Pioneer Virtual Resort Unveiled at Innoventions In Disneyland Park
Pioneer Virtual Resort Unveiled at
Innoventions In Disneyland Park
Virtual Vacation Brought to Life Through Pioneer Technology and Disney Magic
Pioneer Electronics and Disneyland park today unveiled a futuristic virtual resort inside the world-famous Southern California theme park. This virtual vacation escape at the "Innoventions" pavilion in Tomorrowland showcases new and next-generation digital technologies for home and mobile entertainment.
For Disneyland, the Virtual Resort adds an exciting, highly interactive component to "Innoventions" while continuing to position the venue as an environment where consumers can see, feel and experience new technologies that will impact their lives in the near future. For Pioneer, the exhibit will play an important role in its new branding initiatives, showcasing the latest in recordable DVD and plasma displays to millions of visitors annually.
"We are very proud to join with Disneyland to create the ultimate virtual vacation for techno savvy travelers," said Kazunori Yamamoto, president and CEO of Pioneer Electronics (USA), Inc. "Disney's magic has been instrumental in developing this incredible journey through entertainment technology."
"Pioneer's technologies and products are Ideal for the hands-on experience at Innoventions," said Cynthia Harriss, president of the Disneyland, Resort, "We are thrilled to partner with Pioneer and pleased to offer guests the opportunity to travel through the latest digital entertainment technologies in this virtual resort."
(c) Disney
Exploring the Virtual Resort
When entering the Virtual Resort, guests are greeted by one of three Virtual Bellhops who
appear throughout the exhibit to explain various interactive displays in English, Japanese
or Spanish.
Like any resort, the Registration Desk maintains a tremendous amount of data and is truly the 'brains" of this networked operation. A Pioneer industrial DVD player (DVDV7400) busily works away and houses an astounding 720 DVD discs, sending signals to the Virtual Suites, Activity Center and Jungle Jam lounge. An eye-catching total of 41 plasma screens are found throughout the Interactive, user-friendly exhibit.
When visitors first enter one of the Virtual Suites, it appears to be sparsely decorated. But with the use of touch-screens, high-definition images and Pioneer's plasma display technology allow guests to transform the suite instantaneously to a snowbound Alpine cabin, a sun-drenched Greek island retreat, a romantic castle tower or a charming New England seaport town. The 50-inch plasma displays (PDP-505HD), embedded as "windows" in the walls, create super-crisp images looking out over a snow-capped mountain or the Mediterranean Sea, depending on the destination of choice. The entire room can change surroundings in an instant.
In addition to selecting their virtual destination, guests can personalize their entertainment with Interactive television. Video-on-demand (Voyager 3000) allows them to access statistics about their favorite athletes and to review the hot plays of the day on ESPN, They can also select from a variety of movies while experiencing 6.1-channel surround-sound with movie theater-style playback.
The next stop is the Home Movie Activity Center, where the Virtual Bellhop will explain Pioneer's new DVD recording technology (DVR-7000) as guests edit digital images of scenic locations throughout Disneyland. Here, guests can edit out unwanted shots or assemble shots in the desired order into the final movie clip.
No resort is complete without a hip and happenin' club. At the Virtual Resort, guests can enter the Jungle Jam lounge to play DJ for the day, mixing their favorite tunes/ adding sound effects, or skipping and scratching CDs (CDJ-1000). They can also feed fierce piranhas in a pond. Of course, these are virtual fish, swimming on plasma displays that utilize a Pioneer-engineered touch-screen technology. This is the first time the system has been displayed In the U.S, and adults and kids alike will have fun touching the fish onscreen to make them get smaller, bigger or to see them swim away.
In the Valet Parking Area, it's time to go cruising in a classic car stocked with the latest advances in DVD-based navigation technology (AVIC-9DVD) and projected images of a virtual road trip along Route 66, Guests sitting in the second seat can enjoy Pioneer's mobile entertainment products, and those in the rear seat can view movies or play Disney video games.
The Virtual Resort at "Innoventions" is open to guests during regular park operating hours. The exhibit will be updated with the latest technologies as they become available to ensure Chat there is always something new and exciting at this virtual vacation destination,
Innoventions Offers Diverse Experiences
Today's technology, in a variety of playful and practical everyday uses, is the Focus of
"Innoventions." This dynamic venue offers hands-on experience of current and
near-future technologies, enabling people of all ages to experiment with an array of
interactive devices, games and exhibits, demonstrating how today's innovations can improve
life for all of us.
In addition to Pioneer, other partners in "Innoventions" include AT&T, Compaq, General Motors, Kaiser Permanence, Disney Interactive and Disney Synergy.
An all-new AT&T exhibit will open to guests this holiday season. In it, guests will see how AT&T's broadband technologies will help to make many day-to-day chores effortless, such as shopping, communicating or finding a favorite movie. Guests will be amazed by the boundless opportunities broadband can bring to their homes.
Compaq demonstrates how the computer, an invention that impacts everyone's life today, is improving all facets of life. This exciting exhibit shows that computers are more than productivity machines - they are tools to unleash imagination and to communicate with the world. Compaq enables guests to explore their own potential to communicate, create and learn. Interactive experiences include playing your favorite game, exploring the Internet, and creating your own art, music and custom fireworks show.
General Motors partners with Disney in the transportation section to focus on smart-car technology advances in safety, security and on-board communication. Heads-up displays, night-vision technology, collision avoidance and navigational systems are just a few of the advancements that guests may experience.
The Kaiser Permanente exhibit focuses on how technology makes the world of health and fitness a better place by demonstrating the newest developments in health care, prevention and assessment. Guests can choose from interactive experiences that include assessing your BMI (Body Mass Index), MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) and Ultrasound, Visitors can also see a graphic image of their heartbeat or sample the latest in exercise equipment.
Disney Interactive allows guests to experience the latest in Disney themed interactive game technologies, Whether someone is looking for learning, imagination, sports or action game experiences, they'll find it here. The exhibit also features the latest online game experiences, tied to the most recent Disney movie releases.
At Disney Synergy, visitors can learn how Disney artists create the amazing special effects they've seen in such movies as Armageddon, Dinosaurs, Mighty Joe Young and 102 Dalmatians. A friendly host gives a step-by-step demonstration showing how these tricks of the trade are accomplished.
--Posted August 22, 2001
Source: Disneyland Resort Press Release