Marcer, sadly, none of the HMDs on the market at the moment will work with 3D Blu Rays.

The new Zeiss Cinemizer - which is apparently due out in the New Year - is supposed to.


Ancjob, I will certainly let you know how the Vuzix 1200 compares to the Headplay - once it arrives! I'm still waiting, and they're now telling me it won't be sent for another couple of weeks... Has anyone out there actually received one yet?

I've never had a chance to use the emagin. I've been tempted by it a few times, but the price has always been a bit too high, and the fact that it can't connect to a video source was a deal-breaker for me. How do you rate the Emagin against the Headplay?

i use emagin as 2d TV - it's usb powered with fov 40 [the largest in consumer HMDs with OLED - 800x600] it's like watching CRT Tv but i go back to headplay as it's HD LCD for me with superb colors...

optics : for emagin are really superb - you go on wearing it for hours - no eye strain also the exit pupil is huge [and ipd adjustment makes it great further] - for usd 700-800 emagin is a good buy on ebay

Sadly headplay was an amazing concept....only the optics needed to be further refined too bad it got discontinued....and a great concept died premature death...

I want the HMD with non reflective LCOS screen of the same quality as headplay and optics of emagin...& freedom from clunky control boxes - i do not think so that new HMDs fit the bill including wrap 1200 as well but the hope is on always...........guess the HMds still have a long way to go

update : with my nettop [asrock ion 3d] fully configured and using totalmedia theatre 5 watching movies on emagin is absolutely great! as the TMT5 gives the options to set the contrast / brightness/saturation / hue on the fly.....

Finally my emagin is giving me the results i long waited for [at times i was disappointed with emagin] - truly amazing big screen .... too bad 3D still not supported but i will keep trying - may be that will work too...............

i take my words back - emagin is truly a great '2D' HMD.......none beats it in that territory....let see if the cinemizer will turn the tides and have emagin review it's position in the HMD arena .....

Thanks for your answer ShawmK , congrats for you greate collection

This is true, however the Vuzix Wrap HMDs will at least work with Blu-Ray rips, for example side-by-side MKV files.

Hey cybereality,
So with the right software could you convert any 3d blu-ray to side by side ?
Could you buy the Avitar 3D Blu-ray and convert it to side by side and play it on the Wrap 1200 ?

Yes. You could do this with DVDFab:
http://www.dvdfab.com/blu-ray-3d-ripper.htm

frankly i hate trans-coding.....but getting it into mkv container with high bit rate for video/audio will be nice but time consuming.......here : http://makemkv.com/

too bad not single quality HMD , which can play blu-rays 3D flicker-free exists...for consumers within affordability

Here in the UK the Sky 3D channel broadcasts using the side-by-side format, which is directly supported by both the Vuzix and the Cinemizer.

So far, Sky 3D has broadcast almost every film that has been issued on Blu Ray (and a few that haven't: The three Toy Story films, for example) so I have no complaints

In the US some of the cable companies have 3D Video on Demand, but it is in over/under format unfortunately. Some do side-by-side though.

Wow, great collection! Thanks for the reviews. I definitely agree about the Olympus HMDs, I have a FMD-20P, a FMD-150, and an FMD-250W, and they all have phenomenal optics. It is sad, because there are 0.55" 800x600 OLED screens (The exact same size as used in the Eye-Trek series) available off the shelf for under $500 per unit in very low quantities. I am sure once you factor in high volume discounts, they could make a a very nice 3D HMD for under $1000, but that does not look likely.

As for the AV920, I agree with your assessment. I had a VR920, and it was MADDENING that the optics had such a small exit pupil, and were impossible to place correctly in front of my eyes. I have a slightly larger IPD than most, but I still within the "normal" range, so they were really hard to like. I ended up modding mine with new lenses that I spaced properly, but then I ran into the support issue. At least the AV920 got a side by side update, the VR920 was stuck on 32 bit operating systems with a proprietary driver that maxed out at 37.5hz per eye. Same thing with the Headplay, I don't see why they could not release an update to support side by side. I mean, the unit supports playing side by side videos from the Liberator, why not the VGA input?!

Can't wait for the Cinemizer OLED, if it holds up to the reputation of the current units, and ideally has a FOV of at least 40, then it sounds like the perfect consumer HMD.

if that happens - emagin will die as low power 800x600 oled with fov 40 is it's only selling usp now it depends if the optics of cinemizer OLED will be better than emagin i wonder.... as emagin has 'huge' exit pupil and superb optics which none can beat so far.....although HMD-frame is flimsy prone to damage unless one opts for ruggedized version which is pricey................

headplay suffered from highly reflective screen,small exit pupil and being heavy - hence died and so did the concept of single screen for HMDs...headplay was selling for usd$150 with free shipping by Dell - even the ridiculous chine make HMDs sell for more than that - unfortunate!

i am excited abt HDMI input - coz hdmi makes for universal connectivity with almost all devices having hdmi output.....

