If your vision of the future includes being able to view large-screen video wherever you go without disturbing others or sacrificing copious floor space, the new Olympus Eye-Trek FMD-200 might be what you need to live that vision today. The Eye-Trek consists of a 113 gram pair of glasses with two 240,000-pixel colour LCDs and stereo bud-style earphones. It takes only a few minutes to get used to the Eye-Trek, after which the big-screen experience becomes more immersive and enjoyable.
You can plug the Eye-Trek glasses into any standard NTSC video source, including PC graphics adaptors and DVD decoder cards as well as television sets, monitors, VCRs, and console game players. The included stereo audio cables have RCA plugs. The glasses plug into a small, 3.3 by 5.3 by 14.7 cm (HWD) control module through a 1.5 metre cable. An AC adaptor powers the standard bundle, so you won't be able to use the Eye-Trek away from a power source, but a 4-hour battery is available. The battery slides into a connecting bracket on the control module; otherwise you plug the module into a power outlet through a 1.8 metre cord. Without an extension cord, you'll need to be within 3 metres of an outlet.
The control module has a volume dial and a controller on its side for selecting menu options and for entering a three-character user password. Other settings include surround sound, bass enhancement, and video settings including brightness, contrast, sharpness, and white balance. When you aren't using the ear buds in your ears, convenient holders on the ends of the stems of the glasses hold them in place.
The Eye-Trek rests easily on your nose with a soft rubber nosepiece and can be worn even if you wear eyeglasses on a regular basis. When you plug in and turn on the Eye-Trek you're greeted with a warning that the product should not be used by people under 16 years of age or people with Rapid Eye Movement disorders.
The first impression of several testers when using the Eye-Trek was that they were a little heavy and maybe not worth the high price. Ironically, however, spending just a few minutes with the Eye-Trek was all it took for the same testers to make a slight head adjustment so the weight of the glasses seemed to disappear. The virtual big-screen display then became much more realistic and enjoyable. According to Olympus, the visual effect is similar to viewing a 52-inch screen seen from 2 metres. While there was no way in testing for us to ascertain a precise virtual screen size, the experience was entirely realistic and pleasant.
You may not want to use the Eye-Trek in public for fear of being mistaken for a Star Trek poser, but in the privacy of your own video viewing area, this virtual huge-screen display is a marvelous luxury.
This product is not available in Australia, however it can be purchased
and delivered via the web in about 14 days, freight is an additional US$40.
Eye-Trek FMD-200.
Requirements: PC or A/V device with RCA or S-video NTSC video-out port.
Price: US$625.
Distributor:
www.3d-video.de/emaster.html.
Product Information: Olympus.
Rating: 4 Star
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