High Dynamic Range (HDR) is a term that is used in relation to describing the increased area of variation in both color and brightness made possible by displays that support it. HDR comes in a confusing handful of standards, HDR10, Dolby Vision, Hybrid Log Gamma, Advanced HDR and most recently HDR10+. What matters is that all of theses standards are mapping colors across an increased 'color space'. In the image above the smaller 'HDTV' triangle represents the colors that can be displayed using the 'Rec. 709' color area standard that was developed in the mid-to-late 1990s, for Standard Dynamic Range displays. The larger 'UHDTV' triangle represents the 'Recommendation ITU-R BT.2020.' color area (Rec. 2020) that HDR televisions aspire to cover. Color But wait! The image you are looking at is not an HDR image, and the display you are reading this on may not be an HDR display, your computer/phone is probably not rendering to a HDR framebuffer (10 bits or 12 bits per RGB channel instead of 8), and your browser is probably not capable of displaying HDR content. So the colors you are seeing above are in reality all being mapped within the 'Rec. 709' standard color area, the smaller triangle. If you could see the image in HDR it would look much more vivid. But since you cannot, lets at least examine quantization in relation to the '8 bits per channel RGB frame buffer' that displays use. 8 bits yields 2^8 = 256 possible values per channel, which makes '256 reds * 256 greens * 256 blues' possible. This results in a total of 16,777,216 possible colors. That sounds like a lot! And yet actually it is only going to contain 256 possible grey-scale values (0, 0, 0 through to 255, 255, 255). If you look carefully at the image above on a large display, you'll...

We are entering an exciting era for immersive technology as the latest hardware, software and number of paying consumers are at an all-time best. I’ve been a follower of virtual reality since 2015 and I first used an Oculus DK2 at my local science centre in 2016. Back then the graphics were extremely basic compared to what we have available today what with volumetric photogrammetry or in other words, proper real looking stuff! The Oculus DK2 was the best we had for consumers back then. Its predecessor, Oculus DK1, was the 1st consumer VR headset since Nintendo’s Virtual Boy. Private companies and military had the only other virtual reality headsets then. So that was it, the only 2 VR headsets on the market with limited software. Fast forward to now and we are spoilt for choice in all areas! We can choose from multiple VR headsets from multiple companies from across the world. We can choose from a vast catalogue of apps, games and experiences with new ones entering the stores/market every day. But most notably, the number of paying consumers is beginning to spike too. I genuinely think that the Early Adopters segment of Everett Rogers’ Innovation Curve is starting to take flight. No longer are we explaining what virtual or augmented reality is, it is already known. It has already been seen or already being used in general society. That’s a shift worth noticing. Palmer Luckey (Oculus Founder) recently said that the Oculus Rift CV1 and GearVR sold well over 10 million units combined. The Oculus Rift S and Oculus Quest are both just over 2 month’s old yet the content on social media around them is phenomenal. Communities that are growing purely around these products alone are already massive, in particular for the Oculus Quest. A Facebook Group called Oculus Quest is just shy...

The African proverb, “It takes a village to raise a child”, can elicit memories of child rearing in times past. Children were raised by their parents, grandparents, extended families and neighbors. Families gained varied knowledge in all aspects of life from people who were invested in their wellbeing, growth, and success. They benefited from the experience of those who had already raised their children and the support of those who were in the same boat. This created a balanced system in which questions could be asked, challenges faced, and everyone could lean on those around them with confidence to gain peace of mind. A “village” adds a buffer to making all the tough decisions involved in new ventures. Often, I tell people that I have 3 children- my 4-year-old daughter, my 3-year-old business, and my 2-year-old daughter. The middle child is the neediest by far. When we founded Underminer Studios in 2016 we did so with several things in mind. First, we wanted to be our own bosses. Second, we wanted to control our future. And last, but not least we wanted to do groundbreaking things with technology. We have accomplished all of these in their own time and they continue to morph regularly. You may ask yourself what do parenting and owning a business have to do with each other? I am here to share that both are a labor of love and will consume you in the best and worst ways. You must have a strong understanding of yourself and be willing to learn, every day, to undertake either. As a parent and a business owner, I have considered the question when is the “right time” to start. I am of the belief that there is no right time. Each and every journey will be unique. Raising a business baby comes with...