Entering into the Canon EXPO 2015.
Video and I have a love/hate relationship—I remember as a kid going to Disney World, excited because I was finally tall enough to ride the Star Wars themed attraction, only to learn that a simulated video-based ride would cause me to vomit immediately following the experience. Of course, even with my sensitivity to simulated motion, I still seek out those rides. There’s something about the clear, crisp video that drags me in and transports me to another world—I love that feeling of flying, even when my feet are firmly planted on the ground.
On September 10, I was able to get a glimpse into the next wave of video and projection technology through a demonstration of Canon’s newest 4K projector, and the blending of these projectors to create a stunning 8K display. It was my first stop at the Canon EXPO 2015, a once-every-five-years event that Canon hosts to showcase its latest technologies, making stops in New York, Paris, Tokyo, and Shanghai.
Within the Imaging Journey section of the Expo, you are transported through a museum-like display of Canon’s latest still imaging technologies—a high resolution photograph of an airport terminal, the recreation of a view of New York’s skyline from the top floor of a skyscraper, images that are so realistic it makes you question if you are really standing inside the Jacob Javits Convention Center. With audio narration, you begin to understand how technology has brought us to this point where we can duplicate scenes from life with such vivid quality before moving into the video segment of the tour where you see this same technology put to motion.
I’m of course talking about the 8K-projection video, which uses video sequences of first person views of trains, walking through narrow European streets, and of course, flying over rooftops, to show just how far video projection technology has advanced. I was simply stunned by the quality, so much so that after the demo I had to sit down—more because I was dizzy, but also because I had to return to reality.
Following the Imaging Journey, I connected with Scott Burkhardt, Canon’s marketing manager for the Imaging & Technologies & Communication Group, who explained the details behind what we saw.
The 8K display was comprised of four of Canon’s latest 4K projectors (announced September 1, set to start shipping during the second quarter of 2016, model number to be announced at a later date), blended together without the use of software. It includes an EF mount lens, a wide gamut, 60fps sensor, and low aberration. It packs 5,000 lumens and can project up to 4096x2400 resolution. All this put together created the crisp images of the video, giving that illusion that you could reach out and grab a flower as your train passed by.
Other highlights from my visit to the Canon EXPO 2015 included a demo of the Realis WUX400 ST D PRO AV projector in Diacom mode, which is ideal for medical applications, and a bonus pop over to the residential solutions that included a demo of an interactive coffee table that would definitely make my travel slide shows so much more fun.
