The ultimate broadcasting system that we envision

Transcription

1 E x h i b i t i o n Rapid Progress of Digital Broadcasting Digital terrestrial broadcasting began in December 2003, and its One-Seg service designed for mobile reception started on April 1, By the end of 2006, digital terrestrial broadcasting will have spread to all the prefectural capitals in Japan. This broadcasting digitization will realize an environment in which everyone can obtain a more enriched and abundant flow of information. This section of the exhibition showed visitors how digital broadcasting will expand in the future. Ultimate Broadcasting System Conveying a Strong Sensation of Reality The ultimate broadcasting system that we envision would be hyper-realistic, enabling viewers to feel as though they are actually at the location shown in the broadcast or that the object they are viewing is right in front of them. The main lines of research on this topic involve the "Super Hi-Vision" (SHV), threedimensional TV, and "super-reality" 3D audio systems. This year's open house concentrated on SHV, its engineering and progress toward its implementation. Advanced Content Production and Agile News-reporting Systems STRL's research and development objectives include more efficient production of goodquality, easily comprehended content and faster delivery of that content to our viewers. At present, we are studying the knowledge, skills, and sensibilities of professionals in the television production field, and we are incorporating what we learn into a broad range of technologies. Five examples of such research were displayed at the event. Ubiquitous and Universal Services We are looking to create ubiquitous, universal services that will provide a wide variety of information and content covering all aspects of life. As an extension of digital broadcasting, these services would make any desired piece of information available anytime and anywhere, in a form that would be easy for anybody to use. Three research projects involved in attaining this goal were exhibited. Laying the Foundation of Future Broadcasting To achieve the three research goals outlined in the "NHK STRL Vision 'NEXT'," fundamental research across a wide range of fields is being carried out. One exhibits featured research to enable natural interaction between a user and a terminal equipped with an advanced information processing capability resembling that done in the human brain. Other exhibits featured research on extremely advanced devices for small cameras, displays, and recording systems. How NHK's R&D Benefits Society The R&D achievements of NHK have reached well beyond the boundaries of the broadcasting field into a wide range of other fields, from science and medicine to education and culture. This section explained how the latest technologies have been applied to actual program production and illustrated some of the NHK technologies that have proven useful to society. It also described how NHK supports transfer of its technology. Broadcast Technology no.27, Summer 2006 C NHK STRL 5

2 R apid Progress of Digital Broadcasting Envisioning the Future of Broadcasting 1 Remarkable advances in Internet technology and services have taken place in the last decade, and new services designed for personal computers, mobile terminals, and digital television are rapidly spreading. The expression "fusion of broadcasting and communications" characterizes the trend we see today. This exhibition envisioned what broadcasting will be like in the home of Exhibit visualizing future digital broadcasting 2 Content Distribution Technology in the Digital Era The linkage between broadcasting and communications will enable multilateral distribution of content. The issue that arises with such content distribution is the need to balance copyright protection with the user's convenience regarding the content. This exhibition p r e s e n t e d technologies attain this goal. to Enlarged view Access control system for mobile receivers Emergency Warning Broadcast to Automatically Activate One-Seg Receivers 3 The emergency warning broadcast system automatically activates receivers during a disaster, such as an earthquake or Tsunami, to deliver disaster-related information to listeners/viewers. The implementation of this automatic emergency warning system in One-Seg receivers will give users a sense of confidence and safety wherever they go. STRL constructed an emergency warning broadcast standby circuit that can receive an emergency warning broadcast at anytime with a very small amount of standby power. Prototype One-Seg receiver for emergency warning broadcasts and prototype dual-compatibility remote control for analog/digital television Broadcast-wave Relay Technologies for DTTB 4 It will take a large number of relay stations to deliver digital terrestrial television broadcasting (DTTB) signals throughout Japan, and we must keep equipment costs low. While the use of broadcast-waves for relays has the advantage of lower equipment costs, it also requires countermeasures for a