BTW - which version of HDMI - cinemizer OLED will add - 1.3 or 1.4 with 3D support i wonder...

Hi Shawnk

i have read ur post here :My HMD Collection - digging up an old thread but as i read more and i wanna read more and more regd. the HMDs from yesteryears. Cool that technology is really gearing up and now we have HMZ/st1080 which 'd have been a 'wonder' 10 yrs back.
I am also building up collection based on what u have and ur observations , collecting the rare stuff from wherever i can find - great hobby for me and really exciting to play with these tech toys.

what a a superb collection of HMDs ! U have the best already .

i noticed that you have both eye-trek FMD-700 and headplay PCS .These low FOV units employed great tech. but became obsolete now rarely seen / traded.

Headplay is a cheap 800x600 HMD basically a 2D unit only but with great image quality which i read about in RC forums on the net.

i am looking for headplay as well for around 100USD besides the much talked abt olympus HMDs

A few questions :

(1) are Eye-trek FMD-700's ( colors / hue / saturation ) better than/more pleasing than that of headplay PCS ?

(2)is the virtual screen size of eye-trek FMD-700 bigger than that of headplay PCS or at least comparable ?

(3)is the eye-trek FMD-700 comfortable to wear for hours without eye-strain ?

(4)which has most better optics - eye-trek fmd-700 OR headplay PCS ?

(5)eye-trek fmd-700 : is the image using VGA PC input - rich and better than that of Headplay PCS for the same resolution input ?

(6)Somewhere here that someone told that olympus eye-trek lenses use the same lenses as Emagin ? not sure but following their tech paper - it looks like they really do - what's ur take on this ?

Shawnk i wait for ur reply .

Hi, and thanks!

It's really difficult to do a direct comparison of the Olympus and the Headplay, because they are from different generations (in technology terms) and both are now out-of-date when compared to the models currently on the market. Both units have good points and bad points, so on one level it depends on what issues are most important for your needs.
The Olympus has the better optics by far and is (I think) more comfortable to wear. On the other hand, the Headplay has much higher resolution and better colours. Also the Headplay has 3D capabilities; the Olympus is 2D only.

I'll try to address your questions in turn:

(1) are Eye-trek FMD-700's ( colors / hue / saturation ) better than/more pleasing than that of headplay PCS ?

The Headplay is definitely better in terms of colour and saturation. It uses an LCoS display that produces very rich colours and an extremely sharp image. That is, without question, the best feature of the Headplay: the images look really good. The Olympus uses a pair of LCD displays which look washed-out by comparison. They also suffer from the "screen-door" effect you usually get with lower-resolution LCDs.
On the other hand, the Olympus gives you much more control over the image: there is an onscreen menu that will let you make very precise adjustments, and you can save different custom settings for different inputs. The unit will remember your specific settings for PAL, NTSC or PC signals.

(2)is the virtual screen size of eye-trek FMD-700 bigger than that of headplay PCS or at least comparable ?

There isn't a huge difference in the FOV between these two models. The Olympus FOV is slightly larger, but the Headplay has a much higher resolution. Remember, the Olympus is from the late 1990's, while the Headplay was released in 2007.

(3)is the eye-trek FMD-700 comfortable to wear for hours without eye-strain ?

There is definitely less eye-strain with the Eye-Trek - as long as you can get it positioned comfortably, and that will vary from person to person. The problem with the Olympus design is that the unit itself is quite bulky and heavy, and most of that weight is resting on your nose. I found that the most comfortable way to wear the Olympus was to remove the ear-pieces (easily done) and use an elastic head-band instead. That made it much more comfortable, and also easier to position correctly.

The biggest obstacle to using the Olympus for hours on end is the Health-And-Safety warning they have built in. When you switch on the unit, you get this alarming message:

WARNING: TO PREVENT
SERIOUS INJURY
SEE MANUAL FOR SAFETY
INFORMATION BEFORE
USING.
MAY DISTURB VISION,
BALANCE OR HAND-EYE
COORDINATION.
NOT FOR USE BY
CHILDREN UNDER 16.
PRESS OK TO CONTINUE.

The display will then shut itself down automatically after two and a half hours, although you can just switch it right back on again...

(4)which has most better optics - eye-trek fmd-700 OR headplay PCS ?

