深入探析视频会议系统发展未来

    This is the VOA Special English Technology Report.
    这里是美国之音慢速英语科技报道。

    High-quality systems used in video conferencing are called telepresence systems. The images are life-size yet not truly lifelike. They lack the depth that people would normally see if they were in the same room together. But this could change in the future with new kinds of three-dimensional telepresence systems.
    用于视频会议的高端系统被称为远程呈现系统。这种图像与实物大小相同但并不逼真。他们缺乏当人们同处一室时通常会看到的纵深。但有了新型3D(三维)远程呈现系统,这一状况可能改变。

    Last week, we told you about a 3-D system at the University of Arizona. Researchers can send a moving image over the Internet and show it on a special screen in close to real time. People would not have to wear special glasses like they often need to watch 3-D movies.
    上周我们讲述了亚利桑那大学的3D系统。研究人员可以通过互联网发送动态图像,并近乎实时地显示在一个特殊显示屏上。人们不必像通常在看3D电影时一样戴特制的眼镜。

    The system uses a lot of cameras to take pictures of a person from different positions. Lasers reproduce the pictures combined into three-dimensional images, or holograms. The image appears more realistic with the more cameras that are used and the more pictures that are taken.
    该系统使用很多相机从不同方位采集图片,并通过激光合成为3D图像,或称为全息图像。相机以及相机采集的图片越多,3D图像看上去就越真实。

    Howard Lichtman is president of the Human Productivity Lab. His company advises other companies on buying and using telepresence systems. Mr. Lichtman also publishes Telepresence Options, which reports on the industry.
    霍华德·李奇曼(Howard Lichtman)是Human Productivity Lab总裁。该公司建议其他公司购买和使用远程呈现系统。李奇曼也发布了对远程呈现行业的看法。

    He says this latest development would have done wonders for the "Star Wars" movie with the famous "Princess Leia" hologram scene.
    他称,这项最新的开发已经通过著名的莱娅公主全息场景给电影《星球大战》带来意想不到的效果。

    HOWARD LICHTMAN: "For Princess Leia to talk, Princess Leia needs to move and her mouth needs to move, etc. And you haven't been able to do that with a regular hologram because the hologram would only be fixed in one spot. What they're able to do is, they're able to refresh that image so that the image changes the same way a person changes when they talk."
    李奇曼:“莱娅公主说话时身体在动,嘴巴在动,诸如此类。通过普通全息图(静态全息图)无法实现这个效果,因为普通全息图仅固定在一个特定场景。他们能做的就是,不停刷新图像,这样就能和人说话时的动作同步。”

    The researchers in Arizona say their 3-D system is still years away from completion. Even then, Howard Lichtman says it may have trouble competing with systems already on the market.
    亚利桑那大学的研究人员表示,他们的3D系统最终完成尚需数年。即便如此,李奇曼称,它们可能遇到当前市场上现存系统的竞争。

    Most telepresence systems are two-dimensional. But Mr. Lichtman says the images are very realistic.
    市场现存的大多数的远程呈现系统是2维的。但李奇曼称,这种图像也很真实。

    HOWARD LICHTMAN: "It's a 2-D image, but it's crystal clear, photo realistic, fluid movement, accurate flesh tones, and you would swear you were in the same physical space with people who might be thousands of miles away."
    李奇曼:“它是2维的图像,但它清晰、真实、流畅、色调准确。你会以为,你和实际上可能在千里之外的人在同一个物理空间。”

    He says prices for telepresence systems are going down as more people use the technology.
    他称,由于使用的人越来越多,远程呈现系统价格正不断下降。

    HOWARD LICHTMAN: "It's pushing down to everybody as these environments are becoming publicly available or you can rent them by the hour, and at the same time that you're getting very high quality, high definition video conferencing showing up on mobile devices and in the home delivered through the set-top box or through the PC."
    李奇曼:“随着这类使用环境越来越平常,它也越贴近每个人的生活。你可以按小时租用它们,随后通过移动设备,或在家里通过机顶盒或电脑进行非常高品质、高清晰的视频会议。”

    A new eighteen-million-dollar project aims to create eleven telepresence centers for federal employees around the United States. The government is working with the AT&T company to save money and reduce pollution by reducing the need for travel.
    一项耗资1800万美元的新项目旨在为全美联邦雇员建立11个远程呈现中心。政府正与AT&T公司共同努力,通过降低出行实现节约资金和减少污染。