How does J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek reboot compare to the original series. What new elements does it bring to the franchise. Why did this reimagining resonate with both old and new fans. How does the film balance action and character development.
The Genesis of a New Star Trek Era
J.J. Abrams’ 2009 Star Trek film marked a pivotal moment in the franchise’s history, breathing new life into the beloved sci-fi series. This reimagining served as both a prequel and a reboot, offering a fresh take on the iconic characters while respecting their origins. But how did this new iteration manage to captivate audiences and reinvigorate the Star Trek brand?
The film’s success can be attributed to several key factors:
- A perfect blend of nostalgia and innovation
- High-octane action sequences balanced with character development
- Stellar performances from a talented young cast
- Clever use of time travel to create an alternate timeline
- State-of-the-art visual effects that enhanced the storytelling
A New Vision for Familiar Characters
One of the most crucial aspects of the 2009 Star Trek reboot was its approach to character development. How did Abrams and his team reimagine these iconic roles while staying true to their essence?
James T. Kirk: From Rebel to Captain
Chris Pine’s portrayal of James T. Kirk presents a more rebellious and impulsive version of the character. We first encounter him as a troubled youth in Iowa, far from the disciplined Starfleet captain he’s destined to become. This origin story allows viewers to witness Kirk’s growth and transformation, adding depth to his journey towards leadership.
Spock: Emotion vs. Logic
Zachary Quinto’s Spock grapples with his dual heritage as half-Vulcan, half-human. The film explores his internal conflict between emotion and logic, particularly in his relationships with his parents and his unexpected romance with Uhura. This nuanced portrayal adds layers to Spock’s character, making him more relatable to modern audiences.
Supporting Cast: Familiar Faces, Fresh Interpretations
The supporting cast, including Karl Urban as Dr. McCoy, Zoe Saldana as Uhura, and Simon Pegg as Scotty, brings new energy to their respective roles. Each actor pays homage to the original portrayals while infusing their characters with contemporary sensibilities and humor.
The Villain: Nero’s Quest for Vengeance
Eric Bana’s portrayal of Nero, the Romulan antagonist, serves as a catalyst for the film’s plot. His quest for vengeance against Spock and the Federation drives the narrative forward. But how does Nero’s character contribute to the overall story?
- Creates a sense of urgency and high stakes
- Provides a personal connection to Spock’s character arc
- Introduces the concept of time travel and alternate timelines
- Challenges the crew of the Enterprise, forcing them to work together
While some critics argue that Nero’s motivations lack depth compared to other Star Trek villains, his presence serves the film’s primary goal of establishing the new crew and their relationships.
Visual Spectacle: Balancing Nostalgia and Innovation
J.J. Abrams’ approach to the visual aspects of Star Trek marks a significant departure from previous iterations. How does the film’s aesthetic contribute to its overall impact?
Practical Effects and Digital Wizardry
Contrary to expectations, Abrams opted for a blend of practical effects and CGI, eschewing an over-reliance on digital technology. This decision lends a tangible quality to the film’s set pieces and action sequences, grounding them in a sense of reality despite the futuristic setting.
Lens Flares: A Divisive Stylistic Choice
Perhaps the most talked-about visual element of the film is Abrams’ liberal use of lens flares. This stylistic choice, while polarizing among fans, creates a sense of energy and dynamism that aligns with the film’s fast-paced narrative.
Reimagining Iconic Designs
The film updates classic Star Trek designs, from the Enterprise itself to the uniforms and technology, striking a balance between homage and modernization. These visual updates help make the franchise more accessible to new viewers while still satisfying long-time fans.
Action and Pacing: A New Frontier for Star Trek
Abrams’ Star Trek significantly ups the ante in terms of action and pacing compared to previous entries in the franchise. This shift represents a deliberate attempt to broaden the appeal of Star Trek beyond its traditional fan base. But does this emphasis on action come at the cost of the intellectual and philosophical elements that defined the original series?
The film manages to strike a balance by:
- Integrating character development into action sequences
- Using high-stakes scenarios to explore themes of leadership and sacrifice
- Maintaining the spirit of exploration and discovery amid the action
- Incorporating classic Star Trek elements like problem-solving and diplomacy
While some purists may argue that the film leans too heavily on action, it successfully introduces Star Trek to a new generation of viewers without completely abandoning its roots.
The Alternate Timeline: A Stroke of Narrative Genius
One of the most ingenious aspects of the 2009 Star Trek reboot is its use of time travel to create an alternate timeline. This narrative device allows the film to both honor the original series and forge its own path. But how does this concept impact the overall Star Trek universe?
Preserving Canon While Embracing Change
By establishing an alternate timeline, the film respects the existing Star Trek canon while giving itself the freedom to explore new storylines and character developments. This approach allows long-time fans to enjoy a fresh take on familiar characters without feeling that the original series has been invalidated.
The Butterfly Effect in Action
The alternate timeline concept demonstrates the far-reaching consequences of seemingly small changes. The destruction of the USS Kelvin and the death of George Kirk set in motion a series of events that dramatically alter the lives of our main characters, showcasing the interconnectedness of the Star Trek universe.
Opening New Narrative Possibilities
The alternate timeline creates endless possibilities for future stories, allowing the franchise to explore “what if” scenarios and reimagine classic Star Trek episodes or plot points in new and exciting ways.
Music and Sound: Honoring the Past, Embracing the Future
The auditory experience of Star Trek (2009) plays a crucial role in its success. How does the film’s soundtrack and sound design contribute to its overall impact?
Michael Giacchino’s Score
Composer Michael Giacchino crafts a score that pays homage to the original Star Trek theme while creating a distinct musical identity for the reboot. His compositions effectively underscore the film’s emotional beats and action sequences, enhancing the viewing experience.
Iconic Sound Effects
The film incorporates many of the classic Star Trek sound effects, such as the swoosh of automatic doors and the hum of the Enterprise’s engines. These audio cues provide a sense of continuity with the original series, satisfying long-time fans while introducing these iconic sounds to new audiences.
Sound in Space
While the film takes some liberties with the reality of sound in space (a common practice in sci-fi films), it uses sound design effectively to create a sense of scale and impact during space battles and other key sequences.
Legacy and Impact: Charting a New Course for Star Trek
The 2009 Star Trek reboot had a profound impact on the franchise and the sci-fi genre as a whole. How did this film influence the future of Star Trek and beyond?
- Revitalized interest in the Star Trek brand
- Paved the way for two successful sequels and a new era of Star Trek content
- Influenced the visual style and pacing of other sci-fi franchises
- Broadened the appeal of Star Trek to a wider audience
- Sparked discussions about the nature of reboots and franchise reinventions
The success of Star Trek (2009) demonstrated that it was possible to reimagine a beloved franchise while respecting its core elements, setting a template for future reboots across various media.
In conclusion, J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek reboot successfully navigates the challenging task of honoring a beloved franchise while charting a new course for the future. By blending nostalgia with innovation, balancing action with character development, and employing clever narrative devices, the film manages to satisfy long-time fans while attracting a new generation of viewers. Its impact on the Star Trek franchise and the broader landscape of science fiction cinema cannot be overstated, cementing its place as a pivotal moment in the evolution of this iconic series.
Amazon.com: Star Trek (3-Disc Digital Copy Special Edition) [Blu-ray] : Movies & TV
INHALT
Während der junge James T. Kirk (Chris Pine) als Kadett seine Karriere an der Akademie der Sternenflotte beginnt und dabei mit einem der Ausbilder, einem gewissen Mr. Spock (Zachary Quinto) aneinandergerät, bewegt sich eine unheimliche Gefahr auf den Vulkan und die Erde zu. Der abtrünnige Romulaner Nero (Eric Bana) gibt Spock die Schuld an der Zerstörung seines Heimatplaneten und wird nun getrieben von dem Wunsch nach einer Rache, die allerdings größenwahnsinnige Züge annimmt und jegliches Maß dessen überschreitet, was die interstellar anerkannten Benimmregeln als grundlegend für zivilisiertes Rachenehmen festlegen.
KURZKRITIK
Ich habe lange gezögert, bis ich mich auf dieses neue Star-Trek-Abenteuer einließ, denn ich befürchtete, eine dieser seelenlosen computeranimierten Materialschlachten zu sehen bekommen, mit denen die Generation Smartphone noch für zwei Stunden bei der Stange gehalten werden kann, ohne daß die Mehrzahl ihrer Vertreter sich ihres unkontrollierten Daumenzuckens bewußt würde.
Und wirklich ist dieser neue „Star Trek“-Film viel actiongeladener und geschwinder, als es der eingefleischte Trekkie vielleicht gewohnt sein dürfte. Gleichzeitig schafft es J.J. Abrams allerdings auch, die sterile Seelenlosigkeit vieler moderner Blockbuster zu vermeiden, indem er auf ein Übermaß an Computertricks verzichtet und statt dessen nach der Devise vorgeht, so viel wie möglich mit analogen Tricks und auch außerhalb der Soundstage zu arbeiten. Zudem lehnte er es ab, beim Dreh des Filmes digitale Kameras zu verwenden, was dem Film, vor allem durch die oft bewußt herbeigeführten Lichtverschmutzungseffekte, einen Hauch von Old School verleiht, der sich wunderbar mit dem neuen Tempo und dem gerüttelt Maß an Action verträgt. Doch auch abseits des Kampfes gegen den perfiden und anfangs scheinbar übermächtigen Nero, der ja aus der Zukunft kommt und dementsprechend bessere Technologien ausspielen kann, vermag Abrams‘ Prequel zu punkten, denn er malt auf reizvolle Weise aus, wie sich unsere Helden ursprünglich vielleicht zum ersten Male über den Weg gelaufen sind.
