys took the front
row. Another dozen people filed in and took places randomly
throughout the theater. “

As this statement is concern, we the researchers aims to provide a

greater gadget that will is gives you pleasure of having a home cinema
like in just a small but handy gadget that will boost your movie
experienced to the max as you never imagine… and that’s without
further going in movie house just to have that bad experiences...

SCOPES and DELIMITATIONS

While the primary purpose of the device is, obviously, the video,
you’re viewing experience. The system supports high resolution 3G
and Digital Media Broadcasts anywhere in the world. Offers analog PAL,
NTSC, and custom digital video interface options. Finally, Video
Eyewear also supports 3D for a stunning three dimensional viewing
experience.

FEATURES

Battery Pack: The battery pack. The 30GB, 60GB, and 80GB video
iPod all slide snuggly into the pack, which completely encases the unit.
It makes the iPod only slightly larger, but when fully charged adds
another 4 hours of video-viewing battery life to the 2 hours already on
a fully-charged iPod (or a total of 20 hours just listening to music). It
comes with charger Instead of requiring you to carry an entirely
separate module, the battery is contained in a sleeve which slides
around your iPod (which you must have with you anyway). The battery
then connects to your iPod, which means it can supply power not only
to the system, but also to your iPod. This battery can power your
device and iPod for 5-6 hours of viewing pleasure.

The front of the sleeve has cutouts which allow you to access the
controls, screen, and ports on the iPod itself. Additionally, the back of
the battery contains a meter which uses four green LED lights to
indicate how much battery power remains before you must charge the
system, as well as a belt clip, which makes it extremely easy to carry
the entire device hands free.

Setup: Getting started is extremely easy. Much easier than you would
expect. Simple slide your iPod into the battery pack, and connect the
battery to your iPod. Now, connect the wire from the system into the
top of the battery pack. You may need to charge the battery for your
first use. Don’t worry though; you can still use the system while it is
plugged in or charging.

On your iPod, simply turn on the TV Out on your video settings,

select the content you want to watch and you are ready to go. Put on
the glasses and enjoy.

Lenses: Big screen viewing eyewear features two VGA LCD panels
each having 640 x 480 resolutions and a 26 degree field of view. It has
two QVGA panels with 320 x 240 resolutions and a 24 degree field of
view. The sleek eyewear allows users to privately view large-size video
or pictures equivalent to a 42-inch screen as seen from three feet
away, yet simultaneously view their surroundings thanks to the small
size of the frame and optics which allow the user to see around the
screen. With lightweight design and low-power requirements, the
eyewear plugs into the I-pods port without the need for external
controllers or bulky battery attachments.

Video and Pictures Viewing: Just slip on the glasses and you enter
your own private movie screening theater or play your album picture.
Anytime… Anyplace… Essentially, the image you see is projected onto
a small screen inside of the glasses. By using perspective and mirrors,
however, the system is able to simulate a much larger screen. The
picture is crisp, sharp, and clear. Much better than my 27-inch Sony;
and because the picture is constantly fixed in front of your eyes, it also
always appears to fill most of your field of vision. By blocking out all (or
most) external visual distractions, it is able to simulate an even larger
screen than expected.

Audio: In order to complete the illusion of your own private movie

theater, the media viewer offers silicone ear buds. These ear buds
dangle on a short cord from both stems of the glasses. By attaching
them to such a short wire, it has ensured that they will never become
tangled, which is always a significant concern for users of wired
headphones; or lost.

These silicone earbuds also satisfy a dual purpose. First, they

deliver crystal clear sound directly from the media on your iPod to your
ears. The silicone protects your ear canal from being scratched by the
earbud, but also leaves an opening through which the sound can be
piped directly into your ear. This ensures minimal excess sound which
could be heard by those sitting around you. Additionally, the silicone
serves as an ear plug while you are listening. This means that the
earbuds are able to significantly reduce no ambient noise which is
likely to interrupt you while you are listening.
While the primary purpose of the device is, obviously, the video,
your viewing experience would be significantly diminished without high
quality earphones to complete the illusion of entering your own private
movie theater

Comfort and Feel: Imagine that you have your own personal media
room. It includes a large screen digital television, Dolby surround
sound speakers, and an endless supply of videos and media. Simply
place the glasses on your face and watch as your video content is
projected in front of your eyes, centered within your field of vision.
The glasses themselves were extremely light on my face. Once they
were on, you hardly noticed them. Additionally, since the screen is
attached to the glasses, when you are wearing the unit, it will move
with your face. This means that the screen is always oriented in the
same direction as your eyes.