variety of interference problems. This exhibition introduced two technologies to overcome problems related to broadcast-wave relays: a coupling loop interference CLI canceller (above) and power amplifier using GaN transistors for a relay station (below) (CLI) canceller and a power amplifier using gallium nitride (GaN) transistors for a relay station. Currently under development Koichiro IMAMURA (Wireless Systems) We are in the process of constructing a low-cost digital terrestrial broadcasting network. The CLI canceller is a device that cancels out CLI waves between transmitting and receiving antennas of an SFN broadcast-wave relay. CLI cancellers incorporating our R&D have been implemented in relay stations. We are also developing a system to eliminate the co-channel interference mixed with received signals. Moreover, we fabricated a power amplifier using GaN transistors that has good linearity and high power efficiency without the use of a complicated linearizing circuit. Through these technologies, we are helping to reduce the cost of relay station equipment. 5 Re-transmission Technologies for DTTB One way to deliver DTTB services to areas with poor direct signal reception is to supplement the wireless network with cable television networks. In addition, FTTH (Fiber To The Home) broadband networks make highspeed IP communications available across the country. It is now possible to distribute digital broadcastings to homes over fiber-optic cables. For this purpose, there is a scheme that transmits the signals using IP multicasting over broadband IP networks. Another scheme is optical wavelength division multiplexing, on which all of the signals are transmitted with a light of a wavelength assigned for video services. Images transmitted using IP multicasting, and exclusive circuit for broadcasting using WDM 6 Broadcast Technology no.27, Summer 2006 C NHK STRL

3 Ultimate Broadcasting System Conveying a Strong Sensation of Reality 6 The Role of Human Science in Our Effort to Create the Ultimate Broadcasting System To construct a broadcasting system that conveys a strong sensation of reality to the viewer, we must first clarify the target system. An important factor is the relationship between human information reception characteristics, such as how a person reacts to a particular image, and the system functions and performance that produce the video and audio signals. We are studying the relationship between a broadcasting system with a heightened sensation of reality and human information reception characteristics. Measuring body-sway Currently under development Masaki EMOTO (Advanced Television Systems) The main objective in developing a new video system with the features such as a wider field of view, higher resolution, and stereoscopic presentation capability is to enhance a viewer's sensation of reality, or the sensation of presence. We want to make the observer feel as if they were at the location of the projected video. Currently, we are studying an SHV system with 4,000 scanning lines. We are also evaluating the "sensation of presence" of a video system by investigating the relationship between known subjective evaluations such as the "perception of power," the "perception of comfort," and the "perception of presence." In particular, experiments using a body-sway measuring device yielded an objective evaluation index: we found that an observer's posture stabilizes as the field of view of a still picture broadens, becoming closer to that of watching a real world scene. Super Hi-Vision (SHV) 7 Super Hi-Vision (SHV) is an ultrahigh-definition video system with a resolution that is four times higher than the current HDTV system, both horizontally and vertically. Its video format uses pixels and progressive scanning at a 60-Hz-frame-rate, and its audio format is 22.2 multichannel surround sound. This exhibition introduced recent progress on its display, camera, and other systems, and presented a dynamic audio and video program. SHV systems and theater 8 Super Hi-Vision (SHV) Program Transmissions To achieve our goal of constructing a program material transmission system for Super Hi-Vision (SHV) signals, we are researching an uncompressed transmission scheme over an optical fiber cable. This scheme has little transmission delay and no degradation. The most recent system that we fabricated transmits SHV signals over a single optical fiber cable by dividing the signal into optical signals with 16 different wavelengths, and it is capable of transmitting an uncompressed SHV signal at the extremely high speed of 24 Gbps. This system was employed for the world's first live SHV relay transmission experiment in November Super Hi-Vision Broadcasting 9 Super Hi-Vision (SHV) programming will eventually be delivered to individual homes nationwide, and to make this possible, we are studying an efficient coding technology for data compression and a 21-GHz-band satellite broadcasting system to transmit the compressed data. The exhibition illustrated the potential of SHV broadcasting by satellite through an experiment in which SHV signals compressed with a new codec were transmitted through a dummy 21-GHz-band satellite transponder. SHV video taken at the front entrance was transmitted in realtime using dense wavelength division multiplexing scheme New codec and 21GHz-band TWT Broadcast Technology no.27, Summer 2006 C NHK STRL 7