Dabei sticht natürlich die Rivalität zwischen dem impulsiven Kirk, der bezeichnenderweise zunächst einmal ein kleinkrimineller Halbstarker ist und von Captain Pike (Bruce Greenwood) noch auf den richtigen Weg gebracht werden muß, sein Potential zu erkennen, und dem karrierebewußten und souveränen Spock, der auf seinem Heimatplaneten wegen seiner menschlichen Mutter stets mit Argwohn betrachtet wurde und der deshalb in den Dienst der Sternenflotte trat, heraus, und es ist interessant zu sehen, wie sich die Beziehung zwischen diesen beiden jungen Männern entwickelt. Doch auch viele andere Mitglieder der Crew sehen wir in ihren Anfangsjahren bei der Sternenflotte – den etwas dandyhaften McCoy, die Kommunikationsoffizierin Uhura (seltsamerweise in einer Liebesbeziehung mit Spock, was ein wenig dem Anfangsdialog aus der Folge „The Man Trap“ (1966) widerspricht), das Duo Chekov und Zulu und den hier stark als Comic Relief Character fungierenden Ingenieur Scott, dessen bester Moment im Film für mich der ist, in dem er den aus der Zukunft kommenden Spock als erstes fragt, ob es da noch Sandwiches gebe.
Alles in allem merkt man „Star Trek“ stark den Respekt vor der ursprünglichen Serie und dem Universum, das aus ihr geworden ist, an, denn das Drehbuch bemüht sich sehr um Stimmigkeit. Dabei sind allerdings ein paar Inkonsistenzen nicht zu vermeiden, deren größte wohl die Tatsache ist, daß Spocks Mutter Amanda (hier gespielt von Winona Ryder) im Film stirbt, aber dennoch „später“ in der zweiten Staffel von „The Original Series“ an der Seite ihres Mannes auftaucht. Dennoch kann ich als anfangs skeptischer Zuschauer sagen, daß ich nach den ersten zehn Minuten völlig im Bann dieses beeindruckenden Filmes war.
Star Trek (Ultimate 3-Disc Digital Copy Edition) Blu-ray Review
J.J. Abrams and Paramount’s revival of the big-screen Star Trek franchise feels in many ways like one of the sci-fi plotlines that would’ve shown up on the old 1960s television show. Are these new versions of Kirk, Spock, and the rest some kind of evil doppelgangers? Have they been possessed by an alien intelligence that is making them act so strangely and out of character? Or perhaps Doctor McCoy’s long-held fear of the transporter has finally come to fruition, and the crew of the Enterprise has beamed back to us as mere duplicates of themselves – soulless ciphers of the people we’ve known and loved all these years.
Yes, Star Trek, sometimes feels like an imposter of a sorely missed old friend. But mostly it comes across as a hugely entertaining summer popcorn film, a sure-to-be hit that will finally do what only Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home even came close to managing all the way back in 1986 – turning Gene Roddenberry’s revered geek religion into a bona fide mainstream crowd pleaser.
Star Trek instantly takes its place among the best of the movies in the franchise, even while embracing the healthier aspects of the series and wholly rejecting much of the dead weight. The film looks bigger and better than any Star Trek ever has, and makes new and old fans eager to see more adventures from this Enterprise crew.
(CLICK HERE for IGN Movies’ full review of Star Trek)
Score: 7 out of 10
Kirk+and+Spock+challenge+Nero+to+a+leer+off.
Video and Presentation
Paramount’s summer releases are 3 for 3 this year on Blu, as Trek comes to the format with an exceptional transfer, much like Revenge of the Fallen or G.
I. Joe before it. But unlike those blockbusters, Trek‘s transfer does a better job of maintaining its filmic quality, especially during extensive special effects scenes. Devestator and Prime Deluxe during the climax of TF2 look great, but they also pop a bit from their real-world background, reminding us that they are a special effect to a degree. That is not the case with Trek. The assualt on the Kelvin is nothing but ILM at its best, each explosion and torpedo hit looks just as real as it did on the big screen. The subtler effects sequences, such as sky extensions or green screen effects, are also effectively realized here.
One+of+the+best+openings+to+a+sci-fi+movie+ever.
Color levels are perfect; the film jumps between warm reds and oranges, gun-metal blues and whites, and sickly Romulan greens without missing a beat. The Enterprise bridge and the Enterprise itself provide significant image detailing and depth — the way the light refracts of the ship’s aztec paint job is one of the nicer details this transfer captures.
You can see the Delta shield insignia in the fabric of the uniforms, you can spot the pores in Nero’s war-torn face. Just amazing.
Flesh tones and facial details overall are very natural and intricate, again a testament to the filmic quality maintained here. Some close-ups of Spock and the Kelvin’s captain appear soft, but that is most likely due to a lazy first assistant cameraman than the transfer. Some have claimed that this may be the best Blu-ray transfer from Paramount on the market. We’d have to agree.
Score: 10 out of 10
Languages and Audio
The mix is not as aggressively loud as other summer movies, but this lossless Dolby TrueHD track achieves strong channel separation and dialogue clarity. The Kelvin sequence gives the 5.1 track its best showcase. When that poor crew member gets sucked out of the hole in the bulkhead, and the sound goes with her, the vaccum of space and the distant pulses of energy weapons achieve a great effect.
The stirring score and bursts of warp speed also help make this Trek the most exciting movie in the franchise, audio-wise.
Some moments play a bit soft, but overall the track doesn’t disappoint.
Score: 9 out of 10
Extras and Packaging
Being a fan of all things Trek, I’ve drank the kool-aid for every double-dip for both the series and the films. The special features on these discs have been a lot of stale talking heads intercut with archival footage. Refreshingly, the features here are both entertaining and informative, appealing to Trek geeks like me and newbie fans.
J.J. Abrams, writers Roberto Orci & Alex Kurtzman and Damon Lindelof contribute to most of the behind-the-scenes discussion. The three-disc set includes an Enterprise-schematic menu interface and the following bells and whistles:
- Audio Commentary with Abrams, Producers Lindelof and Bryan Burk and writers Orci and Kurtzman
- “To Boldly Go” Making Of
- “Casting” Featurette
- “A New Vision” Featurette
- Featurette-specific “Branching Pods”
- “Starships” Featurette
- “Planets” Featurette
- “Props and Costumes” Featurette
- “Ben Burtt and the Sounds of Star Trek” Featurette
- “Aliens” Featurette
- “Score” Featurette
- “Gene Roddenberry’s Vision” Featurette
- 9 Deleted Scenes with Optional Commentary
- Gag Reel
- Trailers
- Starfleet Vessel Simulator (Blu-ray exclusive)
- Digital Copy of the Film
Abrams+directs+during+the+filming+of+the+Kobayashi+Maru+test.
For anyone who has listened to Alias or Lost episode commentaries, then you know that a room with Team Abrams will not provide a boring play-by-play track.
All the participants banter and discuss production specifics, highlights include: Much debate as to how to open the movie (which in the script began with the now-deleted scene of Spock’s birth), the choice to go anamorphic, ILM’s special effects, specific editing choices (like why they cut off one of George Kirk’s lines on the bridge), whether or not to cut the “Scotty in the water tubes” scene, the look of the Enterprise, the characters and canon. The story’s nods to Star Wars and certain dialogue beats pad out this great commentary.
“To Boldly Go” traces the production phases, opening with B-roll of the crew assembled for a photo op, intercut with Abrams and the principle filmmakers discussing their various interest in the franchise prior to the remake (with Orci out-geeking all of them), along with footage from Spock Prime’s costume test, as well as how important Nimoy’s participation was to the film.
(Abrams says they would have been “screwed” if Nimoy didn’t sign on, as their script hinged on Spock’s return.) The aforementioned “Branching Pods” accompany the featurette and profile the must-have Red Shirt and why a cameo from Shatner as Kirk could not be worked into the story as originally planned.
Chris Pine, Zoe Saldana and the rest of the actors dominate “Casting”, and discuss the task of taking charge of these iconic characters, with attention paid to the original actors that came before. The pacing of the film, along with J.J. Abrams’ mandate to always have the camera moving in interesting ways, is the focus of “A New Vision”, and yes, those infamous lens flares on the bridge are discussed. From a film geek’s perspective, it’s cool to listen to Abrams talk about using in-camera effects whenever possible and having a sincere passion to present the world of this Trek on a scale fans have never seen before.
Well+played,+ILM.
The new version of the Enterprise and the creation of the Narada are the main subjects of “Starships”.
ILM effects experts talk how important it was to give the ships mass and scale, as well as making the new Enterprise a sleeker, “hot rod” version of the classic TOS ship and the NCC-1701 from the original crew’s movies. Here, production designer Scott Chambliss shares diagrams of his many iterations for the Enterprise bridge, as well as the modular sets for Nero’s black claw of a ship. (Score bonus for the branching pod that spotlights the buttons on the Captain’s chair.)
“Aliens”, “Planets” and “Score” are self-explanatory. Ben Burtt is on hand to present how he re-used and tweaked original series sounds for the big screen. An impressive batch of deleted scenes round out the major bonus features. Highlights include Nero’s stay on Klingon prison planet Rura Penthe (with Alias‘ Victor Garber playing a Klingon!) and Sarek glimpsing his older son. Each scene comes with optional commentary with Abrams, Burk, Orci, Kurtzman and Lindelof.
These extras are for fans of fun, in general.
They skirt just being film school in HD, in favor of finding a quality balance between what inspired Abrams and company to make the film and what aspects of the production would intrigue us to know more about. A great collection of extras, but we would have liked a commentary with Nimoy, Pine and Quinto, as well as a gallery devoted to the impressive array of international poster art.
Score: 9 out of 10
The Bottom Line
J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek reboot gets the best presentation possible, in both video and special features. The 3-disc set, like the movie, is catered to die-hard Trek fans and new ones, thanks to a very fun package of extras and a candid commentary from the filmmakers. Oh, and the movie is damn good, too.
Why Don’t Print Books Come With e-Book Download Codes?
Major publishers are notoriously risk averse and rarely do they experiment with alternative distribution models in a meaningful way.
Over the course of the past three years they dipped their toes into the unlimited e-book subscription model, but many of the top CEO’s were against this business model. The publishers had draconian terms that made companies such as Entitle and Oyster go out of business, while Scribd abandoned the unlimited model altogether.
