CyberLink Sets the GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS™ Title for Longest Marathon Watching Virtual Reality Video Content with Non-Stop 50 Hours in a Virtual Headset
Team CyberLink Achieves Historic Feat with PowerDVD 17
NEW YORK — April 18, 2017 — CyberLink Corp.(5203.TW),the world’s leading multimedia technology company, today announced that it has set the GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS™ title for the Longest marathon watching virtual reality (VR) video content. To reach its record breaking goal, Team CyberLink, with help from two devoted New York-based movie fans, endured and recorded a 50-hour non-stop viewing session in a virtual reality headset, setting the bar for future challengers.
Taking place in New York City’s West Village, participants Alejandro “AJ” Fragoso, 26, from Park Slope, Brooklyn and London born Alex Christison, 37, who lives in Brooklyn Heights, Brooklyn watched back-to-back movie and 360°-degree titles such as “Stranger Things | Virtual Reality / 360 Experience”, “ KONG VR: Destination Skull Island,” and the award-winning 360-degree short film “ INVASION!” from Baobab Studios.
The content was played using CyberLink’s flagship PowerDVD, Oculus Rift headsets and VR-ready notebooks sponsored by Intel. PowerDVD is designed to play all types of digital media. The latest version, PowerDVD 17, was released in early April. It supports Oculus Rift and HTC Vive VR, allowing users to watch immersive 360° and 3D-360° VR content, as well as enjoy conventional 2D or 3D videos in a virtual theater with screen size equivalent to 700-inch IMAX cinema.
Alejandro “AJ” Fragoso, returned for this CyberLink VR GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS title attempt after breaking a previous record last year for the Longest marathon watching television during a 94-hour non-stop TV binge-watching marathon using an earlier version of PowerDVD.
"The VR headset added a new twist to the previous challenge; I felt cut off from the real world and the passage of time. It's a surreal experience," said Fragoso. "PowerDVD 17's VR mode was like walking into my own personal, big screen theater. I could look around the virtual environment and soak in the seemingly huge movie screen. This is how everyone should watch movies – there is no comparison!"
Alex Christison, who previously helped CyberLink capture a 360° first-person experience of the New York City Marathon in 2016, returned to work alongside the CyberLink team to set this challenging GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS title for Longest marathon watching virtual reality video content.
“I had no idea just how difficult it would be to complete this VR movie marathon,” said Christison. “Being completely immersed for such a long time was a huge mental strain. It was also physically demanding but an incredibly forward-looking experience. I was shocked by how PowerDVD 17 can seamlessly playback any type of VR content, including the fast-growing YouTube library that is integrated within the software, and it supports both HTC Vive and Oculus Rift headsets – which is an ideal way to enjoy movies in a more immersive environment. It’s like your own personal IMAX theater!”
“VR is one of the most exciting recent technologies and, aside from gaming, we at CyberLink believe it will re-invent media entertainment,” said Richard Carriere, CyberLink’s Senior Vice-President, Global Marketing. “From day one, PowerDVD has been about offering consumers a premium media experience across platforms and devices. We are now adding VR to the PC, mobile and TV media entertainment platforms – to satisfy demand for a more engaging and immersive viewing experience, especially when watching movies!”
Both before and after the VR movie marathon attempt, Dr. Robert Glatter, Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine, Lenox Hill Hospital, Northwell Health, and Founder and Medical Director of DR 911, a service providing personalized home visits in New York City, conducted regular physical check-ups of the participants to examine the effects of prolonged immersion in a virtual environment. Dr. Glatter’s findings indicated that both participant’s elevated heart rate after a prolonged period of sleeplessness, as well as neurological side-effects such as an increased frequency of involuntary open-eyed “micronaps” and acute hallucinations.
"This challenge offered by CyberLink was a fascinating opportunity to review the effects of prolonged immersion in VR on someone’s health,” said Dr. Robert Glatter. “There has been a lot of speculation about the impact of VR on a person’s health, but there are few studies that have examined its effects in a controlled environment. Both AJ and Alex put themselves through an incredible test of endurance, pushing their bodies to the limit with impressive results.”
This attempt was the first time anyone has broken an official GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS title for the Longest marathon watching virtual reality video content, however in January 2016 a Berlin based gamer spent 48 hours in a virtual reality gaming environment, which inspired Team CyberLink to set the ‘official’ record for a VR movie marathon at 50 hours.
About CyberLink
CyberLink (5203.TW) is a world leader in multimedia software design. Since 1996, CyberLink has transformed how people enjoy and create media on PCs, mobile devices and in the Cloud. The company’s award-winning products are sold to all major PC manufacturers as well as millions of customers worldwide. Headquartered in Taipei, Taiwan, CyberLink also runs regional operations through offices in the US, Japan, Europe and Asia-Pacific territories. Further information about CyberLink can be found at cyberlink.com.
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