4 Advanced Content Production and Agile News-reporting Systems 10 Program Production Using Information Invisible to a Camera We are developing a technology to combine images shot with cameras with computer graphics (CGs) to form more natural composed images. This year's exhibition presented two of our research projects: a real-time camerawork detector and a production support prompter. In the camerawork detector, the infrared camera detects the infrared markers that are invisible in the real shot to know about the camera's direction and a location for image composition, and the prompter shows the cast and crew important information, such as the script, without it showing up in the camera image. 11 Video Retrieval Using Video Recognition Technology and Information Extraction from Closed Captions The appearance of large-scale video archives and largecapacity hard disk video recorders has raised the demand for advanced video retrieval technologies that would make it easy for users to search for video segments (scenes) in a massive amount of stored data. To be able to use video assets more efficiently, we need to retrieve video data quickly and easily. The exhibit displayed a technology that allows the user to search for video segments with a particular composition simply by entering a rough sketch of the target image. Another video retriebal technology that utilizes closed-caption data attached to a TV program was also on display It can retrieve video scenes by referring to a rough sketch of the target image HDTV Transmissions over Ad Hoc Wireless Network Research is progressing on a broadcasting station system that will connect relay locations, regional broadcasting stations, and archives over a network. The goal is to make prompt program news gathering, relay broadcasting, and production feasible anywhere. One of our recent developments enables wireless HDTV signal transmission from a broad range of camera locations through ad hoc network in which wireless terminals autonomously determine the transmission path. A wireless ad hoc network transmits an HDTV video signal Content Quality Estimation Technology Millimeter-wave Mobile Camera 12 To make program production more "nimble," we are developing a wireless network capable of reliable wideband transmission in a studio. The millimeter-wave wireless camera, by eliminating the connecting cables, enables smoother camera operation. This exhibit introduced technologies for return-signal transmission and forward-link transmission of video images with higher picture quality. We want to provide program producers with a means of measuring viewers' reactions to their productions. The availability of such a measure could help producers create higher quality content. In particular, the movement of a viewer's line of sight (gaze) is considered to have an especially close relationship with the viewer's interest and attention. We believe that we can use such gaze information to determine whether the content is drawing the viewer's interest or is easy to understand. This exhibit presented an experiment that analyzed the relationship between observers' gaze while viewing a program and their ease of comprehending the content. The projected information, e.g., the script, is not captured in the camera image but is visible to the program's cast and crew The video signal and return signal are transmitted/received without cables Currently under development Viewers' gazes concentrated on the text and illustrations on the screen Not captured in the camera viewfinder image Video signal Return video signal Hiroshi FUJISAWA (Networked Broadcasting System) Broadcasters must be able to transmit program materials from a variety of news-gathering locations. However, location shoots are often hard to set up due to roads or other obstructions preventing cables from being laid. Furthermore, wireless transmissions from some locations suffer from signal interruption due to tall buildings or trees. Overall, there are significant restrictions on where cameras can be installed. Our goal is to construct a new type of wireless relay system in which equipment can be installed quickly and easily by simply placing wireless nodes of an ad hoc network at the relay site. The implementation of a wireless ad hoc network for relay program production will give us the capability of freely adjusting a camera's location without the crew having to worry about obstructing objects. 8 Broadcast Technology no.27, Summer 2006 C NHK STRL

