Slideshow: Eye-Popping Streaming Film Debuts

High-definition broadcasts of undersea volcanoes and a Japanese drama offer impossibly rich glimpses of the future of communications. By Xeni Jardin.
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Live high-definition video of volcanic thermal vents on the ocean floor was transmitted via optical networks at iGrid 2005.Courtesy of Visions 2005, University of Washington

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UCSD music professor Peter Otto checks out a mixing board for 4K digital cinema.Courtesy of Calit2 and iGrid 2005

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Inside a Calit2 server room during the iGrid event.Courtesy of Calit2 and iGrid 2005

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During the 4K digital cinema demo, Japanese officials from Keio University and NTT appeared above, and UCSD Chancellor Fox spoke at left.Courtesy of Calit2 and iGrid 2005

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The demo at iGrid 2005 was a collaboration between Computer Science University of Illinois at Chicago, Nortel Networks and others.Courtesy of Computer Science University of Illinois at Chicago

A prototype 4K digital projector from Sony was used during the iGrid 2005 conference.Courtesy of Calit2 and iGrid 2005

A prototype 4K digital projector from Sony was used during the iGrid 2005 conference.Courtesy of Calit2 and iGrid 2005

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A tiled wall of high-resolution displays shows aerial photographs of New Orleans shot for the U.S. Geological Survey in the days immediately following Hurricane Katrina.Courtesy of Computer Science University of Illinois at Chicago

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Calit2 director Dr. Larry Smarr spoke at the iGrid opening, with iGrid 2005 co-chairs Tom Defanti and Maxine Brown by his side.Courtesy of Calit2 and iGrid 2005

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Dr. Larry Smarr and UC San Diego Chancellor Marye Anne Fox view a 100-megapixel display that shows live image data streamed over an encrypted fiber-optic network link.Courtesy of Calit2 and iGrid 2005