Sony uses 19th century zoetrope technology to showcase BRAVIA TVs

December 8, 2008 Sony has revitalized some fascinating old technology in order to spruik the cutting-edge Motionflow 200Hz capabilities of the new line of BRAVIA TVs. Measuring 10 meters in diameter and able to spin at speeds of over 50kph, the BRAVIA-drome is based on the zeotrope – a device invented in the 19th century to create short ‘films’ from a series of static images – which is seen as a perfect way to demonstrate just how Sony’s Motionflow 200Hz technology works to create smooth motion images.

Sony’s Motionflow is a technology that is designed to eliminate the jerkiness sometimes experienced on standard TV sets by creating an additional, transitional picture - which it then inserts into fast-moving sequences. These transitional images are created by examining the pictures that immediately precede and follow the next image in the sequence.

A TV commercial featuring the BRAVIA-drome to demonstrate this technology is currently being filmed in a square in Venaria, near Turin, and stars Brazilian soccer sensation Kaká. There are also plans for the BRAVIA-drome to feature in print and digital advertisements in a worldwide campaign, so expect to see the BRAVIA-drome in a raft of media near you before too long.