The interest in 3D Stereo solutions is continuing to grow lately and one of the products that a lot of people expect is the Fujifilm FinePix Real 3D W1 digital camera that can record both in 2D and in 3D (still images and movies). The Real 3D W1 camera uses two separate Fujinon lenses along with two 10 megapixel CCD sensors to be able to simultaneously take two images just like the eyes of a normal human see everything. The two images can then be combined into a 3D stereo picture with the help of the RP (Real Photo) Processor 3D or into a 3D stereo video clip with resolution of up to 640×480. On the back of the camera you’ll find a 2.8-inch LCD screen that is capable of displaying both 2D and 3D content so that you will be able to preview the images and videos you shoot without having to worry if they are in 2D or 3D mode. Another interesting feature of the camera, when not shooting in 3D mode is the ability to take two 2D pictures with different settings in order to get the best result without having to take two different pictures one after the other. And you get all that in a compact and a good-looking camera that is very easy to use in taking both 2D or 3D images or even shooting videos…

The bad news is that the Fujifilm FinePix Real 3D W1 digital camera is still not available and is expected to be released later this year (in September). The price of the digital camera is still not announced, but different sources cite that it should be about 600 US dollars which is not that much if you consider what you’ll be getting. Of course I still cannot say if the product will be that good as we all expect it to be, but soon we’ll probably be able to see for ourselves. Along with the FinePix Real 3D W1 digital camera Fujifilm is going to also release an 8-inch digital 3D photo viewer – FinePix Real 3D V1, but of course you should be able to view the 3D images and videos you take with Nvidia GeForce 3D Vision and other similar products.

Specifications of Fujifilm FinePix REAL 3D W1

Number of effective pixels – 10 million pixels
CCD sensor – 1/2.3-inch CCD x2 (two sensors for 3D)
Storage media – Internal memory (Approx. 42MB), SD/SDHC memory card
Pictures file format – 3D Still image: MPO+JPEG, MPO (Multi Picture Format compatible); 2D Still image: JPEG (Exif Ver 2.2)
Movies file format – 3D Movie: 3D-AVI (Stereo AVI format with 2 image channels); 2D Movie: AVI format (Motion JPEG with sound)
Supported resolutions: L: 3648×2736 (4:3) / L: 3648×2432 (3:2) / M: 2592×1944 (4:3) / S: 2048×1536 (4:3) pixels
Lens: Fujinon 3x optical zoom lens, F3.7 (Wide) – F4.2 (Tele)
Lens focal length: f=6.3 – 18.9 mm, equivalent to 35 – 105 mm on a 35 mm camera
Aperture: Wide: F3.7 / F5 / F8, Telephoto: F4.2 / F5.6 / F9
Sensitivity (ISO): Auto / Equivalent to 100 / 200 / 400 / 800 / 1600 (Standard Output Sensitivity)
LCD display: 2.8-inch, Approx. 230,000 dots color LCD monitor with Light Direction Control, Approx. 100% coverage
Movie recording: 640×480 pixels / 320×240 pixels (30 frames/sec.) with stereo sound
Digital interface: USB 2.0 High-speed
Dimensions: Approx. 123.6 (W) x 68 (H) x 25.6 (D) mm
Weight: Approx. 260g

- If you are interested in Fujifilm FinePix REAL 3D W1 digital camera…

Digital Cameras | No Comments »

The 22 inch iZ3D gaming LCD monitor is an advanced video monitor capable of displaying impressive into-screen and out-of-screen 3D images with passive polarized glasses. This 3D gaming monitor is designed to replace the standard two-dimensional monitors while maintaining great image quality and display brightness while maintaining long-time viewing without causing fatigue or eyestrain. This advanced technology takes three dimensional applications already on today’s market, such as PC games, 3D entertainment and professional stereo applications, and it allows you to experience your favorite 3D animation in a way you never could with a standard two-dimensional (2D) monitor.

