AMC Entertainment has entered into a partnership with South Korean cinema technology company CJ 4DPlex to bring 65 of its ScreenX and 4DX theaters to its venues in the United States and Europe. AMC’s 25 ScreenX auditoriums will use 4DX’s signature multi-projection approach to immerse audiences in a 270-degree field of view, starting this summer. There will be 40 4DX installations opening, beginning in the fall. With 4DX, moviegoers get a multi-sensory experience that includes motion seating and atmospherics like water, wind, scents and snow in addition to special lighting and other effects to enhance the action onscreen. Continue reading AMC to Add 65 ScreenX, 4DX Theaters in Deal with CJ 4DPlex

Tech firm Infinite Reality — which specializes in AI-powered 3D immersive experiences — has agreed to pay $207 million for Napster, the 26-year-old music streaming service. The sellers are crypto investment firm Hivemind Capital Partners and blockchain firm Algorand, that acquired the platform in 2022. Infinite Reality is privately held, listing among its investors Liberty Media, Live Nation, MGM, T-Mobile and Barry Diller’s IAC. The company plans to steer Napster to superfan experiences, making it “more immersive, more social, and more shoppable.” Napster CEO Jon Vlassopulos, former global music chief at Roblox, will continue in his current post. Continue reading Infinite Reality Agrees to Acquire Napster in $207 Million Deal

At CES 2025 this month, LG Electronics debuted its LG UltraGear OLED Bendable Gaming Monitor, positioning it as the world’s first 5K2K-resolution bendable OLED display. The 45-inch 45GX990A can transition from completely flat to a 900R curvature within seconds, allowing users to customize their gaming experience. An upgraded Dual-Mode feature can switch easily between resolution and refresh rate presets, accommodating different aspect ratios and picture sizes. And the zippy 0.03ms (GtG) response time aims to provide heightened immersion. It did not go unnoticed at the show that the display also offers smart streaming options. Continue reading CES: LG Debuts a Dual-Mode Bendable 5K2K Game Monitor

Fitting for a trade show long associated with the latest and greatest television sets, this year’s CES featured a panel titled “The Future of Immersive TV.” The panelists, led by moderator Rick Kowalski, senior director of business intelligence for the Consumer Technology Association (CTA), underscored the biggest current challenge for home entertainment is the fragmentation of platforms on which consumers view content. Multimodal content delivery is impacting production workflows and advertising services. From trends in consumer behavior to emerging technologies, the panel speculated about interactive TV, shoppable TV, and the need for consistent experiences. Continue reading CES: TV Industry Adapts to Expansion of Platforms and Devices

During CES this week, Sony demonstrated a proof-of-concept experience based on the popular HBO post-apocalyptic drama “The Last of Us.” We were dropped into a six-person pod of newly enlisted defenders and assigned to a hardened defender who needed new recruits to combat a serious surge of zombie assaults that she was convinced could be overcome with our assistance. Armed with LED-enabled shotgun-like devices and tracked flashlights to assist our leader in discovering the concealed attackers, our combat leader led us with sharp and direct commands as she guided us through the terrors of the attack. Continue reading CES: Sony Introduces Interactive Experience – ‘The Last of Us’

With AI powering a range of new world-building apps, 2025 could be the year the metaverse finally makes an impact. Midjourney joins the world-building club with Patchwork, a collaborate canvas for creating “infinite” fictional worlds. Now in research preview, the tool is being developed as a standalone app, though preview access requires a Midjourney Discord account linked to a Google account. Users are able to connect characters and worlds, and “share” their developing world — evolving as a “board” — with up to 100 collaborative partners on Midjourney (though the company recommends fewer participants for a more focused experience). Continue reading Midjourney Touts Collaborative World-Building App Patchwork

Beginning October 15, YouTube Shorts will extend its maximum length to 3 minutes. The move competitively positions the Google unit against TikTok, which allows for videos of up to 10 minutes when recording, or an hour when uploading. Regular YouTube accommodates videos of up to 12 hours for verified accounts and 15 minutes for unverified accounts, whether live or uploaded. But in terms of marketing focus, the current attention is on short-form video. YouTube is also updating the Shorts player, adding templates, and introducing a Shorts trends page for mobile. Continue reading YouTube Updates Shorts Player, Extends Length to 3 Minutes