5 Ubiquitous and Universal Services 15 AdapTV We are developing technologies that adapt the presentation to the viewing circumstances and preferences of the viewer. The idea is to make a single piece of programming viewable in a variety of environments. For instance, the same program would be tailored for a mobile receiver or a large-screen TV. We presented a technology that converts program content according to the viewer's preferences or viewing circumstances. Cropped screen Even TV on a small screen should be easy to watch Currently under development Mikihiro UENO (Intelligent Information Processing) Lifestyles are diversifying for instance, watching TV on a cellular phone receiver is a different experience from watching it at home. So we need to take into account our viewers' changing requirements. However, it is difficult for broadcasters to produce programs tailored to the individual viewing environment. AdapTV is a broadcasting service that adapts to individual viewing circumstances and preferences of the viewer. This service converts content at the receiver by referring to the user's viewing circumstance and the content's metadata. We are constructing four different prototypes. For example, one prototype can re-configure educational programs to suit the viewer's knowledge level, and another trims property a video image for a smaller display. Human-friendly Information Presentation Technology 16 Digital broadcasting and the Internet have a large amount of content in the form of photographs, diagrams, and charts. To make such information understandable to people with visual impairments, we are developing a common information presentation environment for broadcasting and communications. This exhibit introduced research on tactile presentation of an electronic program guide (EPG). The EPG can be tactilely presented to visually impaired persons 17 Flexible Displays A flexible display that can be rolled up for easy carrying would make it very convenient for viewers to enjoy broadcasting wherever they are. We are studying flexible organic EL (electroluminescence) displays and flexible film liquid crystal displays, as well as flexible organic TFTs (thin film transistors) for driving these displays. This exhibit presented our latest prototype displays. Currently under development Prototype 5-inch organic EL display fabricated by the inkjet method World's first prototype panel integrating film liquid crystal and organic TFT Flexible film liquid crystal display (A4 size) with improved contrast Hiroto SATO (Materials Science) We want television broadcasts to be able to be viewed anywhere the user may go. To make this possible, we will have to create new types of display media that can be used in a variety of environments. The advent of a flexible display is highly anticipated because it would have a broad range of applications, from small roll-up portable displays to large systems that could be unrolled like a movie projection screen. One type of flexible display system is a liquid crystal device, which has the potential for excellent visibility in various indoor and outdoor lighting environments. The liquid crystal of the display is sandwiched between flexible plastic substrates, and a certain thickness has to be maintained even when the screen is bent. To enable high-quality moving pictures to be displayed, we are developing the liquid crystal material with high-speed response characteristics. Broadcast Technology no.27, Summer 2006 C NHK STRL 9

6 Laying the Foundation of Future Broadcasting 18 Ontology-based Query Answering Technology TV programs contain a treasure chest of information, and to make it more accessible, we are trying to construct an intelligent TV that can respond to simple questions asked by the viewer. The exhibit presented a system that can answer vague questions posed by a viewer. It uses ontologies, which describe the general or common-sense knowledge of humans in a way that can be interpreted by a machine. "Ontology" is comprehensibly explained Organic Imaging Device 19 We want to construct a compact HDTV camera for use in emergency reporting. To this end, we are developing an organic imaging device composed of layered organic films, in which each layer is sensitive to one of the three primary colors. This organic film device will eliminate the need for the prism that is used in current broadcasting cameras, leading to a remarkable size and weight reduction. As a step toward our goal, we employed a CMOS circuit, to read out the charge generatied inside an organic film. Organic imaging device structure and image readout from an organic film Fundamental Technologies for Wide-screen and Ultrahigh-resolution Displays 20 If we are to make Super Hi-Vision (SHV) available for home viewing in the future, we will have to develop technologies to fabricate ultrahigh-resolution displays. For this reason, we are pursuing research on plasma display panels (PDP), which have proven themselves in HDTV applications, and field emission displays (FED), which have the potential for higher resolution and efficiency. Besides our prototype PDP and FED devices, this exhibit also introduced technologies related to blue phosphor material and its fabrication. Color display on part of a 6.5-inch diagonal ultrahigh-resolution