Over the past two years e-book sales have been on the decline and readers are actually finding it cheaper to buy the hardcover or paperback, instead of buying the digital edition. Publishers for the most part aren’t even breaking down digital sales in their quarterly reports anymore. I think it is time for a new distribution model, download codes inside of print books.
Download codes have been accepted by many different industries. Ultraviolet bundles the digital edition when customers buy the DVD or Blu Ray and Steam has all of the publishers onboard to redeem games.
There are many different factors working against an e-book code service when customers buy print.
I think the most notable is the cost of developmenting a proper infrastructure and the framework. It will also need the support of major publishers, because this is the type of content that readers are interested in the most.
The second major challenge is how to get the code in the book. You can’t stick the file in the book (clearly) without building some sort of entirely new distribution model like a single use thumb-drive (to prevent someone simply handing out copies). So that’s out. The best option is a code, single use. But that comes with its own issues. For example, if you print it in the book, you have to shrink wrap the book. Otherwise people will just open the book in the store, copy the code, and walk out. Not a great idea.
So then, how about giving the code to the buyer at checkout? This seems like a good idea, but there are issues. For example, the first problem is how is the code generated? Is it a gift card behind the counter? This means that the employee has to hunt them down.
What about printed on the receipt? Better, but where does that code come from. What system provides it so that when a book by publisher Y is purchased, the system says “Hey, here’s your code?”
The even more difficult question: where is said code redeemed? What format does it come in? Is it locked to a device? Locked to an account? A particular brand of e-reader? A dedicated app for Android or iOS?
Now, I’m not saying this couldn’t be done. It has been done in other industries. Steam, for example, and GoG, along with a host of other game stores, now do some pretty cool flexibility. For example, users can punch in the activation code for a physical game they bought ten years ago into steam and the title is automatically added into the Steam library. Game publishers often play nice for walled gardens, not so with the e-book industry.
Some companies have tried to bundle print and e-books, but they have failed due to a myriad of factors. Shelfie, formally known as BITLIT were not able to secure any meaningful titles from major publishers and were only able to get a few backlist titles.
Instead they partnered with smaller publishers such as Wiley. They operated for a few years and changed their business name midway through their lifespan, which was the kiss of death, because they did not have a proper PR department to really get behind their product.
Amazon also has a program called Matchbook, but it only works with select titles that they sell directly and also provide the Kindle Edition. Sadly, Matchbook is only available in the United States, which limits the number of customers that can actually participate. Amazon also does not really promote Matchbook, instead they get behind paid systems such as Prime Reading and Kindle Unlimited.
I think the only companies that might be able to make e-book codes in the print edition is Chapters/Indigo in Canada because they have a good relationship with Kobo, primarily they were early investors in the company. Barnes and Noble might also be able to work because they have over 600 bookstores in the United States and also a Nook platform searching for an identity.
Michael Kozlowski has been writing about audiobooks and e-readers for the past twelve years. His articles have been picked up by major and local news sources and websites such as the CBC, CNET, Engadget, Huffington Post and the New York Times. He Lives in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
How to turn your physical movies into digital for Movies Anywhere
Since the launch of Movies Anywhere, I’ve been happily watching my Amazon purchases on Apple TV and my iTunes purchases on my Amazon Echo Show. Digital copies of movies I’d nearly forgotten about are right there in my movie library, waiting for me to watch on any device of my choosing. I still have a huge collection of DVDs, however, just sitting there, un-digitized. Sure, I can rip my DVD collection, but that takes time and effort. With a little help from Vudu and Movies Anywhere, I can get high-quality digital versions of many of my DVDs and Blu-Rays without having to do the work.
Everything you need to know about Movies Anywhere
Vudu Disc to Digital will digitize your physical movies
If you’re not inclined to spend the time digitizing your DVDs or Blu-ray discs, you can have it done for you, for a price, using Vudu’s Disc to Digital service.
If you’ve merged your UltraViolet movies with Movies Anywhere, you already have an account with Vudu. If you don’t have an account with Vudu, you’ll need one to use their service. It’s easy to sign up.
VPN Deals: Lifetime license for $16, monthly plans at $1 & more
Once you’re signed up, you can either use your Mac or PC to scan your disc and convert it to digital, or download the iPhone and iPad app or Android app and sit right in front of your movie shelf and just let the scanning begin!
This isn’t going to work with all of your movies. First off, in order to digitize it, you’ll need to scan the UPC. If your DVD or Blu-ray disc doesn’t have a UPC, you can’t digitize it.
Additionally, Vudu can only digitize discs it currently offers in its marketplace. So, your DVD of The Amazing Screw-on Head isn’t going to be available, UPC or not.
Some movies that Vudu does currently offer won’t be supported with the Disc to Digital service, like some special multi-disc editions, TV shows, and multi-movie packs.
Remember, not all movie distribution companies have signed on with Disney for Movies Anywhere. For example, Paramount Pictures does not support Movies Anywhere. So movies from some distribution companies won’t be available in Movies Anywhere, even if you are able to digitize them through Vudu. Right now, five major movie studios support Movies Anywhere:
- Disney
- Twentieth Century Fox
- Sony Pictures
- Universal
- Warner Bros.
Check your box to make sure your movie is supported in Movies Anywhere before you spend the money digitizing it. Some movie distribution companies, Lionsgate for example, are distributed by major studios, like 20th Century Fox in this particular example.
How to turn your physical movies into digital
Once you’re all signed up and signed in to your Vudu account, all you have to do is select Disc to Digital in the app or on the website. You can do a quick search to make sure your movie is supported, or scan the barcode.
If Vudu has it on file, it’ll appear. You can then choose the quality of the digital copy as SD for $2 or HDX for $5. Blu-rays are all HDX and cost $2 to digitize.
Digitizing your discs on iPhone and iPad
- Launch the Vudu app on your iPhone or iPad.
- Tap the menu icon in the upper left corner.
- Tap Disc to Digital from the menu.
Tap Scan Barcode.
- Scan the barcode on your DVD or Blu-ray cover.
- Select the quality format from SD or HDX (Blu-ray is HDX).
- Tap Submit List to begin the digitizing process.
Tap Continue scanning to digitize another movie.
Once finished, you’ll receive an email with the next steps to finish.
Digitizing your discs on Mac or PC
To digitize your physical movies on your computer, you’ll need a connected DVD and/or Blu-ray disc drive.
If you don’t have one, and don’t plan to buy one, you’ll need to digitize your movies using your iPhone or iPad instead.
- Navigate to Vudu.com and sign in.
- Click on Services in the menu at the top.
Click on Disc to Digital
Scroll down and click on Download under Convert In-Home (with a computer).
- Once the app is downloaded and installed onto your computer, open it and Sign in.
- Click on Disc to Digital.
- Click on Add Disc.
- Insert your DVD to convert it to digital.
- Select the quality format from SD or HDX (Blu-ray is HD)
Once finished, you’ll receive an email with the next steps to finish.
Troubleshooting Disc to Digital checkout issues
If you don’t receive a confirmation email (I never did with two different attempts), you might have to visit the Vudu website from your web browser to manually check out.
- Navigate to my.vudu.com/D2DConversion from your web browser.
- Click Checkout at the bottom of your list of scanned movies.
Click Convert Now to confirm your purchase.
How to watch your newly digitized movies on any device
Once the digitizing process is complete, your movies will appear in your Vudu library. If you’re already signed in and have your Vudu account synced with Movies Anywhere, those digital copies will begin popping up on your respective movie-watching services, like iTunes, Amazon Video, and Google Play so you can watch them on any supported device, like your Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Android tablet, iPad, Android phone, and iPhone.
Just grab some popcorn, sit back, and enjoy your movies.
Any questions?
Do you have any questions about how to digitize your physical movies using Vudu’s Disc to Digital service? Put them in the comments and we’ll help you out.
Amazon Now Offering Users Discounted Or Free Digital Versions Of Print Books Bought Through Its Site – TechCrunch
Amazon announced a new program today called Kindle MatchBook, which offers digital versions of print books purchased through its online bookstore to customers for between free and $2.99, depending on the title. The program covers book purchases ranging back to 1995, when it first started selling books to customers online.
Kindle’s MatchBook program will have over 10,000 qualifying titles to begin with when it starts up in October, and the company plans to roll out more over time. Publisher partners are responsible for enrolling books in the MatchBook program, and setting a price (free, $0.99, $1.99 or $2.99) at which their customers can also download the Kindle version of the title to their Kindle app for dedicated Kindle hardware.
If you logged onto your CompuServe account during the Clinton administration and bought a book like Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus from Amazon, Kindle MatchBook now makes it possible for that purchase—18 years later—to be added to your Kindle library at a very low cost,” said Russ Grandinetti, Vice President of Kindle Content in an admittedly pretty hilarious quote from the press release announcing the news.
In addition to major publishers, any authors and imprints using the Kindle Direct Publishing can enroll today so as to make their catalog available to buyers at program launch. Amazon is pushing this not only as a great value-add service for users, who’ll get a portable digital version of their book in addition to the print copy, but also as a way for publishers to get renewed revenue out of a previous sale – making it possible for someone who bought a book up to 8 years ago over again, who might otherwise have been happy to settle for just owning the paper copy could be a source of considerable additional windfall revenue for bookmakers.
Of course, for end users, free books would probably be the ideal choice (why buy again what you already own?) but it’s still a great convenience feature that will probably convince more than a few shoppers to upgrade favorite selections from their home library. As an avid reader myself, my only regret is not having used Amazon to buy more books in the past.
Going forward, if I want a paper copy, I know where I’ll turn, and that’s probably exactly what Amazon’s looking to accomplish with this move.
How to Turn Both Paper and Digital Text Into an E-Book
Books aren’t dead. They’re just getting digitized, like everything else. While there’s a real charm to owning a stack of bound paper that you can fold the corners of, underline, and read without staring at a screen, ebooks are far more convenient. Your backpack can hold maybe four or five books, but one e-reader or tablet can hold thousands of titles. Plus, e-readers allow you to search text, share the saucy bits, and read at night without a light.