No contest: The Eye-Trek has far better optics than the Headplay.
The optics are actually the biggest problem on the Headplay; there is just no way to get the entire image exactly in focus, and if you move the unit even slightly, you can easily lose the entire image. The Eye-Trek has some of the best optics I have ever seen on a consumer HMD - but I guess that isn't surprising from a company like Olympus. If the image resolution wasn't so low by modern standards, the FMD-700 would still be one of the best HMDs out there, just for the quality of the optics.

(5)eye-trek fmd-700 : is the image using VGA PC input - rich and better than that of Headplay PCS for the same resolution input ?

You can't really compare this, because the Headplay has a native resolution of 800x600. The Eye-Trek has 180,000 pixels (compare that to the 640x480 Vuzix, which boasts 920,000 pixels). I can't really imagine using the Eye-Trek as a computer monitor; the resolution is just too low to read pages of text, sadly.

(6)Somewhere here that someone told that olympus eye-trek lenses use the same lenses as Emagin ? not sure but following their tech paper - it looks like they really do - what's ur take on this ?

I've only tried the Emagin on one occasion - and that unit turned out to be faulty - so I'm not sure about that. Maybe someone else knows?

I'm really sorry that Olympus abandoned the Eye-Trek range. If they had continued to produce new models with higher resolution, they would be better than anything currently on the market. As it is, the Eye-Trek 700 is state-of-the-art circa 1999. A lot has changed since then, sadly!

thank u so much ShawmK that was a lof of information and very helpful indeed !
i am starting to get the hang of this thing now.

so far headplay only that too occasionally as my friend is mean enough not to lend me for longer period - always too occupied with 'fpv'

I am trying to build up collection just like u have.

I know it will take time but you are the 'inspiration' for me .

Palmer has confirmed that optics are great on all olympus HMDs despite low res - they are great !

a few more questions please :

my usage : 2D movie viewing from AV and PC source.

(1) so if i tweak the image using the menu controls / OSR [on] on eye-trek fmd-700 - does it get any better than that of headplay in terms of color , hue , saturation , contrast etc ?

(2)is the image at least watchable using OSR [on] from PC ?

(3)as per ur reply to my message - do u think vuzix 1200 has better image Q over eye-trek fmd-700 ?

(4)Wrap 920 is selling for usd$199 so in terms of res it beats FMD-700 hollow but i guess the unit has small exit pupil so optics is better on fmd-700

ShawmK - can u arrange in terms [good to bad] the following - wrap920,wrap1200,cinemizer plus,eye-trek fmd-700 in terms of overall comfort [optics+res.] for video watching - it will be a lot trickier this time

await your kind reply

Hey,

I'll do my best, but remember, a lot of this is very subjective!

(1) so if i tweak the image using the menu controls / OSR [on] on eye-trek fmd-700 - does it get any better than that of headplay in terms of color , hue , saturation , contrast etc ?

The Headplay still wins in terms of colour and contrast. Whichever way you cut it, an LCoS screen looks better than an LCD screen.

(2)is the image at least watchable using OSR [on] from PC ?

The image is definitely watchable for playing videos, but not for web browsing, or anything that might involve reading text.

(3)as per ur reply to my message - do u think vuzix 1200 has better image Q over eye-trek fmd-700 ?

Again, it's hard to compare them directly - twelve years of technology stands between them.
The Vuzix has much higher resolution, and a 16:9 display. It can also accept 720p input (component or VGA) and it can do side-by-side 3D.
The Olympus has really good optics, but that is essentially its only advantage today.
The lenses on the Wrap 1200 are its major weakness (apart from the fact that Sony and SMD have both released HD, HDMI-enabled models). I personally find that the only way I can use the 1200 is by removing the nose-piece completely. That improves the image dramatically, but it makes it less comfortable to wear. The actual display of the 1200 is pretty good. If you are using it for DVDs or Standard-def television, the quality is fine.

(4)Wrap 920 is selling for usd$199 so in terms of res it beats FMD-700 hollow but i guess the unit has small exit pupil so optics is better on fmd-700

The biggest problem with the 920 (discussed at length elsewhere) is the uneven contrast across the two displays. The image tended to darken considerably at the edges of the displays, and it did that in opposite directions in the left and right images - producing a very annoying effect.
For me, the biggest single improvement with the 1200 model was the fact that they solved that problem completely. For that reason alone, the Wrap 1200 is significantly better than the 920.
Yes, the Olympus has better lenses than either of them, but the resolution is so much lower that I can't imagine finding it very useful today. Especially since true-HD models are starting to appear.

