| Throughout the history of art and popular culture, each era has used the technology available at that time to produce the illusion of immersion. The definition of immersion, for this dissertation, is the perception of being physically present in a virtual world created by digital technologies. Today, developments in digital technology are causing shifts in the way media can be created and experienced as forms of immersion. This dissertation explores how major technological changes in cinema and head mounted displays are being developed, used, marketed, and received in the twenty-first century. Higher frame rates, better visual resolution, faster shutter speeds, 4K projectors, and Auro-3D, DTS:X and Dolby Atmos multichannel sound systems allow for the experience of immersiveness in realistic, virtual worlds in cinema and head mounted displays (augmented, mixed and virtual reality). These new technologies are enabling the reexamination of prior immersive techniques such as 3D, Smell-O-Vision, and Cinerama. The goal is to understand these rapid technological changes and how audiences and businesses are adapting to remain current while competing with older digital technologies or delivery systems. |
