To view this page ensure that Adobe Flash Player version 11.1.0 or greater is installed.

Either scripts and active content are not permitted to run or Adobe Flash Player version 11.1.0 or greater is not installed.

Virtual Reality Headset Shipments Said to Hit 30M by 2020 Juniper Research predicts that 3 million units will be shifted next year, rising to around 30 million by 2020. H AMPSHIRE, U.K. — New find- ings from leading hi-tech ana- lysts, Juniper Research, reveal that wearable VR HMD (head mounted display) headset ship- ments will approach 30 million globally by 2020. Contrast this figure with the project- ed 3 million HMD shipments expected in 2016, as these new devices come to the consumer market. According to Juniper Research, technological advancements such as low latency and smarter graphics, coupled with the corresponding growth in inter- est from major players, mean that VR is now in a position where the market can finally take off, with the firm explain- ing that “The [VR] technology is now poised to transform the entertainment industry, including gaming and video, over coming years whilst offering the potential to quickly expand into other markets such as industrial and healthcare.” Despite industry predictions, adult content was not cited as a likely growth area. Calling 2016 “a watershed year for VR,” Juniper’s latest Insights research report, “Virtual Reality: Market Dy- namics & Future Prospects 2015-2020,” identifies 2016 as the year that virtual reality headset product launches and consumer roll outs gain traction — nam- ing Oculus, Sony, and HTC as among those leading players expected to launch key VR products during the next 12 months. “The recent attention to and invest- ment into Virtual Reality is helping to revitalize the industry,” says report co-author Joe Crabtree. “With major brand commercial launches imminent, there is huge potential for rapid market expansion.” As a result, Juniper expects signifi- cant VR uptake over the forecast period; as consumers benefit from a combina- tion of improved VR technology, a slate of immersive applications, and reduced hardware costs. SEE HEADSET, PAGE 84 64 XBIZ WORLD OCTOBER 2015 HoloFilm Previews Holographic Porn at XBIZ Open House L OS ANGELES — Adult industry insiders got their first taste of a historic leap in technology last month in a special open house event for HoloFilm Productions in down- town L.A. HoloFilm Productions’ Brian Shuster and Anna Lee previewed the world’s first Synthologram porn scene produced for virtual re- ality viewing during the advance screening at XBIZ’s offices. Shuster, the CEO of HoloFilms and founder of Utherverse, is a noted technologist who launched XPics Publishing in 1995 and the virtual world, Red Light Center, in 2003. HoloFilm has the first synthologram porn scene. He came up with the term “Synthologram” to describe the technology that allows the viewer to be inside the sex scene with the girls “freely walking around and viewing the entire setting and people in stereoscopic 3D all within a 360-degree sphere.” During the event, Shuster and Lee, the president of Utherverse, also continued their recruitment of adult star ambassadors for their upcoming Public Awareness Cam- paign that launches this Tuesday. Nikki Benz, Alexis Texas, Penny Pax, Alex Legend, Ela Darling, Kendra Lust and Kenzie Taylor were among the performers in attendance at the interactive demonstration. “We’ve got a bunch of SEE HOLOFILM, PAGE 89 HoloFilm Eyes First Holographic Content C Brian Shuster and director Manuel Ferrara worked with Anikka Albrite (pictured above), August Ames, Karlie Montana and Adriana Sephora for the first “Synthologram” porn shoot. ANOGA PARK, Calif. — The set for today’s high- stakes shoot at first glance looks like lots of others that unfold on any given day in the San Fernando Valley. After all, the cramped ware- house is one of the same nonde- script locations that hosts scores of porn shoots every year. Factor in four half-naked girls pranc- ing around in various stages of makeup and the large crew mov- ing furniture and the first scene for HoloFilm Productions feels akin to a major feature getting underway. That’s where the similarities end. On this Sunday afternoon in early August, adult industry Internet pioneer Brian Shuster, XBIZ Award-winning director Manuel Ferrara and an elite group of performers and camera wizards are making history. They’re setting up for the world’s first “Synthologram” porn scene produced for virtual reality viewing by HoloFilms, a studio founded by Shuster that is develop- ing holographic, Synthologram and holographic avatar technolo- gies to create content for Virtual Reality. It’s been his vision for more than 12 years to bring Virtual Reality porn to life. In baseball terms, today he’s finally rounding third base and heading for home plate. His film crew, which features both adult industry and main- stream entertainment experts, is huddled around what Shuster proudly says, “is the only camera SEE SHUSTER, PAGE 85 Are Cinemagraphs the Future of Porn Advertising? L OS ANGELES — As the decline in support for Adobe’s once popular Flash format escalate, designers, online marketers and web- masters are seeking an effective alternative. The issue is a pressing one, as a large portion of online adult ad- vertising relies on the disfavored Flash format, which is increasing- ly being blocked by browsers and ad-stopping tools, and which is not used at all by Apple’s popular mobile devices — but what are the alternatives? Whereas still images provide a static representation of a slice of our world, the motion and emo- tion that is conveyed by video, or Cinemagraphs are still photographs where a minor and repeated movement occurs. Published in either animated GIF format or as video, cinemagraphs can give the illusion that the viewer is watching a video. short photo-realistic animations, is not only more compelling, but a great way to attract eyeballs that may be fixed on other compel- ling content — a necessary factor in today’s online advertising equation. Standard embeddable video files are an option, but not an ideal one due to large file sizes SEE CINEMAGRAPH, PAGE 87