PDP with a 0.3 mm pixel pitch 1.6-inch diagonal ultrahigh-resolution FED with a 0.15 mm pixel pitch Large-capacity Holographic Recording Technology 21 We are working on holographic recording technology using light wave interference, as a recording technology for archiving the video and audio materials produced for broadcasting. This technology records data threedimensionally, using the depth direction of a recording medium as well as the surface. It has the potential of providing a recording capacity of more than 100 times that of two-dimensional optical disk recording technology. This exhibition showed technologies to detect and compensate for optical wavefront distortion, with the purpose of improving the quality of holographic recordings that use light interference. Wavefront controller Holographic recording system incorporating a wavefront controller 10 Broadcast Technology no.27, Summer 2006 C NHK STRL

7 How NHK's R&D Benefits Society HDTV Program Relay Broadcast Technologies 22 This year's exhibition introduced our new compact highperformance HDTV codec that enables broadcasters to easily carry out mobile HDTV outside broadcasting. This system makes it easy to relay HDTV signals or transmit materials from any location through the Internet. Compact high-performance HDTV codec (left) and transmitted images (right) Another exhibit in this section included an HDTV millimeter-wave transmission system that was incorporated into a rail camera. The rail camera was used for shooting the speed-skating competition at the Torino Olympics. This system is capable of transmitting a clear HDTV video signal without interruption on the 60-GHz band, even from a camera moving at a high speed. Transmission of HDTV video signal from a rail camera Small System for Recording Surround Sound in Location Shoots 23 Conventional surround-sound pickup requires multiple microphones and a multichannel sound recorder. We developed a compact surround sound microphone that can pick up five channels of sound, and a scheme to record this sound on the sound track of a video camera system. The installation of this device in a video camera enables one cameraman to carry out location shooting with surround sound recording. Reproduction of sound picked up on five channels with a compact surround-sound microphone 24 Human-friendly Services Sometimes elderly viewers feel that the speech in a broadcast is too fast to listen to comfortably. To assist these viewers, we pioneered a speech rate conversion technology that allows listeners to hear sound at a slower pace without extending the program duration or changing the sound quality. With the cooperation of an audio equipment manufacturer, this technology was incorporated into radio and television receivers that are now on the market. We are making closed-caption broadcasts more enjoyable for elderly viewers and persons with hearing impairments by using a speech recognition system that instantly converts an announcer's speech into textual data (closed-captions). The system is used to generate closed-captions for the live broadcast parts of news and sports programming. We believe that it could be used in a broad range of applications, including televisions that can carry on dialogues with viewers via an easy-to-operate voice-control function. Radio using speech rate conversion technology The closed-caption generating process was exhibited Tiny, High-performance Microphone Showing Potential for Hearing Aid and In-car Use 25 This tiny, high-performance silicon microphone is capable of picking up sound in harsh environments, such as high-temperature, high-humidity environments. Besides its potential for broadcasting, this microphone also shows promise for hearing aids and for use in cars, whose interiors can get very hot on sunny days. The microphone operates in environments that would be too harsh for normal microphones to operate reliably Broadcast Technology no.27, Summer 2006 C NHK STRL 11

8 Archiving Intangible Cultural Assets 26 A free-viewpoint video representation system is a video generation system that allows a user to view a moving subject from any position. The archiving of arbitraryview images of traditional performing arts, such as Nogaku, entails the construction of a three-dimensional video image archive containing images that can be viewed from any direction. The free-viewpoint system will extensively increase the potential uses of such an archive. Enjoying a Noh performance from your favorite viewing point 27 Simple Home TV Production for Everybody The TV Program Making Language (TVML) enables any user to automatically produce a TV program with CGs by simply writing a script on a PC's word processor. It enables non-professionals to produce their own television programs, and it has become popular in public facilities and research institutions, as well as with individual users. The exhibit included a TV-like blog system that is based on TVML and designed for general public use. Medical and Scientific Applications 28 The ultrahigh-sensitivity HDTV HARP