3D News Roundup: Softkinetic, Primesense, TI, Sony

Softkinetic has adapted its iisu ("The Interface Is You") middleware to the Intel Atom Processor CE4100 to enable its gesture recognition for a wide variety of consumer applications, including interactive television and movie channel navigation, web browsing, video conferencing and gesture-based video games.

Softkinetic also announced a collaboration with TransGaming to bring gesture-based video games to TransGaming’s on-demand gaming platform, GameTree TV.

Meanwhile Primesense presented its new hardware partners at CES 2011. Other than the previously announced ASUS, they are:

• Hisense will feature a new smart 3D LED TV series that uses PrimeSensor and middleware that enables Internet access, picture browsing, video watching, listen to music and full body interaction through gesture control.
• Haier will show Haier’s multi-touch TV with smart network features, such as gesture control and network content sharing, using PrimeSense full body recognition and 3D sensing technology to control all kinds of smart terminals in the home.
• TCL will demonstrate the PrimeSense sensor and user interface for gesture control for TCL Television.
• Lenovo will showcase its multimedia centre that uses the PrimeSense 3D sensor and middleware for gesture interaction/control.
• Intel and Orange Vallee, a subsidiary of Orange/France Telecom, will demonstrate the Intel Atom CE4100 media processor based consumer electronics platform with Orange Vallee framework and applications that utilize PrimeSense solutions on a set top box environment.

TI newly announced OMAP 4440 smartphone platform supports 1080p stereoscopic 3D imaging (S3D), and gesture recognition. The new OMAP works with two 12MP cameras in parallel to deliver high stereoscopic resolution photography, almost the same resolution as with 2D photography (it supports 20MP in single camera mode). "As [previous generation] OMAP4430 processor-based products hit the market in first half 2011, we're arming our customers with a huge performance boost via an easy migration to OMAP4440 processor for their next wave of exciting devices,", said Remi El-Ouazzane, vice president, OMAP platform business unit.

The OMAP4440 applications processor will sample in first quarter 2011, with production expected by the second half of 2011.

CNW: On the product side, Sony follows Panasonic steps with a year delay announcing two stereo camcorders: a high-end HDR-TD10E with two BSI sensors providing 1080x1920 x2 resolution, and a low-end MHS-FS3 Bloggie, also based on two sensors.

But the most interesting announcement is 3D Still Image mode in the new DSC-TX100V, DSC-TX10, DSC-HX7V, DSC-WX9 and DSC-WX7 compact digital still cameras using just one lens and one imager. The cameras take two consecutive shots in different focus positions to calculate the depths, and then they create left-eye and right-eye images to produce a 3D effect. There is also The 3D Sweep Panorama feature producing panoramic pictures in one press-and-sweep motion. The high-speed burst of frames is stitched together using innovative processing techniques to automatically create 3D panoramas.

Update: PC Magazine: iRobot AVA platform is using Primesense sensors too.

PR Newswire: JVC announced GS-TD1 two lenses/two sensors stereo camcorder, quite similar to Sony stereo video camera offerings.

Update #2: LA Times compares Kinect and Optrima platforms and writes that 8M Kinects have been sold in the first 60 days since its launch in November.

Update #3: Forbes has an article on Optrima, Kinect, Panasonic. Omek is providing the middleware for Panasonic D-Imager.

Update #4: Forex Yard: Primesense "is providing sensors for iRobot Corp's latest robots, including a new Roomba automatic vacuum cleaner that can actually 'see' dirt and head for it, rather than aimlessly trundling around the room." - another big market for 3D sensors.