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Universal 100

Today I saw my first evidence of the infiltration of the high street by AR.   

To celebrate a century of publishing films, Universal Pictures are re-releasing one hundred films from their back catalogue.  As part of this marketing campaign, they have re-packaged the DVDs and are selling these for £5 each. 

Far more interesting from the point of view of my MA, they are also including an AR marker with each new release.  In fact, the new covers of each DVD now act as a fiduciary marker and each triggers a short CGI animation that appears to play on ‘top’ of the case.  To supplement this they also activate an audio clip related to the film – usually a key quotation or sound effect.  The Jurassic Park DVD, for example, plays a highly satisfying Tyrannosaurus’ roar.   

Universal 100 AR DVD sleeve

I noticed these at a local HMV music store and later witnessed similar displays at supermarkets.  Much to my surprise, there was a large poster advertising “Augmented Reality”.  I was slightly taken aback by this as up until now my connection with AR had been through academic reading or else through digital sources.     

I duly rushed into the store and, after reading the instructions, I began surreptitiously downloading the AR content.  On reflection, I find it interesting that I was slightly uncomfortable with this and was worried about seeming to ‘steal’ the content.   In the event, I need not have worried as I am certain that the staff and/or other customers had little idea what I was actually doing and largely ignored me.

At first, the actual AR itself was difficult to access.  For example, the application seemed to take an age to download (as a result of lack of an internet connection and the need to access iTunes).  The AR also took quite a while to appear and altogether this process lasted 30-45 seconds. 

Once working, however, the quality of the playback was quite satisfactory.  The models included clear textures and I feel that they do relate well to the films being portrayed.  Whilst the polygon count was clearly low, the animations did play very smoothly.   The low lighting also made the images flicker – which often necessitated a reload. 

In truth, however, I was far less interested in the actual quality of the CGI than in Universal’s decision to include this in their campaign.  They obviously feel that the technology possesses a strong novelty value and appeal.  Furthermore, the distributors must also have felt confident enough in the proliferation of smartphones to invest in this marketing strategy.   It is reassuring to see AR further enter the mainstream and it can only be to my advantage that it increasingly does so.

James May

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