From: decwrl!apple!well.sf.ca.us!well!robcamp@uunet.uu.net (Robert Campanell)
Subject: VR applications in TV production
Date: 11 Nov 91 23:15:08 GMT



"Cyberia" is a television program featuring computer animations
and music video.  The structure of the program has a host
introducing each video clip.  "Cyberia" uses the Mandala Virtual
Reality Authoring System software for the host segments.  

The hardware for Mandala system consists of an Amiga 2000,
genlock, chromakey, Live! 2000 framegrabber.  Software used for
the "Cyberia" virtual environments includes DPaint IV, Perfect
Sound 3.0, Live digitizer.

"Cyberia" is the first television program to create its own
virtual environments.  However, the Mandala authoring system is
not all that it's developers say it is.  The software crashes
frequently, and the documentation is very poor.  These conditions
make it extremely frustrating to use.  The developers take a long
time to answer my E-mail, and return my phone calls.  The poor
documentation and software instability has limited my ability to
create the virtual environments that require more performer
interactions with the virtual actors. 

However, I did create some simple virtual environments that use
sound samples, animations, and digitized images.

Scene: Marilyn

Four different color digitized images of Marilyn Monroe on
the right hand side of the screen.  The host stands to the
left of the image.  The last image produces the sound AHHH
in a female voice.  The second and fourth image have a quick
black blink.  When the quarter second blink occurs, it 
produces a flash of bright light on the host. 

Scene: Circles

Moving circles from the center that fill the screen.  The
host is in the center of the screen, and the circles move
outward.  A virtual chicken is bouncing around in the
background, while a virtual egg floats around, then cracks,
then turns into a fried egg.  Each time the egg transforms
itself, a drum hi-hat sound sample goes off. 

Scene: Rabbits

Simple child-like rabbit drawings bounce from left to right
with a BOING sound sample going off with each movement.  The
host is positioned in the center.  Virtual carrots float
around in the background. 

"Cyberia" airs on U NETWORK, a network of college television
stations across the U.S.  U NETWORK is located at Brown
University, and it features the best of student-produced
programming.  The next episode of "Cyberia" goes up on the
satellite December 6.  The uplink will be on GTE SpaceNet3 (the
C-band bird at 87 degrees West) and the transponder is 18 Center
(Channel 23 / 4160 Mhz vertical downlink).  U NETWORK programming
starts 12:00 am and continues to 5:00 am.  Satellite uplinks are
provided by Northern Arizona University.

----------------------------------------------------------------
|                        "C Y B E R I A"                       |
|             Experience Reality in a Virtual World            |
----------------------------------------------------------------
|Robert Campanell                  |Explicit Multimedia        |
|Producer, "Cyberia"               |2020 Pennsylvania Ave. NW  |
|George Washington University      |Suite 430                  |
|USENET: robcamp@well.sf.ca.us     |Washington, DC  20006      |
----------------------------------------------------------------