Winscape: Apple-powered fake windows

Just in time for the weekend, here's a technology that's arrived before its time, I think. Winscape is a set of two plasma televisions set up behind window panes, and hooked up to a Mac Pro. The Pro is running the custom Winscape software, which controls the "view" out of the windows according to a sensor (they show it in the video above attached to a baby, and it actually looks really large and pretty unwieldy). So as the sensor moves around the room, the view changes, as if you were moving angles while looking out of the windows to get a different view.

Oh, and the whole thing is controlled with an iPhone app -- there are a few different views, as you can see in the video above. You can buy the Winscape software for $10 over on the website, and the remote app is $2 in the store, but of course you've got to buy the plasma televisions and Mac Pro yourself (and cut a window into your wall and/or install them all the way you want them). So no, it's not a very practical solution -- at least until houses come standard with video windows.

But it would be great to wake up every morning and be able to look out the window and see whatever you want to see. Maybe someday we'll see a setup like this as a more accessible investment.

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Source: http://rationalcraft.com/Winscape.html

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Just in time for the weekend, here's a technology that's arrived before its time, I think. Winscape is a set of two plasma televisions set...

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Peter

Ray Bradbury predicted all this in his short story The Veldt http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Veldt , first published in 1950 (!)...

April 22 2010 at 6:29 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

Andy

So awesome! This would be great in my apartment, it would help make up for the terrible view I have out of my actual window...of the apartment across from me. Yay.

http://blog.itag.com/260/3-insane-inventions/

April 19 2010 at 2:46 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

Matt

That is horrible. That is technology as an end in and of itself.

April 19 2010 at 12:40 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

somebody

I love how dedicating to plasma screens and a mac pro is a project by the company RATIONAL CRAFT.

(i'm just mad because i'm jealous)

April 18 2010 at 9:40 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

Andrew

They "did" this in a local soap opera [about a hotel] here in Norway.

The business plan was to fit all the rooms in the hotel with this. I think even this pretend "business" failed...

On a related note I noticed the "train ride" featured in the video was actually from Norway (Bergen-Oslo) released for free by the Norwegian Broadcasting Corp. (NRK).

Have a look here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ql2qXpNVTjw

Or download it here:
http://nrkbeta.no/2009/12/18/bergensbanen-eng/

April 18 2010 at 3:45 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

y.hogarth

???

April 18 2010 at 1:22 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

Mark Cuda

BTW, I set this up in my living room with my normal tv, awesome! Not worth buying two tvs at their current prices though...

April 17 2010 at 8:10 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

stubear

Hook this bad boy up to Natal and you might have something. The only problem is what if two or more people are trying to look through the same window from different angles?

April 17 2010 at 3:06 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

nick thompson

Heres what I think the next evolution of this technology will be. I Imagine once they figure out how to wrap an oled cloth screen into a spherical room for you to do your computing in, then we will be tapped into a virtual reality world.. In the middle of the room is a treadmill for walking in the new dimension. Imagine google earth in a room like this, endless hours o fun!

April 17 2010 at 2:41 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

P-Rip

What's that quote? "Go outside. The resolution is fantastic and the picture is 3D!" Why fake "outdoors" when you can just go outdoors for free - other than to show how much money you can burn.

April 17 2010 at 2:38 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply