TV augmented reality is a view of the future

Even though it's still a technology of the future, augmented reality could one day have a big impact on the TV viewing experience in the living room.

Augmented reality could be used as a type of visual "surround sound", giving viewers additional video experiences away from the TV. Most people already have handheld screens on their mobile phones and other devices. These screens could be used to pan around the room, while the video changes as they point the screen in different directions, all coordinated with the primary video playing on the TV. This creates a Surround Vision experience.

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MIT researchers demonstrated the technology using a street next to the MIT Media Lab, with video footage shot using three different camera angles at the same time.  Content from the middle video camera is played on the TV screen - if the mobile device screen is pointed at the TV, that image is replicated. If the mobile device screen is moved to the left or right of the TV, the image changes, showing a different video feed that was recorded from a different camera.

This new TV augmented reality could be implemented into future mobile phones. An owner would point their phone to the left of their TV, and then a continuation of the TV screen environment will be shown on the mobile screen.  The researchers also explained a possible use where people at a Super Bowl party would be able to view different angles of a replay on their own device, without altering the image shown on the main TV.

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"If you're watching TV and you hear a helicopter in your surround sound, wouldn't it be cool to just turn around and be able to see that helicopter as it goes into the screen?" asks Santiago Alfaro, MIT graduate student.

We've included a video clip from the MIT news website below, which shows a brief introduction into augmented reality TV.

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This is a very interesting technology I've heard about in the past - but it doesn't look like it will be available any time soon.  Researchers must work to ensure their handheld devices work flawlessly with the content that is being viewed before this very cool technology goes mainstream.

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