The new iZ3D monitor features the first S-3D drivers to be equally compatible with both the powerful NVIDIA GeForce 8 Series and the cutting-edge ATI FireGL V3600 workstation graphics accelerator. The S-3D drivers are also optimized to take advantage of Intel’s latest Core 2 Duo and Intel Core 2 Quad processor technologies. iZ3D also features drivers that support Microsoft DirectX 8 and 9 graphics in both Windows XP and Microsoft Windows Vista. Now the iZ3D drivers offer the compatibility benefits of S-3D with the best and fastest video graphics cards and processor power available.

Current PC’s equipped with a dual output video card will easily power the monitor. Smart capabilities allow it to be used for regular 2D office tasks as well as 3D viewing. Specifications include: 1680 x 1050 resolution; up to 170-degree viewing angle; 5 ms response time; 600:1 contrast ratio; and 16.7-million colors.

The 22″ IZ3D widescreen 3D monitors are currently available for $599.99.

- If you want to get yourself this 22″ iZ3D LCD 3D gaming monitor…
3d gaming,

PC Peripherals | No Comments »

NVIDIA introduced its latest GPU – the GeForce 8800 Ultra to the current line-up. The new video cards based on 8800 Ultra will be available starting May, 15th 2007, at a recommended price of 699 EUR for Europe and $829 for USA. Basically the new card comes with a bit higher operating frequencies of the GPU and the RAM than the cards using the previous top model – the GeForce 8800 GTX. Otherwise than the higher frequencies the new video cards will feature 128 stream processors and 768MB video memory with 384-bit bus.

The latest in the most powerful line of graphics processors on the market, GeForce 8800 Ultra includes faster core and memory clocks to set a new bar for killer DirectX 10 gaming. GeForce 8800 Ultra is also SLI capable so you can pair two of these cards together for even better performance, especially if you have a high-resolution display and play games at resolutions or at least 1600×1200…

Technical specifications
Stream Processors: 128
Core Clock (MHz): 612
Shader Clock (MHz): 1500
Memory Clock (MHz): 1080
Memory Amount: 768MB GDDR3
Memory Interface: 384-bit
Memory Bandwidth (GB/sec): 103.7
Texture Fill Rate (billion/sec): 39.2

- For more information about the new GeForce 8800 Ultra…

PC Peripherals | No Comments »

Cascades is an official DirectX 10 demo by Nvidia showing off the capabilities of the new GeForce 8800 series video cards that come with full DirectX 10 hardware support (the first graphic cards to offer that). In order to run it you’ll need a GeForce 8800 GTX/GTS videocards with the latest Forceware drivers running on Windows Vista OS.

Explore a fantastic new world of endless rock formations and exhilarating detail. Watch majestic waterfalls cascade down the rock, while buzzing swarms of dragonfly-like inhabitants dive and play. Zoom in close to examine the vibrant surface detail, or move the camera up or down to explore the rock’s infinite outcroppings, cliffs, and caves.

Sit back and watch as the camera follows the water down as it flows over the rock, falls through the air, and crashes back onto the rock below in a cloud of mist. Or, take control and interactively place your own waterfalls on the terrain to create a beautiful personalized dreamscape just the way you want it.

Features
- Microsoft DirectX 10: Every aspect of the Cascades demo demonstrates next-generation features enabled by DirectX 10, including the generation of content, dynamic particle systems, and the high quality rendering of the scene.
- Procedural Geometry Creation: Rock structures are not only rendered, but also constructed by the GeForce 8800. This permits the user to move up or down forever, with the GPU continuously streaming out colossal chunks of rock in a wide variety of random shapes.
- Dynamic Particle Physics: The GeForce 8800’s geometry shaders perform all the physics calculations for the water, allowing the waterfalls to collide with the rock surface and to form rivers flowing around the features of the rock. Water particles are generated, propagated, and retired on the GPU, leaving the CPU free to perform other tasks.
- Displacement Mapping: Improved displacement mapping techniques use a simple height map in a complex pixel shader to display detailed cracks and bumps that are able to occlude each other, resulting in an extremely high level of realism on the rock surface.

- Download the Cascades DirectX 10 Demo by Nvidia (~169MB)…

Useful Software | No Comments »