You can publish your own ebook relatively easily. Any text you find on the web that you’d rather read on your Kindle? Port it over. And, if you’ve got the time, you can turn your favorite antiquated paper book into an ebook too. It’s just going to take a lot of page turning—and scanning.
So whether you’re ready to share the manuscript that’s been sitting in a folder on your desktop for years, or you’d like digitize an old paper copy of Cervantes, here’s our guide to creating a digital copy of just about any book.
Pick a Format
There are a handful of popular formats that will work with just about any e-reader, but you’ll have to base your final decision on whether the book is just for you, or for a wider audience.
If you’re trying to share your debut novel with the world, the easiest path is to use Kindle Direct Publishing from Amazon. Run your formatted text through this free tool, and it will make your work available in the Kindle marketplace almost immediately. The tool preps your book to look great on the company’s widely used Kindle software. It can then be devoured easily on any reader, phone, or other device with a Kindle app.
If you’d rather not put your book in Amazon’s store, but you’d still like to make a Kindle- or iPad-readable ebook that you can distribute on some other website, try using a service like Blurb. The ebook creation software offers many options to lay out your book however you like.
Also note that all e-readers, including Kindles, can read PDF files.
An easy path to digital publishing is to just output your book as a PDF, then host the file on the web. This is the easiest publishing method if you’re digitizing an old book. Depending on the e-reader being used, PDF files may not be searchable, and some of the more advanced features of the e-reader may not be available. You can give those PDFs extra power by converting them into one of the ebook-native formats like the Kindle’s azw3. The free software app called Calibre can convert your ebook to and from just about any format.
The Scan Plan
If you penned your new bestseller on a computer, publishing it as an ebook is easy. But if you’re working from a real paper book—something hand-made, something with no digital version—you’re going to have to scan it.
The cheap but tedious option is to flip each page and use a traditional flat scanner to capture each page. It’s difficult to get a clean scan, though, and you’ll likely lose some words to the shadow of the book’s spine.
Clear the Clutter: How to Convert DVDs and Blu-rays to Digital Files
Holding a DVD in my hand, I looked at the non-functioning DVD player in the living room and over to the nearby PC, which lacked an optical drive. The movie in question was not available on any of the three video streaming services I pay for—Netflix, Disney+, and Amazon Prime Video—but I had one last trick up my sleeve.
Following the demise of Ultraviolet, DVD owners can turn to Walmart-owned Vudu’s Disc to Digital feature, which will scan a barcode and add a digital version of the DVD or Blu-ray to your cloud library for a few bucks. You can then stream those movies on Vudu’s apps—or combine them with movies you’ve purchased on other digital platforms via the Movies Anywhere service.
How to Convert Your Discs to Digital Files
Vudu will let you convert up to 100 discs per year, and there are three pricing options.
- Blu-ray to HDX (Vudu’s 1080p, high bitrate option) for $2 DVD to SD for $2DVD to HDX for $5
Spending $2 to convert a Blu-ray to an HD stream is a good option, but $5 for DVD to HD is less compelling given that some digital movies are $5 or less on Google Play, Amazon, and iTunes.
Do some price-comparison shopping before spending that $5.
Disc to Digital is supported on Android and iOS, though the conversion process differs slightly on each platform. On Android, download the Vudu mobile app, sign in or create an account and select Disc to Digital. On iOS, navigate to vudu.com/disc on your mobile browser and sign in or create an account.
On both platforms, the Vudu app will then request permission to access your location data, followed by your credit card data. Why? To avoid you scanning any old DVD case you find on the street, at a friend’s house, or in stores, your billing address needs to match your phone’s current GPS location when you’re scanning DVDs.
Follow the onscreen prompts and select your movie quality preference. Following checkout, the movies will be available in your Vudu account.
Note that not all movies can be converted. To check, type the name of the movie in question into the search box on Vudu.com. In my experience, 75 percent of the movies I’ve tried have worked, though.
Consolidate Your Library With Movies Anywhere
If you prefer to have all your movies in one location, download the Movies Anywhere app. Here, you can sync various movie services (Vudu, Amazon Prime Video, Google Play / YouTube, Microsoft Movies & TV, Comcast Xfinity, Verizon Fios, Fandango Now) and watch all purchased content from the Movies Anywhere app or website.
Add Vudu
Create an account or log into Movies Anywhere and navigate to Settings > Manage Retailers. Tap the service you’d like to add, enter your login credentials, and eligible movies from that service will be added to the My Movies section on Movies Anywhere.
Like Vudu’s Disc to Digital, Movies Anywhere doesn’t support all movies; it currently works with content from Disney, Fox, Sony, Universal, and Warner Bros. After I connected iTunes, for example, a notice appeared that said Movies Anywhere does not support Paramount, Lionsgate, or MGM content.
So no Santa Claus: The Movie from Lionsgate for me on Movies Anywhere.
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90,000 Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands: Next Level Edition Pre-Order Kit
Pre-Order – Requires Immediate Payment
Please refer to the Sony Entertainment Network’s Terms of Service and License Agreement for more information on pre-ordering and cancellation. Automatic download occurs when the Auto Logon and Auto Logon settings are enabled on the PS4 ™ PS5 ™ system.
Pre-order to get a set of armor for your hero
Pre-order terms are valid until March 24, 2022.
Pre-ordering a digital copy: Users will receive the “Golden Hero” armor in the game after its release.
An epic adventure full of jokes, miracles and heavy barrels awaits you! Bullets, magic, blades – everything is mixed in this extravagant fairy-tale world.
Create a multi-class hero and go to rob, shoot, hack and conjure. Your task is to stop the tyrannical Dragon Lord. Everyone is welcome here, so join the fun company and get ready to show everyone how chaotically cool you are!
In this edition you will find:
-Full version of the game
-Optimized for the PlayStation®5 console
-Bonus materials: the set “Dragon Lord” no rules.You will open a huge world with majestic cities, dank mushroom forests, ominous fortresses and other attractions!
CANNONS, SPELLS AND MUCH MORE
Use powerful cannons and devastating spells to smash the bad guys in hectic first-person combat. The accumulated arsenal will help you crush the legions of evil. And in the dungeons, truly awesome loot awaits you!
END EVIL WITH GENERAL EFFORTS
The headstrong captain Valentine and the rule-obsessed robot Frett will sit with you at the gaming table.
And in the campaign against the Dragonlord, you will meet many charming renegades, such as the lute-playing bardwar and your personal Fairy-Biting.
MAKE YOUR HERO UNIQUE
You can create the perfect hero by choosing from many different modification options. As you level up, improve your skill set, and expand your arsenal, you will eventually become the Adventurer with a capital T.
COMBINE FORCES IN CHAOTIC CO-OPENING MODE
You can play the story campaign alone or as part of a squad of up to four people.You can divide the loot equally, or you can race to find the most tasty trophies … As you like, play it!
Digital copy or discs – which is better to choose?
Digital copy or discs – which is better to choose?
C
the arrival of the eighth generation of consoles,
as well as fast internet, more and more
digital copies are gaining popularity
games. Whether it’s a classic or just released
new AAA-class – the game is certainly possible
download from PS Store or Xbox online service
One.
Differences between digital and physical
version of the game in terms of content, as a rule,
no. However, each option has
its advantages and disadvantages,
both in terms of price and ease of use.
In this article, we will look at the pros and
cons of digital games and games on discs and
we will answer the question what is better to choose –
digital copy or discs?
Why
buy digital games. Three reasons
Before
in total, it is convenient . You can buy and
install digital games on your console
Xbox One and PlayStation 4 without ever leaving the couch.Also many games that you have made
pre-order in digital, you can pre-order
download, which means you can play
into her the very second she is officially
came out. You can even buy games online
via the official PlayStation app and
Xbox in a smartphone. When you come home
the game will already be waiting for you, installed
on the console.
Their
it is impossible to lose .
Drive nice
hold in your hands, and often boxes
look beautiful, but they have
a big drawback – they can get lost,
and children or pets can
accidentally break them.Digital games
are stored on the server, and even if
breakage of the console or hard drive you
you can always download them to a new one
console. They can be removed and reinstalled
as many times as you like on the console to
to which your PS or Xbox account is linked.
It is very convenient to buy a game in digital form – you just select the icon and install
You
cross-platform purchase available .
Some games after purchase can be
run on several different consoles.
The same cannot be said for their physical
analogues (except for the Xbox platform).For example, if you buy digitally such
games like Super Meat Boy, Darkest Dungeon, Journey, FEZ’s
PlayStation Store, you will be able to play on them and on
PS3 and PS4 (and PS Vita) – buy multiple
once the same game is not necessary. Xbox not
lags behind – Xbox Play special
Anywhere you can buy and play Gears of
War 4, Middle-Earth: Shadow of War on Xbox One, though
on a PC.
Why
buy discs. Five reasons
Their
you can resell . Digital copies
cannot be resold to another and they
forever remain attached to your
account.At the same time, the discs being
physical carriers include
to a store dealing with buying and selling
or exchange it for a new one. The exchange will
unequal, in most cases,
but you still get the part back
the amount. Also, if the purchased game
you didn’t like it at all, why keep
her on the shelf?
You
you can rent or borrow them
friends . Want to show your friends
how cool is the new Call of Duty or
Assassin’s Creed? It’s easier to just give them a drive than
come to their house, log into your account
and download the game from the server.Services for
renting discs are now becoming
more in demand and you have no problem
can find the latest novelty for
PS4 or Xbox One in your city. Some
dots will even let you try
game before buying.
Often
there are discounts on disks.
Although the figure
often sell at a discounted price, discounts
on disks are still more essential.
Any modern electronics store
often arranges sales, and coupons
discounts sometimes allow you to buy a game
AAA-class for mere pennies.In some
stores sell games in second-hand condition,
which are often not inferior in quality
new discs, but are cheaper.
Can
show off your collection of . Number
does not take up shelf space, but for
some people carry boxes and disks
collection value. If you want to
show your hobby to relatives
and friends, then without a collection of physical
carriers are indispensable.
