Irish firm aims to be real deal with 3D television solutions

Realview is adding depth to images without a requirement for new hardware, writes CIARA O'BRIEN

While 3D was a hot topic for the conference, one Irish company was hoping to capitalise on the growing trend for content with new depth.

Realview Innovations provides a number of add-on screen overlays for TVs, games consoles and monitors that add depth to images without requiring any new hardware.

The company was at E3 to raise awareness of its product.

Realview's founders, Catherine and Eamon Ansbro, said there was one problem with investing in 3D televisions at present - a lack of available content. "Companies are putting a lot of money into developing the new technology," said Ms Ansbro. "There's a lot of hype about 3D, but in practical terms, there isn't really an industry solution to it at the moment, there's not the content."

That's all set to change in the coming months, particularly with regards to gaming, but there are other reasons why consumers may not want to buy 3D TVs. The cost of the set itself can be quite high, and there have been reports of side-effects from watching the films, including nausea, dizziness and headaches.

These side-effects aren't an issue with Realview's technology, the company said.

Ms Ansbro said the firm was talking to big retailers about distributing the products, which include a PSP compatible version that doubles as a protective case, and a 22in overlay for screens.

Plans exist for an iPhone compatible version, and a 32in and 42in version, and Realview also has a device that can be used with projectors to create 3D images.

Realview was one of the few Irish firms at this year's E3 exhibition, although several such as Microsoft, Sony and Dell have operations in Ireland. Games firm EA is going to establish a Galway centre soon with the creation of 200 jobs over the next couple of years.

Intel-owned Havok was also a commanding presence at the exhibition, although most attendees would not have noticed its technology at work all around them.

More than 270 games titles are now powered by Irish-based Havok, and can be found in titles on the Playstation 3, Wii, Xbox 360, PSP and PC, including Assassin's Creed Brotherhood, KillZone 3and New Vegas.

"The whole front of the convention centre is like an ad for Havok," said David Coughlan, Havok's new managing director. He took over the position at the start of the month.

"The new hardware innovations are ones that are all of quite a lot of interest to us. If you look at the Move and the Kinect, they're a more physical way of interacting with the game and for a company that bases ourselves on simulated physics, that's very interesting," Mr Coughlan said.

"If you're interacting with games in a high-fidelity physical way, you expect it to respond in a high-fidelity physical way."

The company is also involved in the burgeoning 3D industry. It has been involved with a number of films, including Watchmen, although the majority of its business remains with the gaming industry.

This is going to be expanded further, Coughlan said, with a move towards mobile gaming.

"The range of gaming exp is broadening out as well, with iPhone and iPad type games," he said.

"Havok certainly has a role to play in that. We've converted our technology across to we're targeting more cinematic-type titles. That's an exciting area for the company."