Pendant Control: One thing that can get very old very quickly is
constantly taking out your iPod to adjust the controls. Once you have
the glasses on, it can be somewhat difficult to see beyond the screen.
Fortunately, it’s thought of this, and included a pendant controller with
the system.
The pendant is attached to the main wire of the system and has a
clip on the back which will attach it to your shirt or belt. The buttons on
the pendant can be used to:
 •adjust the volume
•control the screen brightness
•control playback (rewind, fast forward, play, or pause)

Physical Aspects: asides from its techs looks it is also light in weight
for approximately 68 grams and has Comfortable design
Accessories: There was an A/V cable for an iPod and a special cable
for use with portable DVD player and other compatible player.

LIMITATIONS

When you want to change the media contents: The iPod menus
are not transmitted, which means you have to take the glasses off in
order to scroll through the menus and select your movie or video. It
would have been considerably more convenient if the menus would
also transfer to the view screen, so you could scroll through the menus
while wearing the glasses.

When there is interruption with people. Like in ordinary movie

house if the LCD gets interrupted when some body goes along with the
way of the lenses.

When your gadgets need to get rest: generates eye-punishing

heat in as excess of used of course.

When you want to view movie all at once: limited or 1 per person
at a time can used the gadget.

CHAPTER 2

Review of Related Studies and Literature

 France Telecom’s wireless unit, Orange SA, will soon roll out a
new mobile video service that will let cellular phone subscribers view
TV, movies, photos and broadband Internet content with a big screen
viewing effect using Kopin®-enabled video eyewear from U.S.-based
MicroOptical Corp. Kopin Corp. The largest U.S. manufacturer of
microdisplays for mobile consumer electronics and military applications
has received an order for CyberDisplay® 230K microdisplays from
MicroOptical for this application.

Orange SA, one of the world’s leading wireless companies with 52

million customers in 16 countries, will bundle a MicroOptical binocular
video eyewear with Samsung’s SGH-D600 cell phone as part of its new
“Orange World” wireless multimedia service. The bundled package,
unveiled in June 2005 at the European Research and Innovation
Exhibition in Paris, is scheduled to be available to Orange subscribers
in October 2005.

MicroOptical’s video eyewear contains two of Kopin’s full-color, QVGA-

resolution (320 x 240) CyberDisplay 230K microdisplays. The sleek
eyewear allows users to privately view large-size video or pictures
equivalent to a 12-inch screen as seen from three feet away, yet
simultaneously view their surroundings thanks to the small size of the
frame and MicroOptical’s patented optics which allow the user to see
around the screen. Europe’s AFP news wire service called the bundled
technology “a sure fire hit,” saying that the eyewear’s “big screen
effect” is stunning, especially when combined with built-in stereo
earpieces.

“Kopin CyberDisplays are becoming the standard microdisplays of

choice for mobile video applications thanks to their ability to provide
the highest video quality in the smallest footprint and with very low
power consumption,” said Dr. Mark Spitzer, MicroOptical’s founder and
CEO. “We are very happy with our partnership with Kopin and really
excited about being a part of Orange’s multimedia wireless service. We
are ramping up the production to meet the initial customer demand.”