Discs will look spectacular on a collector’s shelf – you will have something to show off to your friends
Not
need to worry about internet speed .It is convenient to download a digit, of course, but only
in the event that you have a good and
high-speed internet. If not, then on
downloading and installing the game may get away
all day.
Games on discs are installed
c, hmm, disks (and games on Switch don’t even need
install) and is not important for them at all
Internet connection speed.
Verdict:
which is better – physical copies or digital?
So
Thus, buying games digitally will do
mainly to those players who have
high-speed internet and who
there are no shops with games in the city.An additional plus – they can be installed
and run at any time, unnecessarily
insert disc.
However,
in our opinion, it is still more profitable to use
disks. The purchased game may not
please, and then you can without
problems to exchange it for an equivalent with
a small surcharge or even sell,
bailing out back part of the amount. If
doubt that the game is good, then you can
rent it at a rental point and not
spend a large amount on the purchase of
full cost.
Some games are not available digitally and can only be found on discs.For example, the first part of Dark Souls for PS3 is only on disc
Shop
PiterPlay in St.
Petersburg offers
gamers a large selection of classics and
new products for consoles PS3, PS4, PS Vita, Xbox 360,
Xbox One and Nintendo Switch. In the store you can
buy both used discs and
brand new. Discs can also be
rent and exchange. Familiarize
the catalog of games is available at at this link .
HUMANKIND ™ Digital Deluxe Edition | Download and buy today from the Epic Games Store
HUMANKIND ™ Digital Deluxe Edition
Humankind is coming to macOS shortly after Windows
elements of different cultures.
The Digital Deluxe Edition includes:
– digital copy of HUMANKIND ™;
– HUMANKIND ™ digital soundtrack in MP3 format;
– Poster with units and technology tree in PDF format;
– Notre Dame set and more!
HOW FAR WILL YOU TAKE HUMANITY IN HUMANKIND?
HUMANKIND ™ is Amplitude Studios’ flagship work, a turn-based historical strategy game in which YOU have to rewrite the entire history of mankind, using cultural elements, events and values as the foundation for creating your own civilization – as unique as yourself.
CREATE YOUR CIVILIZATION
Bring together up to 60 historical cultures and lead your people through the ages: from ancient times to the present day. Starting the game as a small tribe in the Neolithic era, get to the ancient era as the Babylonians, then encounter the classical era of the Mayan civilization, enter the Middle Ages as the Umayyads, write the history of the modern era as the British, and so on. Each culture brings its own characteristics to the gameplay, so the options for game scenarios are almost endless.
HISTORY OF THE WHOLE WORLD – YOUR PERSONAL STORY
Participate in historical events, make difficult decisions and make the most important scientific discoveries.
Uncover the planet’s natural wealth or build the most incredible human creations.
All game elements are historically accurate. Figure out how to combine them to make the world the way you see it.
How will you change the course of human history?
LEAVE YOUR FOOTPRINT IN THE WORLD HISTORY
The path itself is more important than its end.
Glory is a new victory condition that unites all game achievements.
Your every great deed, every choice, every military victory – all of this is your glory, your trace in the history of the world. The most illustrious ruler will win.
Try to make the greatest contribution to the development of human civilization.
PLAY TACTICAL BATTLES ON LAND, SEA AND IN THE SKY
Each battle in HUMANKIND ™ looks like a miniature turn-based board game that takes place on a real world map.Divide your armies, command troops – including those unique to your culture – and use their special abilities. Create formidable weapons to siege and capture cities. Take part in large-scale, long-term battles and do not be afraid to throw reinforcements into battle!
CREATE YOUR OWN LEADER
In HUMANKIND ™, you act as the leader of your people – create your own avatar! As the game progresses and as your civilization develops, the appearance of your avatar will change.You can also level up your leader by unlocking new skins.
Show them off to other players in a multiplayer game that supports up to eight players.
HOW FAR WILL YOU TAKE HUMANITY IN HUMANKIND? 90,044 90,000 PS5 vs PS5 Digital Edition – which model should you choose?
“Should I buy the PS5 Digital Edition or the standard model?” – this question is asked by many gamers.
During the virtual event “Future of Gaming” on June 11, Sony unveiled not one, but two modifications of the Sony PlayStation 5 game console.And for some gamers, this “double presentation” caused a fit of indecision, as they got confused in their thoughts about which PS5 model would suit them best. On September 16, during the PS5 Showcase live webcast, the gaming giant finally announced the prices for both consoles. The PS5 Digital Edition is priced at $ 399 while the standard model is $ 499.
The authors of this publication do not set themselves the task of compelling the reader to buy this or that model. They will only try to help make an informed decision – after all, no one likes the buyer’s remorse.
Therefore, they suggest that you carefully and thoughtfully familiarize yourself with all the pros and cons of the Digital Edition model and the disc console, so that in the end, readers can buy for themselves exactly the PS5 modification that can deliver maximum pleasure and satisfaction.
PS5 vs PS5 Digital Edition – what are the similarities and differences?
The
PS5 Digital Edition and the disc model are virtually “identical,” according to an interview with Sony PlayStation CEO Jim Ryan.
Both systems will be built on an eight-core AMD Zen 2 CPU with a clock speed of 3.5 GHz, a dedicated AMD RDNA 2 GPU with a clock speed of 10.28 teraflops and 36 compute units with a clock speed of 2.23 GHz, 16 GB of RAM and specially designed for them SSD-disk with a volume of 825 GB.
A couple of PS5 modifications also boast incredible next-generation features, including instant download speeds, 8K graphics support and enhanced 3D sound.
However, while there are many similarities between the two consoles, there are some differences that are worth mentioning separately.
1. 4K Blu-ray Disc Player
What is the main difference between the two modifications? It lies in the fact that PS5 Digital Edition cannot work with discs. This means that any game you want to play on the Digital Edition console will need to be downloaded from the Internet, such as the PlayStation Store.Your diskless console will become your digital download hub as the PS5 Digital Edition doesn’t support any physical media.
The
Disk Console, in turn, will gladly accept all your PS5-compatible copies on physical media. The console-mounted optical drive is also a Blu-ray disc player and supports 4K video. The PS5 disc console expands the range of home entertainment you can enjoy with family and friends with the ability to play DVD and Blu-ray discs.
2. Design
The standard PS5 model comes with a built-in drive that breaks the symmetry of the console with an unusual lateral bulge and a prominent optical drive slot.
Many experts have already joked that the disc version of the PS5 looks like it is pregnant and preparing to give birth in a few months.
The Digital Edition, on the other hand, seems sleeker and more symmetrical than its wide-waisted sister.The curved white body draped over the black core gives the console a modern look. With that said, the Digital Edition is arguably more visually appealing than its disk-based sister.
3. Price
“How much does the PS5 Digital Editiont cost?” – many gamers ask. And PS5 Digital Edition costs UAH 13,499. The price of the standard PS5 is UAH 16,799.
Who Should Buy the PS5 Digital Edition?
If, despite a detailed description of the differences in design and price, readers still cannot decide which of the PS5 system modifications to buy, then it is worth reading a detailed list of those who, according to the authors of this publication, will get the most out of purchases of the Digital Edition console.
- Your Internet works fine. By purchasing the PS5 Digital Edition, you are completely dependent on the Internet connection. Does your connection allow downloading 100 or more gigabytes of data? Is it happening fast enough? If the quality of your internet connection leaves much to be desired, you should consider looking for a better provider or buy a PS5 console that supports optical storage.
- You don’t bother with the possibility of having copies on physical media. While some traditionalists are not yet ready to abandon the world of physical games, others are excited about the digital future. Many laptop makers have already given up on optical drives, and game consoles are heading in the same direction. If you don’t mind storing games exclusively as a digital library, the Digital Edition is the perfect console.
- You are committed to symmetrical design. Some people are very picky about the design of things.
Some PlayStation fans do not care at all how the console looks, while others, on the contrary, may express strong dissatisfaction if the console’s design does not match their taste preferences. Many have expressed their aversion to the convex optical drive installed in the disc console. Therefore, they choose the Digital Edition because of its smoother and more symmetrical design. - You would like to save some money. The PS5 Digital Edition model costs UAH 3300 cheaper than its disk counterpart sold at UAH 16799.
Some PlayStation fans do not care at all how the console looks, while others, on the contrary, may express strong dissatisfaction if the console’s design does not match their taste preferences. Many have expressed their aversion to the convex optical drive installed in the disc console. Therefore, they choose the Digital Edition because of its smoother and more symmetrical design.Who Should Consider Buying a PS5 Disc Console?
The advantage of the PS5 disk modification is that it does not limit you to one single way of downloading games – you can choose between downloading a game from disk or downloading a digital copy of it from the network. Below is a list of people who will get the most out of the standard PS5.
- You don’t want to be completely dependent on the Internet. If you do not want to get completely dependent on the capricious Internet for downloading games, you should consider purchasing a PS5 disc modification.
- You have a small library of game discs for the PS 4. The PS5 has limited backward compatibility – it will support “almost all” of the 100 most popular games for Sony PlayStation 4, the previous version of the game console.Therefore, if you want to experience the feeling of nostalgia that you get from playing good old games on a new console, we advise you to buy the disc version of the PS5.
- You have a collection of DVDs and Blu – ray discs. From time to time you may want to dust off your DVD collection and watch one or two movies from it. You can’t do that with the Digital Edition, so if you want a console that’s capable of supporting not only games, but also DVD and Blu-ray, the standard PS5 is your best bet.
- You love buying collectible editions of games. Some gamers love the Collector’s Edition packs, which may include soundtracks and behind-the-scenes footage on DVD – in short, multimedia goodies that you won’t be able to enjoy with the PS5 Digital Edition.
- You are a traditionalist who enjoys tactile sensations. Traditionalists prefer physical copies, in part because of the pleasure of tactile sensation, from reading manuals to games, moving fingers over a bright and colorful insert, from the process of inserting a CD into an optical drive.
Conclusions
To summarize, the PS5 Digital Edition console is best suited for daring gamers who are ready to plunge headlong into the imminent future of the world of gaming, based solely on digital technologies.
