PCDVD數位科技討論區 - 全息影像不再是幻想

全息影像通訊不再是只存在於星際大戰世界中的東西了，希望將
來能開發"全息影像電影院"，然後再發展成"全息影像家庭劇院"

By A. Lee Graham / The Dallas Morning News

RICHARDSON – Gov. Rick Perry knew he was making history Thursday
when he materialized before a group of Richardson business leaders
in the first successful demonstration of a technology called
"teleportation."

The governor was in Austin, but his three-dimensional, holographic
image was being beamed to the University of Texas at Dallas using
Internet2, a network connecting universities and corporations.

It was a moment, Mr. Perry indicated, as significant as Alexander
Graham Bell's first phone call to Thomas Watson.

But "this technology, I happen to think, will have an even greater
effect on the citizens of the world than what Mr. Bell came up with,
" he said.

The demonstration was arranged by Teleportec Inc., a privately held
Richardson-based firm that is marketing the technology. The company's
Teleporter device projects holographic images in real time to
locations worldwide.

"It's the telephone of the future," said Teleportec's chief executive,
Duffie White.

Seeing a 3-D image of the auditorium at his end, Mr. Perry attempted
to tell the Richardson audience what it felt like. "I can't shake
your hand, but I'm there with you," he said. "I feel like I'm standing
on the stage."

Unlike videoconferencing, "teleportation" allows eye-to-eye contact
by eliminating the need for cameras mounted atop computer monitors.

"This way, you're looking directly at the person to whom you're
speaking," Mr. White said. "You're not looking at a monitor with a
camera just above the eye line. So it's ideal for business meetings."

The transmission uses a variety of sources, including broadband
networks, integrated services digital networks and other sources
that allow video and audio signals simultaneously.

"It sounds like Star Wars to me," said John Kuzma, a senior
analyst with RHK Inc. of San Francisco. "Videoconferencing
is just a cheap, nickel-and-dime application nowadays, but
this sounds unique. If you can put this package together
affordably, it could have potential."

Videoconferencing was a $7.8 billion business in 2000,
according to the Telecommunications Industry Association in
Arlington, Va. Demand is expect to push equipment sales and
services from that figure to $9.9 billion by the end of this year.

Teleportation has no industry category – at least not yet.

"It's a niche application at this point," Mr. Kuzma said.
"But like anything, I'm sure you'll see competition if it
becomes successful."

Teleportec is marketing its Teleporters for $70,000, including
installation.

The company moved from Great Britain to Richardson last year
to be near other high-tech companies, officials said, and is
hoping to secure $10 million in venture funding to open more
offices.

Teleportec shares offices on the UTD campus with the Alliance
for Higher Education, a nonprofit group of colleges,
universities and corporations. Alliance provides Teleportec
with access to Internet2.

"It gives us access to a world of potential users, and that
can only be good news for education," Mr. White said.

Mr. Perry said he envisioned a broad range of uses for teleportation.
"This can only help more Texas citizens learn," the governor said,
pointing out the technology's potential for long-distance learning.

The demonstration Thursday was hosted by Jim Adams, retired
chairman of Texas Instruments Inc. "Things we're talking about
today," he said, "were only dreams 20 years ago."