“Outside the Box” is not only the theme of this year’s Fashion Show – it is also representative of an idea presented by nVIDIA at a pre-show showcase. Their technology is bringing 3D movies, photography, and video gaming to the home.

Shu Jin, an nVIDIA Foundry Manager and parent of seventh-grader Andrew, volunteered to represent nVIDIA as part of a fashion show showcase in order to help fundraise for the school.

“[The showcase items] were donated by the nVIDIA foundation, not my personal donation,” Jin said. “I’m just a parent volunteer.”

Jin demonstrated the 3D bundle for home PCs, which includes glasses and a monitor that make movies, video games, and photos extend outside of the screen’s dimensions.
“I want [the 3D bundle]. It’s really cool, and it’s different than most 3D movies,” Siobhan Cox (9) said after viewing a trailer for the upcoming movie, Alice in Wonderland, at the showcase prior to the afternoon show.

While movie theaters have “fancy projectors” and “low-tech glasses,” Jin said, nVIDIA’s 3D Vision Bundle allows any computer to be used with an active-glass monitor and more intricate lenses that simply look like sunglasses.

The graphics and 3D are pretty good,” Curran Shah (9) said. “But the glasses are kind of annoying.”

According to Jin, 3D broadcast programs are coming up as soon as this year. England has already broadcast a soccer event in three dimensions, and ESPN will be revealing a 3D channel this year. Disney will take a similar route next year.

“Technology is passing the threshold,” Jin said. “It’s an entirely new experience.”

“My kids would love it,” Roxanne Rapson, parent of Colby (12) and alum Taylor (’09), said.

David Lindars (9), on the other hand, thinks that there are still some disadvantages. “I think it might be annoying if you use it too often,” he said, “but it might be kind of nice. I like the idea.”