“The mobile video revolution is unfolding in the cellular phone market

as we speak,” said Dr. John C.C. Fan, Kopin’s president and CEO.
“Consumers want to be able to watch movies, music videos and TV,
browse the Web and check their e-mail on their cell phones on the go.
But the phone’s small screen has inhibited widespread consumer
adoption. MicroOptical’s innovative video eyewear is enabling the big
screen capabilities that consumers demand, and yet is very lightweight
and similar to eyeglasses.”
The Kopin CyberDisplay 230K’s tiny size (0.24-inch diagonal) enabled
MicroOptical to design a featherweight (2.5 oz.), comfortable and
stylish video eyewear solution for Orange SA. MicroOptical’s binocular
video eyewear delivers crisp, full-color video with a 17-degree field of
view. The eyewear is connected to a cell phone through a thin cable,
and allows up to five hours of video with three AAA batteries. Since it
accepts composite video input (NTSC or PAL), the eyewear can be
plugged into other devices with composite video outputs such as
portable DVD players.

Built with nanotechnology, the CyberDisplay 230K with approximately

230,000 pixel dots in 0.24″ diagonal is the highest resolution
transmissive display of its size. In addition to displaying standard text
and graphics, the display operates at traditional video speeds and
consumes only five milliwatts of power. Kopin’s power-efficient
CyberDisplay 230K is ideal for a range of portable consumer and
industrial applications such as video eyewear and viewfinders for
digital cameras and camcorders.

As much as a brilliant product the video iPod is, it does have its
limitations. I like to take mine with me when I fly, for example, but the
tiny screen makes for difficult viewing and the short battery life makes
for limited viewing time.

There are several types of wireless technologies in use today,

including infra-red (IR) and radio frequency (RF). Remote controls for
televisions and stereos, for example, use IR technology to
communicate information. One of the drawbacks of IR is that it requires
the sending and receiving devices to be in line of sight of each other
for communication to take place. RF is more practical and is becoming
more widely used as it can transport more information over longer
distances and pass through solid objects. It also uses more diffuse
waves and does not require that devices be in line of sight in order to
communicate. Cellular phones use RF wireless technology to link
individual phones to towers or base stations scattered throughout
urban and rural areas.
Laptop computers now come equipped with the capability to
connect to wireless local area networks found in offices and other
places such as hotels and airports, enabling us to surf the Internet or
connect to our office e-mail systems while roaming freely. Many people
today install wireless networks in their homes, very economically, to
link multiple computers from different rooms in the house to a single
Internet connection and to devices like printers and scanners.
 One of the big challenges with wireless technology has been
the issue of standards or compatibility. Even though we’re making
progress, there are still a number of different standards for cell phones
and they are not interoperable. A GSM (Global System
for Mobile Communications) phone, for instance, will not work in a
CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access) network and, as these standards
also vary from country to country, cell phones are not always useful for
international travelers. Even television remotes, garage-door openers
and keyless car-entry systems are usually not compatible with products
from different manufacturers. For wireless to be truly useful, as well as
economical, interoperability of the sort we have with telephone land
lines is a must.

In 1994, Swedish telecommunications giant, Ericsson, proposed

Bluetooth as a standard for wireless connectivity. Getting the world’s
electronic product manufacturers to agree on a standard was no easy
feat, and even more difficult was developing a communications
protocol that would actually work. In 1998, Nokia, IBM, Toshiba and
Intel joined Ericsson to form the Bluetooth Special Interest Group to
add muscle to the initiative, and now, seven years later, Bluetooth is
firmly entrenched in the world of wireless.

Bluetooth is a short-range technology to quickly and efficiently

connect devices within 10 meters of each other. It eliminates the
cables and wires that connect devices which exchange data, voice or
audio. A keyboard or mouse connected to a computer, earphones or
headset connected to a cell phone and a digital camera connected to a
printer are everyday examples of Bluetooth uses. These devices have
to be Bluetooth-enabled, which is done by a special radio chip. The
software contained in the chip allows the two devices to “shake hands”
with each other and then communicate freely, a process called
“pairing.” Once paired, devices look for each other when they are in
range.

Bluetooth works in the electro-magnetically “noisy” 2.4 GHz

frequency bands, as do most cell phones. To ensure that clear, noise-
free exchange is possible, it uses a fast, frequency-hopping technique.
Signals hop 1600 times per second between frequencies and correct
errors to ensure that information is not corrupted. Additionally, unlike
traditional cell phones, frequency hopping and encryption keep
Bluetooth conversations from being easy eavesdropping targets. Paired
devices can also communicate with each other without interfering with
other nearby Bluetooth devices. All of this works at about one one-
hundredth of the power level of a cell phone, so smaller batteries can
be used.
Getting the Big Picture on the Tube.