camera takes clear shots in dim lighting conditions, such as in moonlight. It is being used to cover breaking news at night and in nighttime location shoots of dramas, etc. Various scientific and medical fields are also beginning to take advantage of its ultrahighsensitivity and high picturequality characteristics. Program reproduction by executing a script written with a word processor This ultrahigh-speed high-sensitivity compact color camera has incomparable performance, with the ability to record images at up to one million frames per second at a resolution of 300,000 pixels. It has been used to shoot highspeed phenomena invisible to the naked eye. Its usefulness has been attracting the attention of professionals in various fields, including engineers involved with destructive testing (e.g., to assess the strength of a protective barrier against falling rocks) and ophthalmologists who can use it to monitor laser eye surgery. The Axi-Vision Camera is a three-dimensional shape-detection camera system that can determine the depth to an object while shooting HDTV video. It can blend CGs and shot images in a realistic manner. The high-speed shape detection function has potential in many other fields besides broadcasting, including biometrics (measuring the human body) and game software production. The HARP camera is being used in medical and scientific fields An ultrahigh-speed, high-sensitivity compact color camera captures the moment that an arrow hits a target Image composition with CGs while detecting the distance to an object 29 Access Guide to NHK's Technical Expertise The mission of NHK Engineering Services, Inc. is to make the results of NHK's broadcasting R&D available to a wide range of other fields. Our exhibit at this year's annual open house presented examples of NHK's R&D that have found their way into other technological fields. NHK's technical expertise was explained at the special consultation booth Audience Engineering Corner 30 To make television programming more enjoyable, NHK provides various services as applications of this R&D. This section of the exhibition introduced two new services for viewers that have sprung from our R&D activity. One is an HDTV time-shift reproduction system designed to be used at the preliminary stage of NHK "Nodo Jiman", amateur singing contest. And the other is a "usual program" function using a viewing log, so that viewers won't miss programs they usually watch. We also provided consultation services related to digital broadcasting reception methods. We answered questions about digital terrestrial broadcasting. A simple explanation of digital terrestrial broadcasting 12 Broadcast Technology no.27, Summer 2006 C NHK STRL

9 Special Research Presentation R&D on Ultrahigh-sensitivity HARP Camera Tube and Its Applications Kenkichi TANIOKA, Director, Advanced Broadcasting Devices The higher the sensitivity of an imaging device, the clearer and crisper are the images that can be obtained, even for a dim subject. This fact has kept the quest for higher sensitivity at the top of STRL's research agenda throughout its 75 years of research on imaging devices. At the beginning of the 1980s, STRL researchers initiated a study on an imaging device that would have both ultrahigh sensitivity and high picture quality. They eventually found that good picture quality together with extremely high sensitivity could be obtained when an amorphous selenium (a-se) target (photoconversion film) in a photoconductive camera tube was operated at an intense electric field of approximately 10 8 V/m. The favorable characteristics are due to a stable continuous electron avalanche multiplication phenomenon. Based on this finding, an ultrahigh-sensitivity, high picture-quality camera tube called HARP (High-gain Avalanche Rushing amorphous Photoconductor) was fabricated. Since then, research and development has continued in an effort to enhance HARP's performance. The HARP camera has been employed in various program productions. It is especially suited for nighttime emergency reporting and dim-light shooting of nocturnal animals, auroras, underwater subjects, etc. A HARP camera with improved picture quality was recently used in dramatic productions featuring nighttime location shoots (the TV drama "Climbers High" and the film "Umore-gi," directed by Kohei Oguri). The HARP camera received praise as an imaging technology enabling unconventional visual expressions and natural looking nighttime scenes. This camera also has valuable uses in science and medicine. Some of these applications include fundamental research on an advanced microvasculature X-ray imaging device that is Shooting of aurora expected to become a powerful tool in the early detection of cancer, and on an advanced diagnostic tool for myocardial and cerebral infarctions. In fact, an advanced microvasculature X-ray imaging device using a HARP camera tube has been developed for clinical use, and the National Cardiovascular Center has been conducting clinical trials with it. A HARP camera was also installed in the