On the other hand, the standard PS5 model is best suited for people who are still not quite ready to use a system without an optical drive. At the same time, gamers with a disk console will be able to load games into it via two channels: digital and physical.
90,000 Scanning and digitizing books, magazines and newspapers
Scanning books and periodicals (magazines, newspapers, etc.
) requires not only specialized equipment, but also special solutions so that information and works can be easily searched for in the received multi-page files.
Materials on the topic:
Director of the Russian State Institute for the Arts on how traditional humanitarian values and digital technologies coexist.
Expert view and practice of scanning books and library catalogs.
ELAR possesses unique technologies for digitizing library collections and catalogs, perfected in hundreds of completed projects, including the creation of the National Electronic Library.
We offer:
- Scanning books and periodicals of any dilapidation and format, including the processing of received electronic images (marking of works, illustrations, menu creation, etc.)etc.)
- Digitization of catalogs and filling of ABIS
- Supply of scanners and other professional equipment
Book Scan
The process of creating electronic collections of publications begins with an examination, during which ELAR specialists, together with the library staff, assess the volume and condition of the fund, which is to be digitized.
The technology for creating electronic books is being developed, the optimal scanning equipment is selected and the characteristics of the future electronic resource are agreed.
The work is carried out in accordance with the “Recommendations for the digitization of materials from the library funds”, developed by ELAR in conjunction with the library Expert Council on digital copies.
Depending on the plans of libraries for the use of electronic copies of publications, the output parameters of the digital collection are approved. Equipment is selected based on the need to prepare master copies (master copies of the original in polygraphic quality with a resolution of at least 600 dpi), custom copies for creating electronic collections and providing readers (resolution at least 300 dpi) and service copies for internal library tasks and placement on websites (resolution not lower than 150 dpi).
After the examination, a scan is carried out. In most cases, scanning is carried out on the territory of the library using the required number of planetary scanners. Flatbed equipment is not used.
ELAR employs more than 300 units of planetary scanners, which allows us to carry out large-scale digitization projects in a short time.
Thick folios are processed on scanners with a special book cradle design.Hardcover books with adjoining text are scanned at partial opening using a V-shaped (seamless) pressure glass. To scan collections of rare books, book monuments and other valuable specimens, specialized high-quality scanning complexes are used, which provide high optical resolution.
Scanning magazines, newspapers
Digitization of periodicals has its own characteristics. For example, glossy magazines require special lighting systems and a V-shaped cradle on the scanners to eliminate glare and glare.
For scanning newspapers and large-format materials, special A1 format scanners with pressure glasses are used. If necessary, use opaque substrates.
A special technology is used for the filing of newspapers. Due to the impossibility of full disclosure, the pages are scanned separately on high-quality scanning systems ELAR PowerScan (600 dpi), and then programmatically stitched into a single file.
Create e-books
After scanning, the resulting digital copies go through the process of software correction and are brought to the most readable quality.Often, when using professional book scanners, the built-in processing software is sufficient for this.
The graphic images are combined into PDF e-books. The text is almost always recognized – for this ELAR there are special software products that can recognize, among other things, old fonts. Verification and spell check are carried out. For the final proofreading of the document, professional proofreaders are involved.
The PDF format is the most versatile and allows full-text search and navigation through the table of contents and hyperlinks.
At the stage of retroconversion, bibliographic descriptions are compiled from the information contained on the title pages of books and journals, which are then included in the electronic library catalog.
Data entry is carried out manually, bibliographic records undergo a mandatory multi-stage quality check. At the output, a database is formed in the required format (RUSMARC, UNIMARC, MARC-21, etc.).
Building tables of contents and hyperlinks
Full-text recognition does not allow full-fledged navigation through multi-page book files.In order for the user to find a specific work among a 400-page document, it is necessary to form a table of contents – that is, select the place of the beginning of the work in the text, index the title and author, and make a hyperlink to this fragment.
TOCs can be created both automatically (with sufficient recognition quality) and manually. In the latter case, ELAR operators manually find the required fragment and form a hyperlink over the text.
The table of contents can also be created for a publication with unrecognized text. To do this, ELAR specialists manually mark areas in graphic copies (more about the technology).
For example, this is how works are marked in old books. There is experience of indexing in books and individual illustrations of artistic value. As a result, library readers are able to find works in books and illustrations by title or author.
Thanks to technologies and 25 years of experience in digitizing library catalogs and collections, ELAR is entrusted with the implementation of the largest national projects.
We also supply scanners and professional equipment (RFID, racks, restoration equipment). You can get more detailed information on the ELAR product websites, or by filling out the contact form.
We will solve your problem
Just fill out the form.For you: prompt processing of your request,
high-quality expertise, discounts for complex services and much more.
1. Ensuring the safety of documents | |||
1.1 | Inspection of the physicochemical, technical (physical), biological state of archival documents and printed publications (depending on the parameters of the medium of the surveyed object): | ||
– archival documents on paper and printed publications | storage units | 2 174 | |
sample | 536 | ||
– archival documents on film and electronic media | dmg.xp. | 5 227 | |
1.2 | Inspection of the sanitary-hygienic state, air and light environment of archives | sample | 428 |
measurement | 58 | ||
1.3 | Restoration of archival documents and printed publications of 1-4 categories of complexity | sheet | 1 739 |
sq.decimeter | 449 | ||
sounding second | 41 | ||
1.4 | Restoration of archival documents on paper and printed publications by an artist-restorer of the highest category | storage units | negotiable price |
1.5 | Conservation and prophylactic processing of archival documents on film carriers (machine, manual): | ||
– cinema | lin.meter | 21 | |
– photo | storage units | 6 | |
1.6 | Binding, binding, filing of archival documents on paper and printed publications (depending on the thickness of the spine and the quality of the binding material): | ||
– repair, incl.h. with spine extension | sheet | 30 | |
– stitching | sheet | 14 | |
– binding | storage units | 1 739 | |
– binder | storage units | 246 | |
1.7 | Disinfection, sublimation, dedusting of archival documents on paper and printed publications: | ||
– sheet | sheet | 26 | |
– chamber (depending on the volume and degree of loading) | storage units | 261 | |
1.8 | Production of primary storage facilities for archival documents (depending on the type, size and quality of the material) | pcs. | 318 |
1.9 | Document storage on a contractual basis | storage units / year | negotiable price |
1.10 | Consulting on ensuring the safety of documents | hours | 435 |
2.Document ordering | |||
2.1 | Drawing up a historical information about the fund-creator and the fund: | historical information | |
– for a period up to 5 years | 7 247 | ||
– for the period from 5 to 10 years | 14 494 | ||
– for a period of more than 10 years | 28 987 | ||
2.2 | Preparation of working instructions for the ordering of affairs (documents) of the organization (depending on the volume of the fund and the structure of the organization) | working instruction | 28 987 |
2.3 | Drawing up a plan for streamlining the affairs (documents) of the organization | ordering plan | 12 030 |
2.4 | Determination and clarification of the stock ownership of the case (document) | storage units | 40 |
document | 47.5 | ||
2.5 | Development of a scheme for the systematization of the fund’s affairs (depending on the structure of the organization) | systematization scheme | 12 030 |
2.6 | Systematization of cases before the examination of the value of documents: | storage units | |
– for funds | 5 | ||
– within the fund | 2.4 | ||
– by characteristics (chronological, functional, geographic, etc.) | 3.6 | ||
2.7 | Conducting an examination of the scientific and practical value of documents | storage units | |
2.7.1 | management documentation: | ||
– with page view | 87 | ||
– without page view (formed into cases) | 21 | ||
2.7.2 | creative documentation | 145 | |
2.7.3 | scientific and technical documentation: | ||
– text with sheet view | 87 | ||
– text without page view | 8 | ||
– graphic | sheet | 8 | |
2.7.4 | personnel documents: | ||
– with page view | 44 | ||
– no page view | 12 | ||
2.7.5 | audiovisual documentation | 145 | |
2.8 | Formation of a case from a placer, reorganization of the case: | sheet | |
2.8.1 | management, creative, scientific and technical (text) documentation | 1.8 | |
2.8.2 | scientific and technical graphic documentation | 2.9 | |
2.8.3 | documents on personnel | 1.4 | |
2.9 | Saddle Stitch: | storage units | |
– malformed case | 20 | ||
– an incorrectly formed case with the removal of staples with a staple remover | 50 | ||
2.10 | Arrangement of sheets in the case | sheet | 1.8 |
2.11 | Systematization of scientific and technical documentation by parts, stages of projects, stages of problems (topics): | storage units | |
– text | 7 | ||
– graphic | 10 | ||
2.12 | Compilation of the case title: | header | |
– management documentation | 51 | ||
– creative documentation | 139 | ||
– scientific and technical documentation | 51 | ||
– documents on personnel | 14 | ||
2.13 | Drawing up an annotation on a document | abstract | 50.7 |
2.14 | Drawing up an internal inventory of documents in the case: | header | |
– with management, creative documentation | 14 | ||
– with text scientific and technical documentation | 18 | ||
– with graphic scientific and technical documentation | 20 | ||
– with documents on personnel | 13 | ||
2.15 | Systematization of cards for cases (depending on the principle of systematization) | card | 2.9 |
2.16 | Putting an archival cipher on cards | card | 3.6 |
2.17 | Folding drawings | sheet | 8.7 |
2.18 | File filing in the process of ordering: | storage units | |
– from management, creative, text scientific and technical documentation | 70 | ||
– with non-standard sheets, graphic documents | 101 | ||
– with personal files | 50 | ||
2.19 | Placing files (documents) not subject to filing in folders with valves | storage units | 6 |
2.20 | Numbering of sheets: | sheet | |
– one format in the case | 0.8 | ||
– different format in case | 1.8 | ||
2.21 | Renumbering sheets | sheet | 1.8 |
2.22 | Check sheet numbering | sheet | 0.6 |
2.23 | Design of the cover of the case, title page, certification sheet (depending on the type of documentation in the presence (absence) of a printed cover, title page, certification sheet) | dmg.xp. | 28.5 |
2.24 | Bonding title page, certification sheet | storage units | 8 |
2.25 | Selection of cases within the fund | storage units | 6 |
2.26 | Systematization of cases not subject to storage by groups | dmg.xp. | 2.9 |
2.27 | Placement of archival cipher on the cover of the case | storage units | 6 |
2.28 | Drawing up an inventory | header | 21 |
2.29 | Drawing up a preface to the inventory of the organization: | preface | |
management, scientific and technical documentation: | |||
– for a period up to 5 years | 11 048 | ||
– for the period from 5 to 10 years | 16 798 | ||
– for a period of more than 10 years | 22 572 | ||
documents on personnel | 5 961 | ||
