Tag: augmented reality disney

The UTV Stars application will apply AR for enhancing the user experience in a high tech way.

Disney UTV Digital has just announced the release of its UTV Stars application for both Apple iOS and Google Android based devices, and that it will feature an augmented reality search option.

This new app has a strong entertainment focus and provides a broad range of different content, says Disney UTV.

The company has revealed that the new application includes content such as live TV streaming, movies, gossip, and Bollywood news. However, the tech and mobile commerce news headlines are being made as a result of the augmented reality feature which allows smartphone and tablet users to snap a movie poster picture from any medium – from print to screen, etc – and gain access to a considerable amount of information about that film.

The augmented reality search feature provides access to everything from text to video and social media.

When the device user applies the augmented reality search feature to a poster, he or she can learn more about the movie through behind the scenes videos, movie trailers, images, Tweets, and other forms of relevant content.

The augmented reality feature itself is called Snap Search. It is powered by Ocutag Technology by Ricoh Innovations. The app is designed to provide a great deal of information, including the very latest in a section that it has labeled “Just In”. This is made up of celebrity tweets from a number of different participants. There is also a “spotted” feed which provides both gossip and news from UTV Stars, including videos from that channel as well as pictures from paparazzi.

The augmented reality feature isn’t the only mobile commerce element to the app, as it also focuses on marketing via social media. It allows its users to share the updates that it sees by way of their own social network accounts at Twitter and Facebook, as well as through email. Moreover, they can save images as favorites so that they can be easily seen later in their personal lists. Should this app become popular, the social element could potentially help it to spread much more quickly and gain more users.

While there is some promise behind these high tech products, many believe the concept is lacking.

Disney has announced a line of augmented reality toys that allow a child to view the object through a smartphone or tablet in order to watch a favorite character interact with the item, but many reviews have indicated that the technology may not quite be adequately developed to provide the magical experience with which the company is typically associated.

Though there are some strengths to the idea, critics are calling it gimmicky and confusing.

Is augmented reality ready for the type of play experience that Disney is hoping to achieve? The products have been geared toward a very young demographic, in order to allow them to both play with the toys and watch their favorite characters do the same, with a certain level of interaction, as well.

However, many wonder if this type of augmented reality product is being released too soon for the tech.

It may be that the concept itself has not been fully developed in order to allow for the ideal level of interaction and, therefore, value to be obtained in this type of product. While those who are in favor of the toys feels that it adds an added element of fun and magic, critics wonder why a child should have to set the toy aside and watch a character play with it, instead of actually using the object him or herself.

At the same time, they augmented reality feature of the toys does offer an added experience, not only through the fun of watching a favorite character magically appear to play with the toy, but the animated characters also encourage the child to participate through song and interactive games.

Though the concept may be somewhat basic, it is still applying a great deal of fascinating technology that remains in its infancy in terms of consumer involvement. As adults seem divided, it appears that it will need to be the children who decide whether or not the effort was worthwhile.

The toys themselves were created and manufactured by a licensee called Jakks. They worked together with NantWorks, which is a company that uses augmented reality primarily for Disney developing and advertising.