The Canon Americas Lab exhibit at CES this year featured a demonstration of Canon USA’s Volumetric X Motion Capture system that creates videos viewable from any camera angle. The multi-camera system leverages 2D data, 3D volumetric data, and analytical tools for sports and entertainment applications. The basis of the system is the same as the Free Viewpoint video system — Canon’s CES 2023 headliner — which was used in an NBA pilot for Cleveland Cavaliers’ alternative game stream. We checked in with the project’s researchers for updates, including ESPN highlights on Meta’s Xtadium VR app, a new U.S. volumetric studio, and how AI was used in this technology. Read more

Projector company Valerion debuted its highly anticipated VisionMaster Max at CES 2025. Valerion says the $4,000 4K triple-laser projector is the first home unit to use the professional-grade OpticFlex Lens System with optical zoom, vertical lens shift and dynamic iris, projecting images from 40 inches to 300 inches (a massive 25 feet). The Max delivers 3,000 ISO lumens and a 15,000:1 contrast ratio, while all entries in the VisionMaster series feature 110 percent coverage of the Rec. 2020 color space and enhanced black level (EBL). Unique to the Max is a changeable external lens that expands the throw ratio. Read more

HP announced its Copilot+ mini PC and all-in-one desktop PCs at CES 2025 in Las Vegas last week. Rather than powering the new devices with Qualcomm chips, HP chose AMD’s Ryzen AI Max chips for the company’s new Z2 Mini G1a — the “world’s most powerful mini workstation” — and Intel Core Ultra 200V processors for the OmniStudio X all-in-one, described by some as a legitimate iMac Pro competitor. The Intel processors have enough power to support Microsoft Copilot+ PC features for the desktop, while the Z2 Mini G1a is also a Copilot+ PC, touting the AI-powered features, image generation, and editing tools available in Windows 11. Read more

Unless there is breaking news this weekend, ETCentric and The Daily News Brief will not publish on Monday to commemorate Martin Luther King Day. We wish you and your families a very happy and safe holiday. We’ll be back on Tuesday with the latest in entertainment technology news. Read more

Amongst the exhibits of Hong Kong technology companies at CES 2025 in Las Vegas last week, our team found a 24-inch, wrinkle-free, portable display made of optical polymer material that can be flexibly folded like a bag. Marketed as the Splay, this radical device — a CES Innovation Awardee from last year — is a collaboration of Hong Kong’s Nano and Advanced Materials Institute (NAMI) and U.S. company Arovia. The back of Splay connects with a compact DLP projector box the size of a book that shows high-contrast 2K resolution image on the screen. Read more