ShawmK - can u arrange in terms [good to bad] the following - wrap920,wrap1200,cinemizer plus,eye-trek fmd-700 in terms of overall comfort [optics+res.] for video watching - it will be a lot trickier this time

- The Wrap 1200 is the model I am currently using as my primary HMD. It certainly isn't perfect, but on balance it has the features that are most useful to me, and the resolution is certainly good enough for watching video. (854x480 is resolution you see on most pico projectors.) The problem right now is that it's already obsolete, thanks to Sony and SMD. If it was $200 cheaper it would be a good bargain, but not for the price they currently want...

- The Cinemizer Plus is more comfortable to wear than the Vuzix 920, but the Cinemizer accepts composite video only. No VGA - not even S-video, so connecting it to a PC is out of the question. I think the image contrast on the Cinemizer is a bit better, but there really isn't much between them.
I was optimistic about the new Cinemizer model for a while, but the published specs are disappointing. They also said it would be shipping in July, and that now seems unlikely!

- I would have to put the Olympus 700 in last place just because of its age. It was incredible in the late 90's, but technology has moved on significantly since then. If this makes any sense, I would say that the Olympus was a better product then than the Vuzix is now.

ShawmK - million thanks for making me get clear understanding now
So what i can make out from above [good to bad - overall]
vuzix 1200(vr) > wrap 1200(vr)>cinemizer + > fmd-700 olympus

well vuzix 1200 is NOT available anywhere for usd$300-400 else very pricey , fmd-700 [usd$315 shipping included] seems just ok bargain at the cost of resolution only.

So i guess i need to look for sony glasstron s700e [800x600] which seems way better than the above headsets- last time it sold for usd550 on ebay - never saw that even again being traded anywhere , which was too much for me to pay.

All i want is to save usd800 [st1080/hmz] and find a decent alternative at the cost of FOV / resolution as both are 'immature' headsets as of now and to add insult to injury - pricey as well.

if nothing works - i will try to find a headplay @ chaep bargain.

once again thank u so much ShawmK - you have been extremely helpful and knowledgeable.

Hi ShawmK

lastly one more request for u if i am not bothering u.

can u post the screen-shot of the video 'still' from FMD-700 [i think large exit pupil will let u take photo easily] so that i'd get idea about the image q - LCD vs LCoS ? [i know headplay has very small exit pupil so it's NOt easy taking a photo from it]

just need some idea regd. the image Q of fmd-700 [ i guess u still have fmd-700]

waiting for ur response

I've had a go at taking a photo, but the image is not really representative of what you see when wearing the unit.

For what it's worth, here it is:



This is the FMD 700 connected to my laptop via VGA, at 800x600. The colours are not quite as washed out as they are in the photo, but this gives you a very vague idea.

As a comparison, here is a (16:9) DVD grab from the Vuzix Wrap 1200 (with the "low-battery" icon in the upper right corner):



The colours are better in real life with both displays, and the interference patterns you see are the result of the camera. It really is very hard to photograph the image inside an HMD!

The colours are deeper in the Vuzix, and there is definitely more detail (the resolution is much higher) even though the Olympus has the better lenses.

If you are going for cheap, have you considered the Vuzix Wrap 310? It sells for around $150 on eBay. Not the greatest quality, or largest FOV, but it has modern 3D support (SBS) and works well for playing video off an iPod/iPhone. It can't be used with a computer, though, its just for playing video mainly.

ShawmK - you are simply great - what a nice place to get advice regd. HMDs

Now i realize the diff. between LCD[fmd-700] and LCoS screens [[vuzix]

ShawmK, Definitely the image detail in fmd-700 phote is less - but do u think the colors irritate u compared with vuzix ?
secondly - i believe exit pupil of vuzix 1200 seems good since the photo of vuzix is great - wht do u think ?




cybereality - great advice! my friend but the issue is i do not wanna go below 35FOV as this FOV is great for movies , does not strain while looking around the image and the details are good. fov 26-30 - image detail gets lost rest everything remains.

for me, for 2D 35<= fov<50 is ok as long as colors are full blown / contrast is good with nice image detail without eye-strain.

emagin are way to expensive - usd1200 and above .

what a frustration this HMD thing is - finding a decent fov 35 HMD for 2D even ! if only i'd have been able to design it myself - now the hope is on 'rift', i hope it comes out for order and be the death nail for all existing consumer HMDs !

I cannot find vuzix 1200 for usd$200-350 anywhere - usd$499 is too much for me to pay when the res. is not even SVGA[800x600]
I do not see it on vuzix Europe,Japan , auction sites etc - only on USA for usd$499 .