Snap is rolling out its fifth generation of Spectacles — standalone AR glasses that enable use of Lenses to “experience the world together with friends.” The firm is also launching a Spectacles Developer Program, and at a rental fee of $99 per month, that’s who the devices are aimed at, for now. Spectacles are powered by Snap OS, optimized to leverage people’s natural responses to interacting with their environment. They work seamlessly with mobile devices, turning smartphones into custom game controllers with Lenses. There’s even a Spectator Mode, “so friends without Spectacles can follow along, mirror your phone screen, and more.” Continue reading Snap Targets Developers with $99 per Month AR Spectacles

Netflix has selected Dallas, Texas and Pennsylvania’s King of Prussia as the first two cities for its massive location-based entertainment venues, set to open in 2025. Specifying “they’re not exactly theme parks,” the Netflix House destinations will feature shopping, eateries and “regularly updated” experiential activities that tie-in with major franchises like “Bridgerton,” “Stranger Things” and “Squid Game.” Netflix CMO Marian Lee says the company has already launched more than 50 experiences in 25 cities, with Netflix House representing “the next generation” venue for the streaming giant. Continue reading Netflix Plans to Open Two Entertainment Complexes in 2025

Netflix announced it is launching a “digital theme park” in early access on the Roblox online gaming platform. Web-based universe “Netflix Nextworld” will feature mini-games, easter eggs, watch parties, user-generated content and more “in 3D interactive spaces” based on characters and content from popular Netflix franchises such as “Stranger Things,” “One Piece,” “Cobra Kai” and the “Rebel Moon” movies. There will also be an activity based on the upcoming animated series, “Jurassic World: Chaos Theory.” Users will be able to collect objects and wearables from the shows and movies to post in their Fan Pods, which can be shared online with friends. Continue reading Netflix Teams with Roblox in Creation of ‘Digital Theme Park’

Apple Vision Pro users disappointed by the Netflix webOS experience on the spatial computing wearable can now take advantage of the independently developed Supercut app, designed to enhance the streaming platform on Apple’s new headset, as well as to make Amazon Prime Video work better through a dedicated iPad app port. Created by Christian Privitelli, Supercut delivers the correct aspect ratio for each app, as well as eliminating black bars, and more. It also enables 4K streaming with Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos. Privitelli is working on a version for streaming platform Plex. Continue reading Supercut Improves Streaming of Netflix, Amazon on Vision Pro

The global augmented reality market is expected to reach $289 billion by 2030, according to a recent study by Research and Markets, and advertisers have taken notice. While the majority of revenue is generated by software, then hardware, the augmented reality advertising market is projected to generate $1.2 billion in revenue in the U.S. in 2024, according to the Interactive Advertising Bureau. To help foster growth in that nascent sector, the IAB has teamed with the Media Ratings Council to create consistent definitions and measurement guidelines for ads within AR campaigns. Continue reading IAB and MRC Join Forces to Develop AR Advertising Guidelines

Virtual meeting tool Zoom has become one of the first companies to announce an app designed specifically for the Apple Vision Pro mixed reality headset, shipping February 2. Zoom’s new app “seamlessly blends video conferencing with users’ physical space, blurring the lines of in-person and remote meetings” with the Vision Pro for “a more real-world, immersive environment,” according to Zoom. The result is an “authentic spatial representation” of people and their motions in the Vision Pro world on Zoom. The app supports Apple’s Persona feature, which uses machine learning to generate digital avatars. Continue reading Zoom Meetings for Apple Vision Pro App Get Avatars and More

Acer brought a fleet of new Predator gaming monitors to CES, including the curved colossus spanning 57-inches, the Predator Z57, and glasses-free 3D Predator SpatialLabs View 27, a mass market spin on the company’s SpatialLabs professional display. Sprawling across 7,680 x 2,160 pixels, the flagship Z57 MiniLED runs at 120Hz, with 2,304 dimming zones, dual HDR and peak brightness of 1,000 nits, according to Acer, which has it priced at $2,500, calendared in Q2, as is the $2,000 View 27. The Ultra HD 3D monitor boasts a 160Hz refresh rate and AMD FreeSync and Nvidia G-Sync for fluid gameplay. Continue reading CES: Acer Showcases Curved and Glasses-Free 3D Monitors

While technology for immersive visual content has (for now) settled on stereoscopic headsets with two little high-resolution screens behind two little lenses, at CES in Las Vegas this week four different developers presented four different approaches to realistic haptic feedback for arms and hands. Buzzing, squeezing and zapping are all on offer, with fundamentally different business and technology models. New haptic products from companies such as Afference, bHaptics, Valkyrie Industries and Microtube Technologies suggest we may be slowly getting closer to more physically-engaging immersive experiences. Continue reading CES: Haptic Technology Makes Slow Strides for CE Products