from Greg
I would like to support the Kickstarter on this one but the $500 price is a little steep for me right now. That being said I think this is a great product. The Kickstarter project achieved full funding in less than 24 hours so the product will go to production. Glyph will work with any device that supports HDMI. Hook it directly to your cable box or Apple TV and you are off to the movies.
Beats music app goes live Read more HERE
from Developer
Experience stark, vivid images like nothing you've ever seen combined with premium audio in a unique flip down form factor.
Since the beginning of personal display technology, screens have been getting smaller and closer to our eyes but with one limitation: image quality. At Avegant we've solved that problem using a new technology that mimics the way that we as humans naturally see light. Using a Virtual Retinal Display we've figured out how to project images directly onto your retina, creating sharp, stark images unlike anything you've seen before.
Over the past two years we've worked to miniaturize the technology to fit into a portable headset good for mobile or home use. The product of our work is the Glyph. Combining a unique flip-down form factor, super sharp imagery and premium noise-cancelling audio, we created a device that is a revolution in personal display technology.
The Glyph uses a simple HDMI input to display anything in your content library, from the movies that you already own to streamed Netflix over your iPhone to the desktop environment in your Mac or PC. The Glyph is also great for gaming, whether in playing Call of Duty Ghosts on your Playstation or Real Racing on your mobile phone. And with an integrated 9 Degree of Freedom head-tracker, a whole world of interactive gaming, Point of View (PoV) imaging and interactive storytelling is within our reach.
And this is just the beginning. The future of content possible with the Glyph is limitless. Imagine directors being able to produce 360 movies where you can not only watch actors interact in a cafe but look around the environment as the story unfolds around you. Imagine integrating an LTE chip into the Glyph and making calls straight from your headset. Imagine integrating a camera on the front of the visor and clicking a button to see not just the world in front of you but ultraviolet and infrared signatures in real time.
Backers of this project are more than consumers and testers. You're investing in the future of display technology and participating in what can change the world of vision as we currently know it. We'll make you part of that community as we build it from the ground up, from interactive testing and feedback to online forums to member-only events and perks.
At the end of this campaign, those who pledge $499 or more will receive a fully functional Beta Glyph Prototype, a device that integrates fluidly with any content of your choice, displays vivid 3D and symbolizes the first step in truly integrated and stylish mobile near-eye display technology.
Accolade from the Media
THE VERGE, December 18th: “The picture I see already looks beautiful: high-res, colorful, and accurate, with none of the screen-door effect or pixellation of a device like the Rift.”
What is a Virtual Retinal Display?
The Glyph's Virtual Retinal Display uses one million micromirrors in each eye piece to reflect a sharp, vivid and lifelike image directly onto the back of your retina. It's an advanced, safe and innovative process that results in extremely comfortable light yielding very little eyestrain. Users of the Glyph prototypes have worn devices comfortably for hours with no nausea or disorientation when transitioning back to normal vision.
Watch this video to see how it works:
What To Expect From The Deliverable Glyph Beta
We've spent a long time perfecting the science and the design that goes into the Glyph, and we're proud to bring you a device that reflects our passion.
The Glyph Beta that you receive in the mail later this year will have all of the trademarks of a fully developed and tested product, including re-engineered ergonomics and a slimmer, more efficient design than what you see above. Compared to the physical alpha prototype now in our hands, Avegant plans to deliver:
A comfortable, balanced fit that applies minimal pressure to the user's nose and ears while still looking great
Slimmer ear cans reduced approximately 50% in thickness
A thinner, more lightweight visor with a cover that minimally impacts your head and hair during audio mode use
One slim cable that connects to either an HDMI/MHL cable or an audio jack
Renderings of the deliverable beta prototype that you'll get are on our homepage!
We need to be clear with one thing: what you'll receive at the end of this year is a beta product. The Glyph Alpha works magnificently in its current state and will be an order of magnitude better when it reaches your hands as the Glyph Beta. But it's still going to be a beta device with room for growth.
Backers of this project are early testers and adopters. We hope to work with you over and after the campaign to learn about your experiences, refine the product and help bring this to the mainstream store shelves. It should be a great adventure.
FAQ
What is a Virtual Retinal Display? A Virtual Retinal Display uses a micromirror array and a combination of optics to reflect an image directly onto your retina, effectively using the back of your eyeball as a screen. The resulting picture is extremely sharp and vivid, unlike anything a conventional display can produce. In particular, the 3D images are exceptionally clear.
What sort of content works with the Glyph? The Glyph is made to be media agnostic, meaning that it can plug into any HDMI source and display any current content natively. This means sources from an XBox to a Playstation to a MacBook to an iPhone to an Android device may be used while content from Blu-ray DVDs to video games to streaming movies can be watched.
For how long can it be worn? The reflected light produced from the Glyph is very comfortable and natural feeling. Many users who experience eye strain or nausea in looking at a conventional display feel no similar effect using this technology.
What about battery life? The beta headset will have enough battery life to power a full-length feature film, about three hours.
What sort of cables will I need? The beta headset will have one MHL/HDMI cable that will plug into any HDMI source. An adapter will be included to go to a micro-HDMI connection.
Will there be head tracking for gaming or immersive reality? Yes. We have already tested the current prototypes with head tracking and assorted console games. They work great!
What is the field of view? Looking into the device you’ll see an image that looks like an 80 inch screen 8 feet away from you. That translates to about a 45 degree field of view.
Can you make that field of view bigger? Yes. We promise to look into developing it. But right now we want to focus on bringing a broad spectrum of already-existing content to the broad user base, and we don't want to constrain the image. Support us in our efforts now and you'll see the fruit of our development down the road.
Does this technology work with Virtual Reality? Yes. The high resolution, lack of screen-door effect and low latency of our technology makes it great for VR.
Is it safe? Yes. The light source is simply a low powered Light Emitting Diode (LED) – something like you would see at the end of a keychain light. The micromirror array and optics together create the unique image.
How does the Glyph work with glasses? You’ll be able to adjust the diopters in the Glyph to accommodate a wide variety of prescriptions and pupillary distances. In short: you won’t need your glasses. Note: at this point we cannot account for astigmatic eyesight.
Isn’t a micromiror array the same thing as a DLP? Yes. We’re working with TI utilizing brand new, unreleased, cutting-edge micromirror technology.
Stretch Goals
* Originally we planned to include noise cancelling at $1M of funding, but because the messaging was unclear at the outset we'll include it with all of the shipped devices from here on out. More stretch goals to come!
Risks and challenges Learn about accountability on Kickstarter
We at Avegant were fortunate to have the support of our friends and family to get the initial engineering prototypes built and tested. To date, we've already integrated and tested all of the optics, electronics and audio components needed to make the Glyph Alpha functional.
Our challenges through delivery primarily lie in designing and testing a fit that will be comfortable for the widest spectrum of users and also scaling up manufacturing.
Everyone has a different set of fit parameters that work optimally for the Glyph. To accommodate that, we've integrated diopters into the eyepieces to adjust focus and sliders to adjust IPD (interpupillary distance), and that will cover 99% of users. But if you have a unique ocular condition or IPD then the image may not come into perfect focus for you.
We have mitigated most of our manufacturing challenges by setting up groups throughout the states that can ramp up product at the drop of a hat. If we end up scaling through the roof, we'll need to pivot to a different manufacturing profile, but we already have deep connections in production across the planet. We have strong confidence that the Glyph Beta will ship prior to Christmas this year.