unmanned ROV "Hyper Dolphin" of the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology. The camera captured vivid HDTV images of deep-sea creatures and surveyed the seafloor in the epicenter area of the Great Sumatra Earthquake. The images from the epicenter revealed large-scale seismic cracking and cave-ins of the seafloor. NHK's ultrahigh-sensitivity HARP imaging technology is proving its benefit Microvasculature X-ray imaging device to our society. for clinical use and microvascular imaging 75 Promises The advances that have been made in the year since the 75 research targets were announced at last year's STRL open house were listed in the following categories: encountering problems, steady progress, excellent progress, and early achievement. Some of the research results were also presented in special display panels. Please Get to Know STRL To help our viewers understand what STRL does, this section introduced STRL's research activities in the form of a demonstration video and panel exhibition. These showed how STRL, as the research institution of the nation's public broadcaster, has been carrying out consistent research based on the needs of our viewers and how this research has led to HDTV and satellite broadcasting. STRL Open House Guided Tour As another way for our viewers to get to know us, we held STRL open house guided tours, with STRL researchers providing their own explanations of the exhibitions. The tour lasted more than 90 minutes, and many of the participants expressed their appreciation afterwards. Broadcast Technology no.27, Summer 2006 C NHK STRL 13

10 Hands-on Exhibitions Special exhibitions, entitled "Let's Play with Broadcasting Technology!," were held on Saturday the 27th and Sunday the 28th. These allowed visitors to experience the latest technologies in a hands-on or direct manner. Future 3D Concert Hall Visitors were invited to experience a high-quality live sound field reproduction technology that can reconstruct the sound field of performance in a concert hall. A live violin performance was combined with an orchestra performance reproduced using multiple loudspeakers, making it sound as if the entire orchestra were playing at a concert hall. You Can Be a TV Announcer This exhibition introduced a closed-caption generation system using speech recognition, which generates closedcaptions by automatically recognizing an announcer's words. It allowed a visitor to read a manuscript aloud for the prompt display of the recognized speech as text, allowing visitors to experience both the joy and challenge of being announcers. The violin was played live in a separate room. The orchestra performance was reproduced using multiple loudspeakers behind a curtain. Was it recognized correctly? Amazing Sound and a Fun Experience Various sounds were presented through an "insect microphone" for listening to the footsteps of an insect and a "PC-VRAS," a virtual reality sound system in which a user can experience an audio presentation with a virtual listening point. Super Slowed-motion Video Our ultrahigh-speed, high-sensitivity camera can capture an instant in time. This system was used to show the moment a soccer ball was kicked and the impact of a baseball bat on a ball. Amazed by the "insect microphone," which picks up sound that is not ordinarily perceivable. "PC-VRAS" allows a user to enjoy video and audio from any listening point they desire. Future Major Leaguer? Comments From Visitors I felt that this year's exhibition was designed to allow the general public to understand STRL's R&D easily, without being overly focused on technical expertise. It positively showed the attitude of NHK. I watched the Super Hi-Vision video presentation and felt its strong sensation of reality. I will be looking forward to seeing it in people's homes in the future. The past STRL open houses presented more specialized, technical content. Isn't STRL targeting amateurs a bit too much recently? I would like to see the actual facilities, like the laboratories, since the open house is held at the STRL complex. I was surprised to see the applications to medical and scientific fields. Keep up the good work! I think hands-on exhibits make technologies easier to understand. I would like more of these exhibitions. This year's prototype flexible display had clearer images than last year's model, showing the progress in the research. I never imagined that STRL was conducting research on such extensive technologies. I hope that it will continue producing new, beneficial technologies. I hope to have the opportunity to see STRL's research on display outside of Tokyo as well. I found the technology to make television service freely available outside the home interesting. I thought it was especially fascinating to see a technology like "AdapTV," which automatically re-edits video content. I appreciated the researchers' willingness and kindness in their explanations of the exhibitions. The guided tour of the exhibitions was very easy to understand. 14 Broadcast Technology no.27, Summer 2006 C NHK STRL