Only in Japan -- an HDTV "aquarium".....................
FredE, what would you put in your aquarium??
NEC's Virtual Water Tank Gives Real-World Feeling
November 19, 1998 (TOKYO) -- People may think they are watching fish
swimming elegantly in a tank, but actually, they are looking at a mere TV
monitor showing images of fish.
A virtual water tank called "Sakana-hakkei" (scenes with swimming fish) is a
combination of thin water tanks displayed in front of an HDTV monitor.
It is a simple optical illusion, but it attracts passersby to stop and look at the
"Sakana-hakkei" water tank. The BizTech News Department looks at who
brought this virtual water tank into the real world and how.
BizTech asked Shinji
Kataoka (right), sales
promotion manager of
NEC's Imageum Business
Promotion Division, and
Hiroko Namiki (left),
assistant manager of
Imageum Business
Promotion Division, about
the development process of
"Sakana-hakkei" and user
profiles of the product. Both
Kataoka and Namiki are members of the team that developed
"Sakana-hakkei."
"Sakana-hakkei" has reportedly been sold not only for business users, but
also for individuals. NEC has sold 5,000 units in total since it was put on sale
in August 1995.
NEC, confident about a successful outcome, launched sales of
"Sakana-hakkei Junior" in July 1998, mainly targeting small-size stores and
individual users. It is reported to have achieved favorable sales of the "Junior"
version, which has a smaller water tank and a lower price. Shipments
reached approximately 2,000 units three months after its introduction.
BizTech: How did you get the idea to develop "Sakana-hakkei?"
Kataoka: I got an idea during an experiment using broadband ISDN in
cooperation with Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corp. We came up with
a test broadcast of large-volume, high-definition images. For content, we
thought fish would be appropriate for the home, and we could make the most
of B-ISDN capabilities.
We thought it was a good idea to create a virtual aquarium that doesn't
require securing a massive volume of sea water or fresh water. It also is hard
to find a location for a real aquarium. That's why we focused on fish.
I also figured that if a virtual aquarium could be created, it would be
appreciated by not only Japanese people, but also people in other parts of
the world.
In the first place, an electronic aquarium was established in the Keihanna
academic district in the Kansai region (near Osaka) in May 1995. When we
set up a huge screen for HDTV video and broadcast with the images of
live-size whale sharks videotaped in the Bay of Ise continuously, local
residents were quite pleased. It had a strong impact on them, giving them a
feel of actually being in the water that no home television could match.
Having been encouraged by such favorable results, the "Sakana-hakkei" was
developed for displaying smaller fish and living creatures in a device similar to
a water tank in an attempt to bring a huge water tank into homes.
BizTech: Although an effort was made to display images in a more familiar
way, it may be expensive to purchase a "Sakana-hakkei" tank for a mere
hobby, don't you think? (*see the following details)
Namiki: The set can be widely used as a visual interior because of market
demand not only for business purposes but also for individual uses.
Many individuals are fond of tropical fish. But unlike actual feeding of fishes,
they do not need to feed them at all, even when they are away from home for
long holidays. For them, stuff like adjusting temperatures, etc. that would
keep them on their toes is not necessary. The tank doesn't smell and needs
no cleaning. What's the best thing about it, though, is that the fish do not die.
For business use, water tanks are placed, for example, in a hotel lobby,
waiting rooms of companies and hospitals, railway stations and airports. In
particular, it may be a merit to replace a real tank with "Sakana-hakkei"
because of hygienic problems at medical care institutions. In fact, more
supermarkets and restaurants are now using the "Sakana-hakkei" tank
instead of real fish.
BizTech: What kinds of fish are popular?
Namiki: Goldfish and river fish and jellyfish that went on sale recently are
gaining great popularity. Viewers appear to have been comforted with the
bright body color and swinging motion they show. Many inquiries are being
made by tropical fish lovers about Arowana and Discus. Arowana fish are
difficult to find and Discus are hard to feed. The latter are known as the king
of tropical fish.
Thus, we choose rare kinds of fish on purpose for the contents. Fish lovers
welcome them because they feel obtaining or feeding those kinds of fish is
very difficult. We made repeated trips to aquariums to study such kinds of
fish. With this business, all of us are now very good at fish names.
BizTech: Do you edit video contents, maybe choosing some fancy
movements of the fish?
Kataoka: No editing is made to the video itself. However, it is really endless
hard work to shoot a long time and have excellent, continuous video of up to
30 minutes recorded on a laser disc.
For example, since river fish have their own living territories, we built a
temporary studio along the river bank to have a video session to shoot the
way they live in the most natural way.
The crew had to wait before instantaneous movements of creatures could be
captured. It was necessary for them to adjust the water temperature or
replace water plants, or sometimes they had to make a trick, so that the fish
would start swimming vividly or show some attractive movements.
BizTech: Do you have any tentative plan to prepare software to show
reptiles, which are becoming popular as pets, or possibly some other small
creatures?
Kataoka: Yes, we have a plan for that, but images may be limited to those
of animals whose movements are fun to watch. However, the
"Sakana-hakkei" may not be for animals that people are tempted to pick up
and hold in their hands. So fireflies rather than reptiles may be interesting.
Our company will certainly wish to grow from the water tank business in the
future, but larger-sized products will be available when plasma display panels
are used. Small-sized devices using thin-film transistor liquid-crystal displays
may also be developed.
Instead of merely feeding virtual pets, people will possibly be able to have
pseudo-experiences, like basking in the woods, when the system is larger.
Or we can use smaller-sized systems as moving ornaments in the form of
hanging pictures or photo stands.
[*Details] Specifications of Sakana-hakkei External dimensions: 809mm wide x 668mm
deep x 793mm high Weight: Approximately 130kg Price: Market price (Sakana-hakkei
system with image software, specifically designed shelf: approximately 2 million yen
(US$16,600); 3 years' lease available for approximately 60,000 yen (US$500)/month)
Software price: 80,000 yen each (laser disc; US$665)
Sakana-hakkei Junior specifications External dimensions: 580mm wide x 468mm deep
x 405mm high Weight: approximately 35kg Price: 488,000 yen (US$4,060) Software price:
38,800 yen each (smart card; US$320) |