2.30 | Drawing up an index to the inventory of the organization’s fund | concept | 18 |
2.31 | Compiling a list of abbreviated words for the inventory | item | 21 |
2.32 | Registration of the case list (drawing up the title, subtitle pages, table of contents, summary record) | inventory | 725 |
2.33 | Drawing up the act: | position | |
– on the allocation for destruction of documents and files that are not subject to further storage | 51 | ||
– about irreparable damage to documents | 51 | ||
– for missing materials | 51 | ||
– about completion of ordering | act | 3623 | |
2.34 | Formation of bundles of cases subject to (not subject) storage | storage units | 4.8 |
2.35 | Cardboarding cases | storage units | 2.4 |
2.36 | Re-cartoning of cases | storage units | 4.8 |
2.37 | Writing shortcuts | label | 14 |
2.38 | Label sticker | label | 8.3 |
2.39 | Drawing up a topographic index | card | 18 |
2.40 | Placing boxes or bundles on racks | box, bundle | 14 |
2.41 | Relocation of cases in the process of ordering | storage units | 4.8 |
3. Provision of methodological and practical assistance in organizing documents | |||
3.1 | Development: | ||
– case nomenclature | position | 59 | |
– provisions on departmental archives | position | 2 174 | |
– provisions on the expert commission | position | 2 174 | |
– instructions for office work | instruction | 57 974 | |
– list of documents to be transferred for permanent storage | position | 59 | |
3.2 | Drawing up a passport archive | passport | 5 940 |
3.3 | Survey of the state of the archive and the organization of documents in office work with the development of recommendations for improving the work of archival and office management services in the organization | reference | 8 257 |
3.4 | Consulting on issues of archiving and record keeping | hours | 435 |
4. Use of documents and information services | |||
4.1 | Information support of users on their requests (execution of thematic and genealogical queries, thematic identification of documents / information) | ||
4.1.1 | viewing the scientific and reference apparatus for identifying cases, documents on the subject of the request: | header | |
– handwritten inventories up to the 19th century. | 7 | ||
– handwritten inventories of the 19th-20th centuries. | 4.2 | ||
– typewritten inventories | 1.8 | ||
– catalogs | card | 1.8 | |
– AIPS | record (based on search results) | 1.8 | |
4.1.2 | identification of information on the topic of the request for published sources, periodicals, reference literature | page | 1.2 |
4.1.3 | identification of information on the subject of the request by: | sheet | |
– documents of the XI-XV centuries. | 8.9 | ||
– documents of the XVI-XVIII centuries. | 7 | ||
– documents of the XIX-XXI centuries, handwritten text | 4.8 | ||
– documents of the XIX-XXI centuries, typewritten text | 2.4 | ||
– documents with hard-to-read, fading handwritten, typewritten text | 7 | ||
– documents with text in foreign languages | 7 | ||
– by microcopies in the absence of the original | 7 | ||
– for cartographic documents (depending on the format) | A4 sheet | 3.6 | |
– according to registration and party documents | personalia | 0.6 | |
card | 0.7 | ||
4.1.4 | composing a response to a request (on one topic, one person): | typescript [1] | |
– information letter (including with a response to a request with a negative search result): | |||
with short answer | 238 | ||
with a recommendation on possible storage locations for documents on the subject of the request | 594 | ||
outlining search results | 1188 | ||
– archived help | 1188 | ||
– archive copy | 356 | ||
– archive extract | 356 | ||
4.1.5 | production of additional copies of archival information at the request of the applicant | instance | 59 |
4.1.6 | Issuance of a duplicate or reissuance of archive reference | instance | 178 |
4.1.7 | certification of the authenticity of the document with certification by the official seal of the archive | instance | 238 |
4.2 | Drafting: | ||
– prefaces to the thematic list of archival documents | typewritten sheet | 1188 | |
– thematic list of archival documents: | header | ||
with short titles | 51 | ||
with annotated titles | 139 | ||
– thematic review of archival documents and / or periodicals | typewritten sheet | 1188 | |
4.3 | Transcription of paleographic texts | typewritten sheet | negotiable price |
4.4 | Translation from foreign languages of archival documents and printed publications | typewritten sheet | negotiable price |
4.5 | Preparation: | ||
– documentary publication, archive directory | publication, reference | negotiable price | |
– historical and documentary exhibition | Exhibition | negotiable price | |
– TV broadcasts, radio broadcasts | gear | negotiable price | |
– publications in print, electronic media | article | negotiable price | |
– AIPS, databases and data banks | AIPS, database, databank | negotiable price | |
4.6 | Guided tour of the archive: | excursion | |
– sightseeing | 2970 | ||
– thematic | 4752 | ||
4.7 | Preparation of a thematic selection of archival files, documents and their provision for film and video photography using technical means of the customer | dmg.xp. | 119 |
4.8 | Preparation and delivery of files and documents from archives to the user in the reading room earlier than 2 working days from the date of placing the order | 200 | |
4.9 | Preparation and delivery of files from archives, documents to the user in the reading room at a time in excess of the established volume of 20 cases, documents with a total volume of no more than 1500 sheets (or one case with a volume of more than 1500 sheets) | 200 | |
4.10 | Making copies (including for the creation of an insurance fund and a fund for use) of archival documents and printed publications by technical means of the archive, taking into account the technology and format of copying (depending on the physical condition and parameters of the media of the copying object) [4] | ||
4.10.1 | archival documents on paper and printed editions | ||
4.10.1.1 | sheet | ||
– documents of 1931 – XXI century. A4 | 48 | ||
– pages of the printed edition of the 19th century. – 1940 A4 | 36 | ||
– pages of the printed edition 1941 – XXI century. A4 | 24 | ||
4.10.1.2 | microphotocopy: | ||
– making positive without sampling frames | frame | 30 | |
– making a positive with a sampling of frames | frame | 42 | |
– Microfiche making | microfiche | 594 | |
4.10.1.3 | photocopy: | photoprint | |
– documents of the 15th – 16th centuries. | 1188 | ||
– documents of the XVII-XVIII centuries. | 832 | ||
– documents of the XIX century. – 1930 | 594 | ||
– 1931 document- XXI century. | 356 | ||
– photocopy of the document made by photographing method | slide | negotiable price | |
4.10.1.4 | digital copy with a resolution of 300 dpi, in color, file type JPEG [6] : | image | |
– documents of the 15th – 16th centuries.A4 | 191 | ||
– documents of the XVII-XVIII centuries. A4 | 167 | ||
– documents of the XIX century. – 1930 A4 | 143 | ||
– documents of 1931 – XXI century. A4 | 119 | ||
– pages of the printed edition until the 17th century.A4 | 130 | ||
– pages of the printed edition of the 17th – 18th centuries. A4 | 100 | ||
– pages of the printed edition of the 19th century. – 1940 A4 | 70 | ||
– pages of the printed edition 1941 – XXI century.A4 | 40 | ||
4.10.2 | archival documents on film media (cinema, video, photo, phono, microform): | ||
– analog | lin. meter | 202 | |
photoprint | 1188 | ||
frame | 1188 | ||
sheet | 238 | ||
microfiche (negative + positive) | 594 | ||
with microforms without frame sampling | frame | 36 | |
with microforms with sampling frames | frame | 47.5 | |
– digital | second | 238 | |
4.10.3 | archival documents on electronic media: | ||
– analog | sheet | 178 | |
photoprint | 1188 | ||
frame | 1426 | ||
second | 178 | ||
– digital | image | 178 | |
second | 238 | ||
4.10.4 | digital copy from the existing digital copy of the use fund | image | 60 |
4.11 | Organization and support of the user’s work on the independent production of digital copies of archival files, documents, printed publications on paper in a specially equipped archive for these purposes, in the presence of an archive employee, who ensures the preparation of files, documents, printed publications for copying and their safety in the process copying, control over compliance with copying conditions [7] | ||
4.11.1 | leased technical means of the archive: |
| |
– documents of the 15th – 16th centuries. A4 | image, sheet frame | 114 | |
– documents of the 17th – 18th centuries. A4 | image, sheet frame | 100 | |
– documents of the XIX century.- 1930 A4 | image, sheet frame | 86 | |
– documents of 1931 – XXI century. A4 | image, sheet frame | 72 | |
– pages of the printed edition until the 17th century. A4 | image, sheet frame | 78 | |
– pages of the printed edition of the 17th – 18th centuries.A4 | image, sheet frame | 60 | |
– pages of the printed edition of the 19th century. – 1940 A4 | image, sheet frame | 42 | |
– pages of the printed edition 1941 – XXI century. A4 | image, sheet frame | 24 | |
4.11.2 | by own contactless mobile copying technical device without tripods, detachable lenses and lighting equipment with switched off functions of flash and sound signals (phone, camera, tablet computer): | ||
– documents of the 15th – 16th centuries. A4 | image, sheet frame | 57 | |
– documents of the 17th – 18th centuries.A4 | image, sheet frame | 50 | |
– documents of the XIX century. – 1930 A4 | image, sheet frame | 43 | |
– documents of 1931 – XXI century. A4 | image, sheet frame | 36 | |
– pages of the printed edition until the 17th century.A4 | image, sheet frame | 39 | |
– pages of the printed edition of the 17th – 18th centuries. A4 | image, sheet frame | 30 | |
– pages of the printed edition of the 19th century. – 1940 A4 | image, sheet frame | 21 | |
– pages of the 1941 print edition- XXI century. A4 | image, sheet frame | 12 | |
4.12 | Making copies of archival documents and printed publications by technical means of the archive, by the user independently by leased technical means of the archive or by his own technical means more than 100 sheets (frames, images) during a working day | image, sheet frame | , a factor of 2 is applied to paragraphs.4.10–4.11 |
4.13 | Scientific consulting of users on topics of interest (history of the issue, historical era or period, personalities, genealogical research, places of storage of documents of liquidated organizations, etc.) | hours | 2174 |
5. Other paid services | |||
5.1 | Rent of premises of an archival institution | square meter | estimated price |
5.2 | Provision of the premises of an archival institution (except for lease) for temporary use to third-party organizations | estimated price | |
5.3 | Provision of structural elements of the building of an archival institution to third parties | negotiable price | |
5.4 | Storage of property of third-party organizations on a contractual basis | accounting units / year | negotiable price |
5.5 | Manufacturing and installation of metal structures | negotiable price | |
5.6 | Provision of printing (printing) and publishing services, distribution of printed materials | negotiable price | |
5.7 | Reimbursement of operating and administrative costs by tenants and sub-tenants, as well as other organizations located on the territory of the archival institution | estimated price | |
5.8 | Delivery of ferrous and non-ferrous scrap metal | negotiable price | |
5.9 | Delivery of process fluids (silver-containing waste and distilled water) generated during microfilming of archival documents | estimated price | |
5.10 | Reimbursement of insurance premiums from insurance organizations | insurance price | |
5.11 | Film and video photography on the territory of the archive (by the customer’s technical means) without providing archive documents for shooting | hours | 11 595 |
5.12 | Typewritten works | sheet | negotiable price |
Avatars: How an Oscar Winner Creates Digital Copies of People :: Technology and Media :: RBC Magazine
Founded by New Zealander Mark Sagar, startup Soul Machines creates virtual workers for companies – digital androids replicate the structure of a person’s face.Here they are sure: in ten years everyone will have their own electronic copies
Photo: from the archive of the press service of the Soul Machines company
“My passion is the creation of computer-generated faces, in fact – a set of ones and zeros, which give the feeling that they are conscious, living beings with their emotions” – this is how New Zealander Mark Sagar described his work, speaking at the ceremony of presenting a special award Oscar for scientific and technical achievements in 2011.
