From: edlantz@aol.com (Edlantz)
Subject: INDUSTRY: Terminology - SID or SID?
Date: 3 Mar 1997 08:54:34 GMT
Organization: AOL http://www.aol.com



Terminology:  Spatially Immersive Display versus Stationary Immersive
Display

Last year I chaired a SIGGRAPH panel entitled "The Future of VR: Head
Mounted Displays versus Spatially Immersive Displays."  I created the term
"Spatially Immersive Display" (SID) because such displays were
ill-defined.  Terms in the VR literature included "Walk-In Immersive
Display," "Panoramic Display," "Dome Display," "Projection-Based VR
Display," "CAB Display," "Simulator Display," "CAVE," "Virtual Environment
Theater," etc.  My definition of SIDs is as follows:

>Spatially Immersive Display (SID): Spatially immersive displays utilize
>wrap-around (panoramic) video displays to create an unencumbered,
>ultra-wide field of view, walk-in immersive environment.  Displays are
>typically produced by front or rear surface video projection onto
>cylinder, dome, torus, or rectilinear screens.  High resolution over a
>wide field-of-view can be maintained by projecting multiple video
>ports which are tiled or soft-edge blended over the screen surface to
>create a continuous, seamless or near-seamless, geometrically correct
>image when properly rendered.  SIDs may or may not utilize stereoscopy
>or head-tracking depending on application requirements. 

Well, I am writing an article for Siggraph's Computer Graphics and am
re-visiting this terminology.  I have not been satisfied with the term
"Spatially Immersive" since it is ambiguous - does it mean spatial in
the physical or VE sense?  This is certainly a valid class of
displays, regardless of what we call it.  The term SID has really not
been published much as far as I know.  Toni Emerson's FAQ on this
newsgroup regarding Visual Displays lists SIDs under Stationary
Displays.  I am considering adopting the term "Stationary Immersive
Display" for my article, allowing me to keep the SID acronym.  While
such displays may not always be stationary (as on a simulator ride),
this is a minor point and I believe it is the best term so far.  The
term has a clear, un-ambiguous meaning.  It also encompasses the full
range of display types into a single class according to the definition
above.

Before this article goes to publication, I would like to open up the topic
for input from the VR community.  Please post or email your responses to
Edlantz@aol.com.  Many thanks.


*******************************************************

Ed Lantz  
Spitz, Inc. 
U.S. Route #1  
Chadds Ford, PA 19317  
tel: (610) 459-5200 x27   
fax: (610) 459-3830     
email: edlantz@aol.com    
spitz@libertynet.org 
www.spitzinc.com 
                                                            
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