Television is usually anything but. A 19-inch screen-the size that

most of us watch-is pretty small. Even a 27-inch or 31-inch screen is
just a fraction of the size of real-life scenes in broadcasts and on
videotape. This isn't a problem if TV is just another evening diversion.
But if we're serious about our fun and we want our video entertainment
to be as realistic as possible, we have to make it life-size. And that, of
course, means we'd have to spend more -- usually, a lot more than
we'd ordinarily pay for a regular console TV. Since the Cheapskate
frowns on spending even a penny more than necessary for anything,
the idea of big-screen television seems to be one of those goals that
true skinflints could never reach. But even the Cheapskate falls prey to
the idea that art is long and credit cards are fleeting. And so if you can
afford just one major home video purchase this time around, you
should consider a big-screen TV. They come in screen sizes ranging
from 35 inches to 120 inches -- that's 10 feet, pardner -- and cost
anywhere from $2,000 to the level of "if you have to ask, you can't
afford it."

There are three basic types:

Direct-view TVs.
These are just like regular TVs, except that they're bigger. Because
their picture tubes are extra beefy, and because they need massive
shielding, these sets are usually very heavy. Picture sizes range
between 30 inches and 40 inches.
Drawbacks: They're expensive, and their pictures aren't really all that
large.

Rear-projection TVs.
These are what most people think of when they refer to big-screen
sets. Many brands are available, and discounts can bring average
prices down below $2,000.
Drawbacks: They're often not very bright if you sit off to the side, and
the picture from that angle can be ruined by ghost images coming
from the lens behind the screen.

Front-projection TVs.
These give the best picture, all other things being equal (which they
usually aren't, unfortunately). In principle, they work just like movie
projectors, except for the three separate, colored light beams that
front-projection sets usually have. Drawback: They take up a lot of
space unless you have a high ceiling and can hang the projector there
(but be warned that your viewing room could end up looking like a
tavern).
When the first successful big-screen TVs were introduced in the 1970s,
the only video playback device that could show off the advanced
picture quality of the new sets was a laser disc player. That's right-
laser video discs have been around for almost 20 years.
These days, a laser disc player is still the best way to feed a proper
video diet to your giant TV. Prices have been falling while features have
been rising, and you should be able to buy one for $400 to $600.
That's not in true Cheapskate territory, but it's getting close. One
caution: Make sure the laser-disc player isn't an old model being sold
out of outmoded warehouse stock; many models from a few years back
were not able to play the digital sound tracks that are becoming
standard on laser video discs.

A little more expensive but still skirting the edge of cheapness is the
new breed of "combi" players, which will play audio compact discs and
laser video discs. The last one I tried was able to play 3-inch, 5-inch, 8-
inch, 10-inch and 12-inch discs-overkill, perhaps, but great
conversation pieces. Big-as-life video is only part of a home theater.
The rest comes from good stereo sound, with your loudspeakers placed
on each side of the screen. The first two types of big-screen sets
mentioned above come with stereo speakers built in, but they're
seldom any good. The third type, front projection, almost always needs
external speakers for proper audio.
However, you shouldn't just hook up your own speakers directly
to the TV.
It won't have enough power to make them sound very loud. Instead,
find the left and right audio output jacks on your TV-nearly all big-
screen sets have them-and run cables from those jacks to your stereo
amplifier or receiver. You can use the "aux" input or the "tuner" input of
your stereo. (Or you can use a "tape" input if you don't have a cassette
deck hooked up to it.) If your TV doesn't have audio outputs, you can
use the ones on the VCR instead. All VCRs that have stereo tuners also
have left and right audio output jacks. That's all you need for a home
theater. Add a popcorn machine-or just toss some kernels in a brown
paper bag and stick it in the microwave-and you're all set. Who knows
-- you might even be able to charge admission.