Then Sagar received an award for technologies for accurately transferring human facial expressions to the faces of animated characters (facial motion retargeting). This was the second Oscar for the engineer: a year earlier, together with his colleagues, he received a prize for the Light Stage motion capture technology. The inventions of Sagar, who was at the time working for the film special effects company Weta Digital, were used in films such as Avatar and King Kong.
“Science and art are much more connected than they seem,” Sagar said in the same speech.After receiving his second Oscar, he left Weta and returned to his native University of Auckland, where he graduated 20 years earlier. In January 2012, an engineer created an animation technology laboratory there and, together with other scientists and students, began to develop so-called digital androids – computer-drawn models of a person with artificial intelligence that can communicate with people by reading their reactions through a webcam and microphone. And four years later, to commercialize the developments, Sagar founded a startup Soul Machines, which in November 2016 raised $ 7.5 million from world-class investors.
Digital Firstborn
The face of a two-three-year-old child against a black background of a computer monitor in Mark Sagar’s laboratory seems alive – the feeling that a real person is looking at the scientist. The girl smiles, frowns, her eyes follow the movements of the interlocutor on this side of the screen. The BabyX avatar is the first prototype of a digital person created by Sagar and his team, Soul Machines business development director Greg Cross told RBC magazine.
It took four years to develop and improve the BabyX.Like the following Soul Machines androids, it is based on an accurate model of the human face built by programmers and neurophysiologists. The model consists of “layers”: it repeats the structure of the skull, the location of the muscles on the face and the mechanisms of their contraction. The robot “borrowed” the face from a real child, who was photographed at different times and with different emotions.
Photo: from the archive of the press service of the Soul Machines company
A key development of Soul Machines, Cross calls emotional intelligence, which, using machine learning technologies, learns to express mood with facial expressions and voice, and through a webcam and microphone to recognize intonation and movements of a person’s face and copy them.“They are emotionally responsive: they can not only understand, but also express feelings like a person,” says Cross.
The virtual child also knows how to answer questions and play. BabyX recognizes pictures of animals and objects that people show to him: it can, for example, identify an apple or a puppy. Now Soul Machines is developing a new version of the android – the child will be presented in full growth, the programmers even thought about having “lungs”, because “breathing is an important component of speech simulation,” Sagar explained in an interview for the IBM website.The new digital child will be able to draw on a computer screen and play with virtual objects.
The creators of BabyX showed it off to investors who came to the University of Auckland. The project attracted the interest of the Horizons Ventures fund, founded by Li Kashin, the richest, according to Forbes, billionaire in Hong Kong. In November 2016, the newly registered startup Soul Machines raised its first investment of $ 7.5 million – the largest amount for projects that have grown within the walls of the University of Auckland.
Horizons Ventures acted as a lead investor, the investment company ICONIQ Capital also participated in the deal – according to the American Forbes magazine, it manages the money of Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg. Investors received a 35% stake in Soul Machines, NBR wrote, about 37% remained with Sagar. Another 17% went to UniServices, which helps university scientists commercialize developments and find investors. Who owns the remaining stake, Cross refused to disclose.Soul Machines received the intellectual rights to the technologies created by the Sagara team within the walls of the university.
Employee without wages
After the first round of investments, experienced executive Greg Cross was called in to build the startup’s business processes, who by that time had managed to work as the head of several technology companies, such as power systems manufacturer PowerbyProxi, Icehouse business incubator and e-commerce solutions developer SLI Systems. With the investment and a new top manager, the Soul Machines developers accelerated: they created six new digital characters in less than a year, says Cross.
Unlike BabyX, the new developments are commercial. In February 2017, Soul Machines released the first virtual assistant named Nadia. It was commissioned by the Australian government to help people with disabilities. Nadia is the Australian government’s first digital employee, says Cross, who can answer verbally and in writing online about disability insurance, helpful services and support. The digital assistant speaks in the voice of actress Cate Blanchett, who agreed to voice Nadia.
Photo: from the archive of the press service of the Soul Machines company
It took a year to create, and it will operate in a pilot mode for about a year more.In the “head” of Nadia – the system of artificial intelligence IBM Watson for speech recognition and answering questions. The New Zealand company FaceMe was responsible for the technical part – online image transmission and system compatibility with any user devices.
In the spring, Soul Machines released a new digital employee – the robot Rachel, created to advise bank clients. And in July, the company announced two more new products – the avatars of Shushilla and Roman, the first man in the Soul Machines collection.The characteristics of the robot – for example, its appearance, age and gender – are chosen by the customers.
IBM technologies are not used in every product, but the buyer can insist on this too – for example, if he uses them for other needs and is already a client of IBM Watson. Soul Machines can also use other artificial intelligence platforms – Google Brain, Microsoft Cortana, Amazon Lex. Now it takes six to eight weeks to create one avatar, and another three to six months are given for testing and training the robot in pilot mode.The company employs about 40 people, most of them are engineers, neurophysiologists, programmers and linguists.
Soul Machines develops digital workers for large multinational companies, Cross said, but does not name the customers or contract prices. Cross only clarified that the current clients of the startup are companies from the banking, automotive and IT industries from New Zealand, Australia, Japan, the United States and Europe. Assistants are usually dedicated to customer service, sales, and marketing.
Improved version of itself
Communication between people is 70-90% non-verbal, and digital robots must be able to use facial expressions and gestures in communication, says Jared Peters, spokesman for Expressive.AI, a startup launched in the US in July.
The company also develops virtual assistants – both animated and realistic – for digital medicine and education customers.
American startup ObEN has been engaged in similar technologies since 2014, which develops, in particular, virtual copies of celebrities to communicate with fans.In November 2016, almost simultaneously with Soul Machines, the project raised $ 7.7 million from a pool of ten investors (later – another $ 5 million). ObEN creates a 3D model of a person from a photograph and records his voice, which will speak and even sing an avatar, co-founder and CEO of the company Nikhil Jain told RBC magazine. The robots will be used in virtual and augmented reality applications, mobile applications and games.
In addition to celebrities, ObEN’s customers include companies from the healthcare, education and gaming sectors (they also do not disclose specific names in the startup project).Soon, ObEN plans to accept orders for the creation of virtual copies of a person from everyone. The avatar will “look, sound and think” like his “master” and will be able to do things on his behalf that a person does not have time for. Neither ObEN nor Expressive have disclosed financials.
Market of virtual digital assistants by 2021
$ 15.8 billion total revenue
1.8 billion private users
843 million corporate users
Source: Research and Markets forecast
Cross also did not announce specific figures for Soul Machines, specifying only that the company has revenue and it is “growing rapidly.”In 2018, the startup plans to attract a new round of investments, in which both current and new investors should take part, says the top manager.
Soul Machines, like ObEN, is set to create digital copies of celebrities in the near future for fans to talk to, Cross said. In addition, the startup is working with a toy company to bring characters to life to interact with children in a virtual environment. In the coming year, the developers of the New Zealand company plan to reduce the time to create one digital robot to a couple of weeks, and ultimately the avatar should be created in one day, says Cross.Next year, Soul Machines’ customers will be able to independently design the digital workers they need in a special program.
For current customers, humanoid robots are the first digital employees, but in the future, Cross is sure, companies will have many of them. Their clients will be able to choose which representative they want to speak to – male or female, Chinese or Spanish, in which language they will communicate.
The potential for using humanoid avatars is enormous, the interlocutors of RBC magazine are unanimous.Digital teachers will soon appear, especially in areas where there is a lack of real teachers and schools. Avatars will also be able to help work with refugees during migration crises, Cross lists.
ObEN’s Jain believes that soon every person in the world will have their own AI-based avatar. Cross agrees that in less than ten years, digital copies of people will “go” to work meetings for people. “This is a multi-billion dollar market,” he said.
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