InPark Magazine: Uncompressed media serving and display specialist, 7thSense Design, has delivered its Delta Media Server to a 4D theatre at one of the UK’s largest theme parks, Thorpe Park. The Angry Birds 4D effects theatre, part of the new Angry Birds Land, was developed and supplied by Simworx and opened to the public this summer.
7 comments:
I think this attraction is really cool. 4D experiences are becoming more popular, which I think is great. 4D is a fully immersive event because it attacks most of your senses. There is a big difference in watch a movie on a screen, than watching a 3D movie while smelling and feeling the things that are happening in the movie. It becomes a thrill ride especially when the seats move along with the action. Since this is a video game it is different than a movie because you can feel like you are a part of the game and you almost become a character in it.
This sounds really cool, though the angry birds’ game is an interesting choice to make for presenting the 4D experience. I remember cheaper versions of this media being popular amongst certain theme park rides. For example if you were going through a tunnel and there was a waterfall on the 3D screen then water would be actually tossed your way. It is exciting that this has been taken to a whole new level. It makes me wonder where else this is going to go. I’m thinking now about those huge conventions where people get together and play video games in those arenas or convention centers. It would be a pretty unique experience if players actually felt a little bit of what their character was feeling in terms of the elements described in the article. It could add to the drama of the game, the players have to stay concentrated even with the elements coming at them.
Personally I don't think 4-D entertainment is a great immersive experience. First off 4-D isn't even 4-D. smell, taste and touch are not dimensional qualities that allows us to discern space, yes they help us interact with it but not perceive it. If anything time is the fourth dimension, and as an ever present force by that logic 2D would be 3D, 3D would be 4D and such. That's besides the point, but even so sensory experiences seem like a neat little niche for theme parks but not much more. I personally don't like them at all, the sensory effects only make you feel uncomforttable about being effected outside of your direct reality, and then force you to step back realize what happened and laugh thinking yourself "wow that air blowing on me was a neat little effect to make me feel immersed" when in reality your not at all, you're just appreciating the thought of immersion. Yes this ploy may work for kids but I find it more annoying and distracting than immersive. Anyways I don't know how immersive Angry Birds can even be, but I'm sure sensory stimulation doesn't heighten the experience all that much. Needless to say I'm glad that the film community hasn't given headway to this neat little gimmick.
I love 4D experiences, but they are always so short and over before you know it. I think that this technology could become more developed and integrated into the standard movie experience. So many genres of movies could use this technology more and bring more people to the theaters. Personally, I hardly ever see a movie in theaters anymore, but something like this would grab my attention. I've only experienced a Spongebob and Bug's Life movie with technology and I've always thought that it was so unique. I believe this viewing experience is going to continue to grow and one day become the standard.
I think I would appreciate 7thSense Design's 4D experience more if their medium were something other than Angry Birds. The game doesn't seem to be very popular anymore, yet companies continue to shove advertisements and merchandise down consumers' throats. I've been to other 4D experiences (Spongebob and Bug's Life) which I think worked very well because they both had linear plot lines and interesting characters. I don't see that with Angry Birds; I feel as if, even with the 4D additives, I would get bored of what was being projected on screen. I suppose the reason why 7thSense chose Angry Birds is to appeal to the younger generation who were obsessed with/played the game a year or so ago. I'd like to see if someone will take 4D to a less childish level, and transport it from out of themed entertainment into actual movie theaters.
It is easy to forget that when the scale of technology or any experience is greatly changed, often a whole new approach must be developed. Here, the huge image surface has caused the need for great attention to detail when it comes to compression and resolution. I am curious how the "fourth dimension" effects were integrated with the playback of the sound and video and how the media server company was involved in these discussions.
This is kinda cool, I wish there had been more information about how the 4D effects were actually achieved though. I am surprised that Angry Birds is still popular enough to have a whole theme park "world" devoted to it. That said, I do see Angry Birds plushies and such in stores, so I guess it is something that kids are really enjoying but I have gotten a little too old for before it really peaked?
It reminds me of the movie Cars, which I enjoyed but which kids seem to love more than any other movie in some cases. I feel old now...
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